Barbet enthusiasts are eager to get the wider world panting for their favorite pooches.
Barbet buffs believe the breed has all the characteristics to get American tongues wagging.
The biggest challenge for Dr. Newkirk and other Barbet breeders is a lack of sires.
Even without the new sires, the Barbet breed should hit the 100-dog mark by the end of 2012.
Japan also makes an appearance in L'Inju: la Bete dans l'Ombre, the latest work from French film-maker Barbet Schroeder.
The latter is a slam that gets Barbet owners like Doris Newkirk, a professor and retired psychologist in Greenbank, Wash.
But it traces back to an ancient line, and a famous Barbet once fought in Napoleon's infantry, say the breed's fanciers.
The Barbet is already a recognized big-time breed in some European kennel clubs, including major clubs in France and Finland, but not the Kennel Club of the United Kingdom.
Other strong contenders include US director Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler, starring Mickey Rourke, and French film-maker Barbet Schroeder's thriller L'Inju: la Bete dans l'Ombre, or The Beast in the Shadows.
The notable downside is that its coat requires regular grooming, but some owners feel the effort is worthwhile because a Barbet's coat better agrees with some people who suffer from allergies.
The Zambian barbet (aka Caplin's barbet) is the country's only endemic bird and, due to its small population and disappearing habitat, has been listed as a vulnerable species (likely to become endangered).
Mr. Sarkozy "expressing the idea publicly with three weeks to go to the end of his first mandate isn't necessarily a bad idea as it puts the subject on the table without at the same time committing the French government or defining its position, " said BNP Paribas senior economist Dominique Barbet.
应用推荐