French bulldog frenzy may be cooling in US, but dachshunds are riding high

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans still dig French bulldogs, retrievers and German shepherds. But dachshunds are increasingly hot dogs.

For the first time in over two decades, the sausage-shaped hounds were among the top five most prevalent dog breeds, according to American Kennel Club rankings released Wednesday. The standings cover 202 breeds and are based on puppies and older purebreds that were added last year to the AKC's registry, the nation's oldest. Registration is voluntary.

It's not a complete picture of the U.S. canine population, which the American Veterinary Medical Association estimates at over 87 million. The kennel club's rankings don't include mixed-breed dogs or trendy hybrids such as goldendoodles and Pomskies.

Still, the annual list can be a source of pride, or concern, among purebred fans.

It's also a wellspring of criticism from animal rights groups such as PETA, which is suing the AKC over the physical ideals it promulgates for Frenchies, dachshunds and other breeds.

Here's a look at the standings:

— French bulldogs. The leaders since 2023, but for how much longer? The AKC's registry added about 54,000 Frenchies last year, half as many as in 2023. The breed is known for being self-assured, apartment-friendly and endlessly funny, but it's also at the center of increasing public conversation about the health of flat-faced dogs, and even some fans lament the Frenchie craze. AKC spokesperson Brandi Hunter Munden offers other explanations for the falloff: Breed booms come and go, particularly in the social media era, and some breeders may choose not to engage with the club.

— Labrador retrievers. They set a record by owning the top spot for 31 years. Could they reclaim it? Stay tuned.

— Golden retrievers. Everyone loves them.

— German shepherds. Everyone respects them.

— Dachshunds. Everyone on social media wants to see them in a Halloween costume. More on dachshunds below.

— Poodles. Holding their own, though not what they were — No. 1 — in the pre-doodle 1960s and 1970s.

— Beagles. The only breed to make the top 10 for every decade since the AKC was founded in 1884. They were No. 1 in the late 1950s.

— Rottweilers. Hovering in the top 10 for almost 15 years.

— German shorthaired pointers. They've made big gains in the last quarter-century.

— Bulldogs. Easing off after hitting No. 4 a decade ago.

— 25 years ago: Yorkshire terriers were No. 6, and Frenchies were No. 64.

— 50 years ago: Saint Bernards were the seventh most prevalent breed. Last year, they were 63rd.

— 100 years ago: In the 1920s, the top 10 included three breeds that are still there today: German shepherds, beagles and bulldogs.

— The pluses: “They’re amusing to look at. They’re also very expressive dogs — they let you know what they’re thinking,” said Trudy Kawami, who has owned, bred, done dog sports and occasionally hunted rats with dachshunds since the 1980s. “They make you laugh every day.”

— The caveats: Research has found the short-legged, long-backed breed has an elevated risk of a spinal disease. Originally bred to roust badgers, the driven, determined dogs can be very vocal, and if they can't exercise their instincts through hunting or sports, they might find unsuitable substitutes.

— The misconceptions: “The proliferation of cute images on social media now is kind of a pain — because that cute little fluffy, cream-colored, long-haired dog can turn around and kill your pet gerbil really fast,” Kawami said. She's glad to see more people appreciate the quirky hounds, but she rues that “the minute a breed becomes popular…the whole market-supply-and-demand mechanism kicks in.”

The AKC has added more than 50 types of dog to its roster of “recognized” breeds since 2000. Some have quickly become familiar faces, especially the cane corso, now the 11th most prevalent breed.

Keep an eye out for the coton de tulear, which spurted from 92nd in 2024 to 79th last year. The American hairless terrier moved up from No. 125 to No. 108.

The rarest breeds also are relative newcomers: the grand basset griffon Vendeen, the sloughi and the Norwegian lundehund. All three joined the AKC pack in the last 15 years. But just ahead of them is the harrier, recognized since 1885.

PETA contends that breeding lessens needy dogs' chance of adoption and perpetuates unhealthy traits. The activist group filed a lawsuit last year that accuses the AKC of promoting “the breeding of deformed, unhealthy dogs.” The kennel club responded that it’s committed to canine health and called the suit frivolous.

In anticipation of this year's popular-breeds list, PETA produced videos in which comedian-actor-writer Carol Leifer highlights the breathing problems that can beset short-snouted dogs and implores people not to buy them.

“Breeders cash in on the look, and the dogs and their guardians pay for it,” she says in one clip.

The AKC's Hunter Munden said the rankings are intended just to satisfy public curiosity, not “as an encouragement to buy any type of dog.”

“No matter how you acquire your dog, do your research and make sure that a dog fits in your lifestyle,” said the spokesperson, who has two mixed-breed dogs and a West Highland white terrier.

FILE- In this Jan. 6, 2010 file photo, a golden retriever looks over the half door entrance of the grooming room at Happy Paws in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

FILE - Winston, a French bulldog, competes in the non-sporting group competition during the 147th Westminster Kennel Club Dog show, May 8, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

FILE - German Shepherd family protection dog Lobo rests at the Strapestone Kennels in Radstock, England, March 5, 2025 .(AP Photo/Frank Augstein, file)

FILE - Magalí Maisonnave poses for a photo with her dachshund Sandro, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, file)

FILE - Four dachshunds wait in a basket of a breeder at a dog show in Dortmund, Germany, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, file)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Markwayne Mullin, President Donald Trump's pick for Homeland Security secretary, is appearing before senators on Wednesday for his confirmation hearing, where he'll face questions over his vision for a department tasked with carrying out the Republican administration's push for mass deportations.

Mullin, an Oklahoma senator, has spent 13 years in Congress and has emerged as a close ally of the president's. If confirmed, he would replace outgoing Secretary Kristi Noem, who was fired earlier this month amid mounting criticism of her leadership of the Department of Homeland Security.

The hearing is the first opportunity for lawmakers and the public to hear directly from Mullin about how he intends to run the third-largest department in the Cabinet. The sprawling department, with a workforce of roughly 260,000 employees, oversees a diverse mission set of responsibilities ranging from protecting the president from a bullet to helping states recover from disasters to deporting people in the country illegally.

Mullin is a former mixed martial arts fighter who ran a plumbing business in Oklahoma before running for Congress. He has in the past indicated support for immigration operations, and he's expected to be a faithful ally for Trump's agenda if he is confirmed for the top job at DHS.

“Whether it be protecting the homeland from bad actors, stopping dangerous drugs from flowing into American communities, or removing the worst-of-the-worst criminal illegal aliens, Senator Mullin will work tirelessly to implement the President’s agenda,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in an emailed statement Tuesday.

The president's immigration agenda and how Mullin intends to execute on it is expected to be a key line of questioning as Democrats drill down into Mullin's views. The hearing comes as the president's mass deportations agenda is at a crossroads, and Mullin will face pressure to reach the president's lofty deportation goals when the public mood has soured over the aggressive way immigration enforcement operations have been carried out.

Anger over the Trump administration's immigration enforcement tactics has prompted Democrats to refuse to fund DHS until it makes a series of changes to its officers' conduct.

In an opening statement released ahead of the hearing, Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, the ranking member on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said the Democrats were asking for “straightforward” reforms in line with rules police departments follow. Peters underlined the challenges that Homeland Security is facing from threats from Iran to criminal hackers and said the department needed someone with a “steady hand." But Peters said he had “reservations” about whether Mullin was ready to assume such a significant role.

As the latest partial government shutdown drags on, there have been long security lines at a growing number of U.S airports as security screeners go into another month without pay. Republicans have repeatedly charged that Democrats are risking the nation’s national security by blocking funding to the department.

Under Noem, intense enforcement operations were launched in places including Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, where immigrants were rounded up in arrest sweeps and protesters clashed with federal officers.

Activists and politicians accused DHS officers of smashing car windows, roughing up bystanders who tried to record their activities and detaining immigrants in squalid conditions. The shooting deaths of two protesters — Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis — contributed to swelling criticism of Trump’s immigration agenda.

Homeland Security has said that its officers are responding with force only when necessary and have blamed activists and politicians, who they say are dialing up the rhetoric against their officers.

Mullin also will likely face questions about the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, which is in the middle of a tumultuous reform process after Trump said he wanted to overhaul it, if not eliminate it.

Noem led a Trump-appointed FEMA Review Council that was set to recommend sweeping changes to how the federal government helps states, tribes and territories prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. The reforms had the potential to drastically reduce federal support for disasters and put more responsibility on local jurisdictions.

Meanwhile, under Noem’s leadership, all contracts above $100,000 had to wait for her approval. That led to long delays for states desperate for reimbursements for money they’d already spent on things like storm debris removal.

After two acting administrators left FEMA during Noem’s tenure, the agency is still without a permanent head.

Trump said he was making Noem a special envoy for a new security initiative that would focus on the Western Hemisphere. Noem thanked Trump for the appointment and touted her accomplishments as secretary, saying she made “historic accomplishments” at DHS to make America safe.

Associated Press writer Gabriela Aoun Angueira contributed.

FILE - Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Jan. 14, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., speaks with reporters on the steps at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., speaks with reporters on the steps at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., arrives before Ireland's Prime Minister Micheál Martin presents President Donald Trump with a bowl of shamrocks during a St. Patrick's Day event in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)