Let's give these two hounds some enthused howls and a hearty tail wag.
The American hairless terrier and sloughi are the two newest members of the American Kennel Club, the largest purebred dog registry in the world and the organization that determines which pooches make the cut for the National Dog Show you watch every Thanksgiving. Thanks to these newcomers, 189 breeds are now recognized by the AKC.
Neither American hairless terriers nor sloughis will be able to compete in the famed Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show until 2017, but they will be able to strut their stuff in most AKC shows and competitions this year.
Personality-wise, the two rookies are a bit different. The long-legged sloughi (pronounced SLOO-ghee), initially bred to hunt big game, is reserved but loyal.
"They are very attentive to their family, but they are not the kind of dog that will jump on your lap -- they are not after you all the time," Ermine Moreau-Sipiere of Como, Texas, president of the American Sloughi Association, told the Associated Press.
American hairless terriers, on the other hand, tend to be more energetic, sporty and curious.
"They're very easy to live with because they're very trainable," said Lynn Poston, secretary of the American Hairless Terrier Club of America.
To be officially recognized by the AKC, several hundred dogs of the breed must exist nationwide, among other criteria.
Some animal rights activists criticize the promotion of dog breeds and exclusive competitions, highlighting the need for mix-breed pooches to be adopted. The AKC says defined breed characteristics can help owners predict a dog's characteristics and "make an enduring match," according to the AP.
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