We start our Tuesday morning by congratulating the owners of Berger Picards, Lagotto Romagnolos and Miniature American Shepherd, breeds which were announced yesterday as having gained full #AKC recognition which means that all three will be eligible to compete in AKC events beginning July 1, 2015. This raises AKC’s total recognized breeds to 187 at the time of this writing.

Italy’s contribution to the Sporting Group is the Lagotto Romagnolo, the only purebred dog in the world recognized as a specialized truffle searcher. This high energy dog thrives on swimming, playing and retrieving.

The remaining two breeds join the Herding Group. The Berger Picard from France (a breed we fell in love with when it was featured as a Purebred of Interest here) is a natural born athlete with plenty of endurance and drive. She is sweet, good natured and, we learned, a bit of a comedian.

The Miniature American Shepherd is an American developed breed with roots from the Australian Shepherd, but more compact.This is a dog with a strong work ethic.

Congratulations, if you’re the owner of one of these breeds!

Images left to right: Lagotto Romagnolo, Berger Picard and Miniature American Shepherd