[ti:American Kennel Club Welcomes the Bracco Italiano] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]The American Kennel Club (AKC) has officially recognized [00:06.88]another dog breed in its registry of dogs. [00:11.96]The AKC is the oldest dog registry in the United States. [00:18.28]The organization has now welcomed [00:21.16]the bracco Italiano to the group. [00:25.36]The ancient Italian bird-hunting dog [00:28.48]is the 200th member of the club, the organization announced. [00:34.88]That means the powerful but good-natured pointers [00:39.52]can now compete at many U.S. dog shows for best in show. [00:46.16]That includes the famous Westminster Kennel Club event [00:50.28]in New York state. [00:52.84]The European breed goes back more than 200 years. [00:58.00]The AKC said it was brought to America in the 1990s. [01:04.56]It is sometimes called the Italian pointer or Italian pointing dog. [01:11.64]The bracco should be "tough and adapted to all types of hunting, [01:16.52]reliable, docile and intelligent," the AKC said. [01:22.60]It added that the breed is also friendly and not aggressive. [01:29.04]"They're very easy to live with and be around," [01:32.20]said bracco owner and breeder Lisa Moller of Portage, Wisconsin. [01:37.88]But they are also ready, she said, [01:41.28]"when it's time to jump in the back of the truck [01:44.20]and go hunting, and they've got a job..." [01:48.36]She and her husband Dale had depended on Labrador retrievers [01:53.16]to help them hunt birds called pheasants. [01:57.60]But, about five years ago, they met a bracco. [02:02.44]The two noted the dog's methodical way of hunting in the field [02:07.00]and sweet nature at home: "They're very Velcro," Lisa Moller said. [02:14.80]Velcro is a material that attaches one thing to another. [02:20.36]Moller said bracchi Italiani have a deep bark [02:24.96]and readily deploy it on sensing wildlife; [02:29.00]so, "they may not be the right dog for everybody." [02:34.52]AKC Executive Secretary Gina DiNardo [02:38.80]called the bracco a great dog for active families [02:42.80]who can provide "the love and attention it needs." [02:47.96]The AKC opened the nation's oldest dog registry [02:52.36]with nine breeds in 1878. [02:56.88]In the last 10 years, the club has added over 20 breeds. [03:02.36]There remain many breeds that are registered in other places [03:06.68]but not by the AKC or are not formally recognized at all. [03:13.20]Some dog lovers do not want the exposure [03:16.40]that AKC recognition brings to a breed. [03:21.52]Animal rights activists denounce dog breeding. [03:25.20]They argue that adding more breeds just increases demand [03:30.28]for purebred animals and the factory-like business that produces them. [03:37.40]The AKC says it supports responsible breeding. [03:41.76]It says the goal is to keep important qualities of dogs [03:46.04]that enable them to perform different kinds of activities. [03:51.20]And, the group says, that can ease owners' search [03:55.72]for a dog they can live with long-term. [03:59.08]I'm Caty Weaver. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM