Pure Dog Talk

Ancient Lowchen breed holds threatened future Alexia Rodriguez and Gracie Lou... Alexia Rodriguez, breeder and Lowchen Club of America Director, talks about these non-shedding, healthy, active “best kept secret” little lion dogs. With depictions dating to the 1400s in Germany, Lowchen see only 80 dogs total registered annually in the U.S. Rodriguez said that in 2015, only 18 litters of Lowchen were whelped in the US, with an average litter size of only three puppies. On its current path, the club estimates Lowchen could become extinct by 2044. “Our numbers indicate only 37 percent of dogs in the U.S. contribute to the gene pool,” Rodriguez said. She added that the tight line breeding required to re-establish the breed following WWII is suspected to be the cause of the low litter numbers. Nonetheless they breed and whelp naturally. Best kept secret Dealer in his "Marvin the Martian" up-do, on the couch watching TV with his owner. “The thing I love the most,” Rodriguez said, “is that Lowchen can be high lev