Labs Are Favorites, but German Shepherds Come Close

For the 19th consecutive year, the Labrador retriever is the most popular purebred dog in America in 2009, according to the American Kennel Club and based on its registration statistics.


Courtesy of Isabella Francais


Its reign on top, however, may be slipping, based on statistics from 50 large cities.

More of these cities reported other breeds were more popular than Labs than they did in 2008.

For example, German shepherd dogs, which overtook the Yorkshire terrier to become the second most popular dog nationally, was the most popular breed in Columbus, Ohio, Detroit, Honolulu, Memphis, Miami, Providence, R.I., and West Palm Beach, Fla..

“The German shepherd dog has gained ground recently, quite possible due to the increased attention they receive for their security efforts at home and abroad,” said Lisa Peterson, AKC spokesperson. “Hailed as the world’s leading police, guard and military dog, this energetic and fun-loving breed is a loyal family pet, ideal companion and dependable canine partner when duty calls.”

Yorkshires overtook Labs as the most popular breed in Tampa, Fla., and remained most popular in New York and Philadelphia.

Perhaps because of their skateboarding ability, Bulldogs took over the top spot in Los Angeles and the No. 2 in San Diego.

Looking at 10-year trends, the AKC noted rapid rises in popularity for the bulldog (from No. 21 to No. 7 nationally), French bulldog (No. 73 to No. 24), Cavalier King Charles spaniel (No. 58 to No. 25), and Havanese (No. 92 to No. 32).

Working breeds popular with law enforcement also showed steady 10-year climbs: (Belgian malinois (No. 95 to No. 81), border collie (No. 71 to No. 52), bloodhounds (No. 51 to No. 43), and Doberman pinschers (No. 23 to No. 15).

Finally, the Obama’s selection of the hypoallergenic Portuguese water dog as their family pet helped it climb four spots in 2009 to No. 60. It has climbed 20 spots in the past 10 years, the AKC reported.

Most Popular Dog Breeds in 2009

1. Labrador retriever
2. German shepherd dog
3. Yorkshire terrier
4. Golden retriever
5. Beagle
6. Boxer
7. Bulldog
8. Dachshund
9. Poodle
10. Shih Tzu

From: http://www.petstylenews.com