The American hairless terrier and the sloughi are two latest dog breeds to gain full recognition from the American Kennel Club (AKC), the nonprofit announced Tuesday.
The AKC calls itself the "largest purebred dog registry in the world" and serves as the governing body for more than 22,000 dog events a year, according to its website. Tuesday's announcement does not indicate that a new breed has been "discovered" but rather that the AKC has officially welcomed it into one of its seven groups (herding, hound, sporting, non-sporting, terrier, toy and working).
The decision requires a certain minimum number of dogs of that breed, geographic distribution throughout the country and "an established breed club of responsible owners and breeders." The organization maintains the AKC Foundation Stock Service for purebred breeds that are on the path toward full recognition.
The American hairless terrier and the sloughi have the official stamp of approval to compete in the terrier and hound groups, respectively, as of January 1. The former is a relatively small, energetic terrier often kept by those who suffer from allergies. The latter is a medium-sized athletic dog with a smooth coat. The AKC describes the sloughi, also known as the Arabian greyhound, as "reserved, graceful, noble."
"We're excited to welcome these two unique breeds into the AKC family," club Vice President Gina DiNardo says in the organization's press release.
The organization reportedly recognized a total of seven new breeds in 2015. The cirneco dell'Etna, the bergamasco, the Spanish water dog and the boerboel officially joined the AKC on January 1 of last year, and three other breeds were named in June.
"The berger picard and miniature American shepherd join the Herding Group, and the lagotto romagnolo joins the Sporting Group," the organization wrote in its announcement. "All three are athletic and energetic (read: need lots of exercise), full of affection for their families, and are flat-out beautiful."
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