The American Kennel Club has crowned a new favorite.
A sad-looking Labrador Retriever
The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.
According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.
The French Bulldog’s popularity has grown exponentially over the past decade. They were the #14 most popular breed in 2012, and since then, registrations have gone up 1,000%, bringing them to the top of the breed popularity rankings.
The AKC says that the American Hairless Terrier, Gordon Setter, Italian Greyhound and Anatolian Shepherd Dog also grew in popularity between 2021 and 2022.
The French Bulldog was famous among America’s upper class around the turn of the 20th century but then fell out of favor. Their resurgence is partly based on several celebrities who have gone public with their Frenchie love. Leonardo DiCaprio, Megan Thee Stallion, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Reese Witherspoon and Lady Gaga all own French Bulldogs.
The breed earned a lot of attention as show dogs last year when a Frenchie named Winston took second place at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and first in the National Dog Show.
The breed made national news in early 2021 when Gaga’s dog walker was shot in the chest while walking two of her Frenchies in a dog heist. He recovered from his injuries, and the dogs were later returned.
The French Bulldog's complicated past took them from brothels (yes) to royals.
— American Kennel Club (@akcdoglovers) March 16, 2023
Listen to their full history and more in the Uniquely Urban podcast episode of Down & Back: https://t.co/Jx2jPNCVMbpic.twitter.com/wBQd9fsRlt
They’ve also become popular because of their unique look and personalities.
“They’re comical, friendly, loving little dogs,” French Bull Dog Club of America spokesperson Patty Sosa told the AP. She said they are city-friendly with modest grooming needs and “they offer a lot in a small package.”
They are also popular with people who live in apartments. According to the AKC, Frenchies don’t bark much and do not require a lot of outdoor exercise.
The French Bulldog stands out among other breeds because it looks like a miniature bulldog but has large, expressive bat-like ears that are its trademark feature. However, their popularity isn’t without controversy. “French bulldogs can be a polarizing topic,” veterinarian Dr. Carrie Stefaniak told the AP.
An adorable French Bulldog
via Pixabay
French Bulldogs have been bred to have abnormally large heads, which means that large litters usually need to be delivered by C-section, an expensive procedure that can be dangerous for the mother. They are also prone to multiple health problems, including skin, ear, and eye infections. Their flat face means they often suffer from respiratory problems and heat intolerance.
Frenchies are also more prone to spine deformations and nerve pain as they age.
Here are the AKC’s top ten most popular dog breeds for 2022.
1 French Bulldogs
2 Labrador Retrievers
3 Golden Retrievers
4 German Shepherd Dogs
5 Poodles
6 Bulldogs
7 Rottweilers
8 Beagles
9 Dachshunds
10 German Shorthaired Pointers
This article originally appeared on 03.17.23
"The more folks present, the safer the pool is, right? Wrong."
If there's a body of water anywhere, a designated adult needs to have their eyes on it.
It's that time of year when the weather across the country is warm enough for families to enjoy outdoor barbecues, picnics and pool parties. That means it's also the time of year when tragedy will strike a certain percentage of families who get blindsided by how quickly and easily a child can drown in a backyard pool, even when they're surrounded by people who care about them and their safety.
We've all been at a gathering where adults are coming and going, chatting, setting up food, taking trips to the bathroom, all while kids are busy playing in the water. In such scenarios, it's easy to assume that someone else is keeping an eye on the pool.
But as pediatrician Diane Arnaout has shared, the harrowing reality is that the more people there are at a pool party the more likely it is that a child could slip into the pool or become distressed in the water without anyone noticing.
In a Facebook post that has been shared more than 77,000 times, Dr. Arnaout wrote:
"The more folks present, the safer the pool is, right?
Wrong.
The more people present, the more DISTRACTIONS or ASSUMPTIONS.
Do not assume someone is watching over your kid.
Do not assume that older kids will help out smaller kids.
Do not assume that there is a commotion with drowning.
Do not assume your small child is hanging out inside the house (they wander outside, and to the pool).
Drowning is silent, quick, and devastating. There is no splashing. There is no crying out. There is no screaming."
When people picture someone drowning, they often imagine flailing arms and splashing in the water, and maybe someone crying out for help when they get their mouth above water. But that's not how it looks at all. It's calm, quiet and easy to not notice if someone isn't watching for it.
That's why Arnaout suggests two prevention tips that can increase the chance of catching a kid in trouble in a pool before the situation becomes dire.
"If you or your friends are getting together this summer and a pool is involved (EVEN A LITTLE TODDLER BLOW-UP POOL, OR A WATER SLIDE WITH A COLLECTION POOL AT THE BOTTOM), you MUST assign a person to watch the kids.
My friends and I have come up with two plans:
1) everybody chips in $10 and we hire a lifeguard for the party
2) We are all assigned the WATER WATCHER BAND - you can get these at my office or make one of your own. The person who wears it is in charge of watching the water at all times. Trade it out with someone else every 15-20 minutes.
This assures the kids are observed constantly!"
The Water Watcher bands she has pictured are something her facility gives out, but she explained that people can make their own. And it doesn't have to be a bracelet—just anything that signifies a specific person as a designated pool watcher.
"Please remember that this concept could be something as easy as a scrunchie on the wrist, a rubber ball or toy to hold, or a plastic lanyard around the neck," Arnaout wrote in a comment. "The point is—the person wearing or holding it is committed to being completely distraction-free: no phones, no conversing with others, and completely focused on the pool. Remember the LAYERS of protection you can give your kids: education by talking to them about pool safety, swim lessons, lifejackets (US Coast Guard approved), and observation!"
The no distractions part is huge. A pool watcher should be watching the pool. Adults can take turns in 15 or 20-minute increments even, as long as someone is tasked with the job is watching the water.
Comments on Arnaout's post are filled with the loved ones of children who have drowned or nearly drowned in pools, and their stories are devastating. It happens much more easily than people think, which is why it's vital to take proactive precautionary measures and not assume that because a group is full of responsible adults someone will notice a child drowning. It happens too fast and too quietly, even when adults are nearby. A designated person to watch the pool and know what to look for is one of the best ways to prevent such tragedies from occurring.
SafeKids.org has a Water Watcher Card you can print yourself:
"Like myself, Drew has had a super hard life," she said.
Drew Barrymore speaks during the FLOWER Beauty launch at Westfield Parramatta on April 13, 2019, in Sydney, Australia.
Drew Barrymore, 48, has been in the public consciousness since she starred as Gertie in 1982’s mega-blockbuster, “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” a performance that earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. So, it makes sense that many people of a certain age feel as if they’ve grown up with her.
Now, she’s an even more significant part of people’s lives as the host of “The Drew Barrymore Show,” which runs every weekday on CBS.
On May 25, the show’s Instagram page posted a touching video of an off-the-cuff moment between Barrymore and a fan during a taping of her show. In the clip, Barrymore realizes that someone in the audience is crying. So, instead of ignoring the fan, she jumps to action to see what is the matter.
The fan is Olivia Radford, 21, who recently moved to Los Angeles from Salt Lake City, Utah.
“Are you OK? Did anything happen? Whose a** do I have to kick?” she said while approaching the audience member. The crying fan’s friend clarified things for Barrymore, saying she loves her. “Oh, thank God, it’s nothing bad,” Barrymore exclaimed.
“I was like, ‘Tell me who they are, and I will take them down.’ Who made you cry?” she joked.
“You’re just, like, my childhood idol. I don’t want to be that person to cry,” Radford admitted. Then Barrymore assured her that emotional outbursts are acceptable and encouraged in her studio.
“Oh, screw that! Be that person!” Barrymore said.
"I really love you. I'm sorry," the fan said as she was handed a tissue. The talk show host then sat on Radford's lap and comforted her. “I have the urge to do this," Barrymore said as she held her.
“This is such an honor for me to meet you. I’m sorry I have dumpling breath,” Barrymore told Radford. “It’s so funny that you would say you don’t want to cry here,” she continued. “I cry here all the time.”
Radford told Upworthy that her "all-time favorite movie growing up" was "50 First Dates" starring Barrymore and Adam Sandler. "As you can tell from the video, I'm quite an emotional person," she told Upworthy. "I cry every single time I watch that movie. It’s extremely inspiring. I’m a huge fan of Adam Sandler as well!"
Radford feels a kinship with Barrymore that goes even deeper than her films.
"Like myself, Drew has had a super hard life," Radford said. "Drew is an extremely loving person, despite all the hardships she’s had to overcome. At the taping, she told me that there was a reason we met and that she sees herself in me, which felt super special."
Radford was able to briefly speak with Barrymore after the taping, and the talk show host wished her luck on her new life in Los Angeles. She hopes to make the experience permanent by getting Barrymore's words of advice tattooed in her handwriting because "she told me to always 'Be that person.'"
The tender exchange between Barrymore and Radford shows that the talk show host is just as sweet and caring off-camera as she is when she does her show. They always say you should never meet your heroes, but it’s probably a good idea if yours is Drew Barrymore.
There are literally hundreds of covers of this song floating around on the internet, but this one has its own unique flair.
Moyun peforms "Hotel California" on the guzheng.
The Eagles' hit song, “Hotel California,” has been covered countless times over the years by a variety of artists, including the likes of Nancy Sinatra, the Gypsy Kings and that guy at your local karaoke spot.
And while every rendition gives the song a fresh dynamic, one musician with a penchant for mystery has transformed the rock n’ roll staple into something entirely new.
Using a traditional Chinese string instrument called a guzheng, Moyun plays the song focusing mostly on its two guitar solo arrangements, creating a sound that has all the otherworldly beauty of an ancient folk tale.This is no easy feat, as one commenter noted. “Guzheng is usually tuned to [the] pentatonic scale, which does not have all the notes naturally that are necessary to articulate ‘Hotel California,’” they wrote, saying that Moyun “demonstrated comprehensive technical skills and deep understanding of Guzheng” to be able to bring the song to life.
The theme was only further amplified by Moyun’s costume reflecting the Wei Jin Dynasty—complete with a wide-sleeved robe and hand-woven straw hat covering her face (the artist’s signature style).
Watch:
Though Moyun never reveals her face, she has plenty of other guzheng covers showing off her talent, including from rock classics like AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” to “Numb” by Linkin Park.
Also, anime and video game fans can rejoice. Moyun has brought her next-level skills to widely popular titles like “Demon Slayer” and “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.”
With every beautiful cover, Moyun proves that some sounds are simply timeless. You can find even more of her on YouTube.Rob Anderson's hilarious recaps of shows like "Mighty Ducks," "Beethoven," and "7th Heaven" might make you wonder how they got made in the first place.
These plots makes zero sense.
While there are no doubt some timeless classics from our childhood that remain every bit as amazing as we remember, many are straight-up cringey upon a later viewing. Really, it’s to be expected as societal viewpoints change…sort of a marker of how far we’ve collectively come.
And so, what do we do with these problematic pieces of old-school pop culture? Well, we can certainly update them to better reflect a more modern attitude, but that also comes with a set of potential problems. Or we could simply never watch them again. Certainly an option given all the content out there. But then we might miss an opportunity to better understand what seemed to work for the mainstream then, and why it doesn’t work now.
And then there’s the third option—allow ourselves to be entertained by their cringiness.
That’s certainly the route taken by Rob Anderson. Over on TikTok, Anderson has taken ultra-popular movies and television shows from his childhood and given them hilarious recaps capturing how absurd some of the storylines are.Take, for example, "Beethoven." Remember, the cute story about a family who adopts a stray Saint Bernard?
Yeah, as Anderson will kindly remind you, this movie is actually “so messed up.”
@heartthrobert I did NOT rememeber the plot of the movie Beethoven. #90s#90skids#90skid#90sthrowback#90smovies♬ original sound - Rob Anderson
Not only is the family the “worst owners ever” by never bothering to train Beethoven so he won't hop onto tables (dumb, but okay), but the dad actually convinces his wife to stop being a stay-at-home mom and start working for him (wait, what?) and, get this, the antagonist is a veterinarian who is secretly hired to test out bullets by shooting dogs in the head (WHOA WHOA WHOA).
How about “The Princess Diaries,” the movie that introduced us to Anne Hathaway and rightfully had Julie Andrews playing a queen?
After watching Anderson’s video, you’ll agree that this popular flick actually “makes no sense.”
First off, a single mom, who’s a mediocre artist at best, lives with her daughter in a beautiful three-story house in San Francisco. Okay, yes, not feasible, even in the 90s. But Hollywood often does that. Big whoop.
It gets weirder though, as Anderson notes that in this story, the fictional country of Genovia will somehow cease to exist without Hathaway taking the throne. Not to mention her character is bullied post-makeover for “being hotter,” gets in trouble with the principal for being royalty and somehow “doesn’t know what fire is.”
@heartthrobert The Princess Diaries makes no sense
♬ original sound - Rob Anderson
The biggest grievance might be towards the end, when people from all over the world gather to celebrate the Genovia Independence Ball at the San Francisco consulate.
“It’s like the U.S. Inauguration happening at our Embassy in Dublin,” Anderson jokes.
Anderson actually has an entire series dedicated to the faith-based family drama “7th Heaven.” Because, let’s face it, there’s just so much to talk about, from “taking in a homeless girl as a pet,” to flipping the bird being treated like the most catastrophic thing imaginable. Yes, these were actual storylines we have all tucked deep in the recesses of our subconscious.
Here are a few for your viewing pleasure.
@heartthrobert Replying to @Wayne Holmes The cringiest 7th Heaven episode yet. #7thHeaven#90s#90sthrowback#90skids#90skid#90stv♬ original sound - Rob Anderson
@heartthrobert Replying to @lawyerpaige #7thheaven#90skids#90s#90sthrowback♬ original sound - Rob Anderson
@heartthrobert My breakfown of the most iconic ep of #7thHeaven#90s#90skids♬ original sound - Rob Anderson
Anderson’s recaps hold no punches, but at the same time are a completely lighthearted way of pointing out how ridiculous certain things from our childhood are. Sometimes, instead of getting miffed at that which is problematic, we can simply give ourselves a good laugh.
Care to see even more recaps of unhinged 90s movies? Follow Anderson on TikTok.
“I said, you know what, I’ve done everything else. Why not?”
77-year-old woman decides she's the love of her life and marries herself.
We joke about marrying ourselves or a platonic friend if some arbitrary amount of time has passed without a proposal from an imaginary suitor. And sure, some people do wind up marrying a friend in more of a business arrangement, but it's not very common that someone follows through with marrying themselves.
Dorothy "Dottie" Fideli, decided that she was going to break the mold. The 77-year-old sat down and thought about all of the things she had done in life and who was with her the entire time cheering her on. It was an easy answer: herself. She was her biggest cheerleader, the person who always showed up and the love of her life, so Fideli made the plan to marry herself.
On a beautiful May day, friends and family gathered in the O’Bannon Terrace Retirement Community, where Fideli is a resident, to witness the ceremony.
"I have been with myself for 40 years. Something just came over me one day in church that, 'you want to do something special for yourself,'" Fideli told KCEN.
It was Fideli's daughter, Donna Pennington, that helped her pull together the emotional ceremony, complete with a wedding dress and an officiant. The grandmother spent most of her life raising her three children and helping to care for her grandchildren, and she felt like it was time to do something for herself.
This isn't Fideli's first marriage. She was actually married once before in 1965, but she didn't get to have a wedding. Fideli and her ex-husband were married in a courthouse ceremony where she wore a black dress and were divorced nine years later. Something tells me that this marriage is going to last a lifetime though.
You can catch a glimpse of her wedding below:
