VOA文化艺术2025--Danish-Swedish Farmdog Is American Kennel Club's Newest Breed

The American Kennel¹ Club, or AKC, has named another kind of dog to its registry.

Say hello to the Danish-Swedish farmdog. Or maybe say "hej," the word for hello in Swedish and Danish.

AKC officials announced the addition to its list on January 2. The recognition means the breed now may compete for many best in show prizes. It also will probably create wider interest in the small, lively dogs. Fans of the breed are happy for the honor, but some also worry about the effect increased attention will have on the dog.

Carey Segebart is one of the people who worked to get Danish-Swedish farmdogs recognized by the AKC. "We're excited about it. We're looking forward to it," she said. She plans to show one of her own at a dog show this month near her home in the American state of Iowa.

Still, she thinks more attention can have both good and bad results for the breed. "We don't want the breed to just explode too quickly," she said.

The Danish-Swedish Farmdog Club of America says the breed, DSF for short, goes back centuries in parts of what are now Denmark, southern Sweden and some other European countries.

Fun little dogs

"They're interesting, fun little dogs," said Segebart, who has owned them since 2011 and is the club's incoming president. She said they will try anything and "succeed at most everything."

In their homelands, the dogs' main job was to control small animals called rodents³. However, they also can herd⁴, act as watchdogs and be playful with children. The club says some Danish-Swedish farmdogs have even performed in circuses.

After Denmark and Sweden became more developed in the 20th century, DSF fans decided⁵ to make the breed official in both nations. Kennel clubs there began registering the breed in 1987.

In the United States, many of the about 350 Danish-Swedish farmdogs nationwide already compete in agility⁶, obedience⁷ or other sports that are open to all dogs, including mixed breeds.

Until now, the dogs could not enter the traditional breed-by-breed judging that leads to best in show prizes at major dog shows. They may appear later this year at two major televised events, the National Dog Show and the AKC National Championship.

The Danish-Swedish farmdog is the AKC's 202nd breed and "a wonderful addition to a family that is able to provide it with the exercise and mental stimulation⁸ that it needs," said the AKC's Gina DiNardo.

Danish-Swedish farmdog lovers talked for several years about whether they should try to get AKC recognition and the attention that is likely to come with it, Segebart said. The number of people wanting to buy a young farmdog, or puppy, has grown quickly over the last ten years. The wait for a DSF puppy is usually a year or more, she said.

Fans of the breed worry that its appealing, relatively⁹ easy-care nature could make it quickly become too popular for its own good. They are not the first to worry. Similar concerns surround the French bulldog, which the AKC now says is the most popular breed in the country. Breeding for desired qualities has led to many health problems for the dogs.

I'm Jill Robbins

Jennifer Peltz reported this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English.

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Words in This Story

kennel - n. a place where dogs or cats are kept while their owners are away; an establishment for the breeding or boarding of dogs or cats

rodent² - n. a small animal (such as a mouse, rat, squirrel, or beaver) that has sharp front teeth

herd - v. to gather and move (a group of animals)

agile¹⁰ - adj. able to move quickly and easily

canine¹¹ - adj. of or relating to dogs

stimulate¹² - v. to make (a living thing) excited or interested in something

1 kennel   

n.狗舍，狗窝

参考例句：

• Sporting dogs should be kept out of doors in a kennel.猎狗应该养在户外的狗窝中。
• Rescued dogs are housed in a standard kennel block.获救的狗被装在一个标准的犬舍里。

2 rodent   

n.啮齿动物；adj.啮齿目的

参考例句：

• When there is a full moon,this nocturnal rodent is careful to stay in its burrow.月圆之夜，这种夜间活动的啮齿类动物会小心地呆在地洞里不出来。
• This small rodent can scoop out a long,narrow tunnel in a very short time.这种小啮齿动物能在很短的时间里挖出一条又长又窄的地道来。

3 rodents   

n.啮齿目动物( rodent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Rodents carry diseases and are generally regarded as pests. 啮齿目动物传播疾病，常被当作害虫对待。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some wild rodents in Africa also harbor the virus. 在非洲，有些野生啮齿动物也是储毒者。 来自辞典例句

4 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 agility   

n.敏捷，活泼

参考例句：

• The boy came upstairs with agility.那男孩敏捷地走上楼来。
• His intellect and mental agility have never been in doubt.他的才智和机敏从未受到怀疑。

7 obedience   

n.服从，顺从

参考例句：

• Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
• Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。

8 stimulation   

n.刺激，激励，鼓舞

参考例句：

• The playgroup provides plenty of stimulation for the children.幼儿游戏组给孩子很多启发。
• You don't get any intellectual stimulation in this job.你不能从这份工作中获得任何智力启发。

9 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

10 agile   

adj.敏捷的，灵活的

参考例句：

• She is such an agile dancer!她跳起舞来是那么灵巧！
• An acrobat has to be agile.杂技演员必须身手敏捷。

11 canine   

adj.犬的，犬科的

参考例句：

• The fox is a canine animal.狐狸是犬科动物。
• Herbivorous animals have very small canine teeth,or none.食草动物的犬牙很小或者没有。

12 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。