Why aren't Rhodesian Ridgeback Popular?

[Twisterdog]

Actually, you'll find that most people don't like it when their breed is popular. Popularity often leads to unreputable breeding and a surplus of puppies

Amen to that! Remember the movie My Dog Skip? Well, in the book the dog is a smooth fox terrier, and I remember just being sick when I heard that movie was coming out. I so did not want "my" breed to become popular! I was secretly and selfishly happy when another breed was chosen to play the dog in the movie.

Be very glad the breed you love isn't popular!

[Canis-Lupess]

The ridgeback is fairly popular in the UK, or at least round where I am. There is a woman on our street who has three. I painted two of them for her. Her nephew also has one of the pups they bred along with a siberian husky. Somebody around the corner on the next street used to have one also.

I've also seen a few others knocking around and usually see them at dog shows and such too.

I agree that being too popular is generally bad for them. Look at how popularity has practically destroyed cavalier king charles spaniels. You can hardly find dogs of that breed anymore that don't die before 2 years old of heart problems.
Some breeds like the Border Collie which I have, also have the added problem of people buying them only to find they can't handle them and then they end up in rescues or just live out their lives very unhappy in unsuitable homes. Seeing them in films like Babe and seeing them on TV doing agility, flyball, obedience, dancing to music, everyone thinks they are easy to train and will just do as they are told. Not true. You need to know how to train dogs to be able to train one and, being a very smart breed, you have to know dogs to stay one step ahead of them.