The AKC has released the list.
Every year the American Kennel Club releases a list of the most popular dog breeds based on its registration statistics. For the past 27 years the Labrador Retriever has topped the list as the most popular dog in America. In 1991 the Lab inched ahead of the Cocker Spaniel to top the chart, and hasn't budged since.
But the Labrador Retriever isn't always the most popular breed when it comes to certain cities. The AKC released a list of top dog breeds in 14 major cities where the dogs are registered. Here are the Kennel Club rankings.
Hover over the map to see each state's #1 most popular purebred dog:
Editor's note: Utah's most popular dog is also a Labrador Retriever.
And here are 14 cities that the AKC took statistics from:
Atlanta:
- Labrador Retriever
- Golden Retriever
- German Shepherd Dog
- French Bulldog
- Bulldog
Boston:
- Labrador Retriever
- Golden Retriever
- German Shepherd Dog
- French Bulldog
- Yorkshire Terrier
Chicago:
- Labrador Retriever
- German Shepherd Dog
- Golden Retriever
- French Bulldog
- Bulldog
Dallas:
- Labrador Retriever
- Golden Retriever
- French Bulldog
- Bulldog
- German Shepherd Dog
Denver:
- Labrador Retriever
- Golden Retriever
- German Shepherd Dog
- Bulldog
- French Bulldog
Houston:
- Labrador Retriever
- Bulldog
- French Bulldog
- German Shepherd Dog
- Golden Retriever
Los Angeles:
- French Bulldog
- Bulldog
- Labrador Retriever
- Golden Retriever
- German Shepherd Dog
Miami:
- German Shepherd Dog
- French Bulldog
- Labrador Retriever
- Golden Retriever
- Rottweiler
New York City:
- French Bulldog
- Labrador Retriever
- Bulldog
- German Shepherd Dog
- Golden Retriever
Raleigh:
- Labrador Retriever
- Golden Retriever
- German Shepherd Dog
- Beagle
- Yorkshire Terrier
San Francisco:
- French Bulldog
- Golden Retriever
- Labrador Retriever
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi
- Poodle
Seattle:
- Labrador Retriever
- Golden Retriever
- French Bulldog
- German Shepherd Dog
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Washington D.C.:
- Labrador Retriever
- Golden Retriever
- French Bulldog
- Bulldog
- Poodle
West Palm Beach:
- French Bulldog
- Labrador Retriever
- German Shepherd Dog
- Golden Retriever
- Bulldog
So there are a few things to take in consideration with this list of registered breeds. Are Labrador Retriever owners the highest population to register their dogs? Can the same be said of French Bulldogs owners and German Shepherds? Where are the Border Collie and Australian Shepherd owners? What about Siberian Husky owners? I see those dog breeds everywhere all the time too. There is no doubt that when you go to the dog park, the most common dog breed you see is, in fact, the Labrador Retriever, but statistics like these take from a specific pool.
How many purebred dog owners don't take the time to register with the American Kennel Club? I know I'm one. It costs money and if we aren't breeding or showing our dog, why do papers matter? My Bluetick Coonhound is a purple ribbon dog in AKC standards, which means his bloodline can be traced back seven generations. But we weren't breeding him or take him to dog shows, so we didn't get him registered.
Let's just say Boone was never making it to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, so why pay the extra money to have him in the register?
The American Kennel Club has recently come under some criticism for not doing more with America's dog overpopulation in shelters across the United States, and the fact that they advocate for overly bred dogs which end up having significant health issues. Lots of animal advocates say that the AKC's strict breed requirements but lack of regulation lead to puppy mills and questionable backyard breeders. According to the New York Times, 40 percent of the AKC's $61 million revenue in 2013 came from registration fees.
So the question remains. Are Labrador Retriever owners the only ones registering?
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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