Puppy Love: How a Dog Breed Becomes a Fad
This is Toucha Fantastic Francis, aka Frani, a 5-and-a-half-year-old Berger Picard from Portland, Ore.
Photographer: Delaney Allen for Bloomberg Businessweek
Five years ago, David Hicks and Naomi Fujinaka decided they wanted a livelier and more affectionate dog than their stoic mastiff. Their research led them to the 2-foot, 60-pound Berger Picard (pronounced bare-ZHAY pee-CARR). They were so infatuated they began breeding them on a small scale. In the past few months, however, Hicks and Fujinaka have experienced a surge of unsolicited attention. “The amount of views on our Facebook went through the roof,” Hicks says. “Do you have puppies? Do you have puppies? Do you have puppies?”
The surge of interest came after the Berger Picard was recognized by the American Kennel Club, the nonprofit governing the world of purebred dogs in the U.S. To gain official recognition from the AKC, a breed must have an active national club and a gene pool large enough for safe breeding (about 100 dogs). Admission to the registry, which has accrued 189 breeds since 1884, is not only a seal of legitimacy but also brings the breed wider attention. “People are educated about them, so you get these rarer breeds being added to families,” says AKC Vice President Gina DiNardo.