Tails As Old As Time
“New York- Labrador
retrievers aren’t letting go of their hold on U.S. dog lovers, but German
shorthaired pointers are tugging on the top ranks of doggie popularity,
according to new American Kennel Club data.
Labs topped the list for
the 28th year in a row. Yet there’s been plenty of movement over
time on the purebred pup-ularity ladder…
The
Top 10
After Labs, the top 5
breeds nationwide are German shepherds, golden retrievers, French bulldogs,
& bulldogs. Rounding out the top 10 are beagles, poodles, Rottweilers,
German shorthaired pointers, & Yorkshire terriers.
Labs smashed the record
for longest tenure as top dog back in 2013. Fans credit the Labs generally
amiable nature & aptitude in many canine roles: bomb-sniffer, service dog,
hunters’ helper, dog-sport competitor, & patient family pet.
At No. 9, the German
shorthaired pointer notched its highest ranking since getting AKC recognition
in 1930. These strikingly speckled hunting dogs are also versatile- some work
as drug-&-bomb-detectors- & active companions…
The…French bulldog remains the 4th
most popular breed for a second year, after surging from 83rd a
quarter-century ago.
The
Numbers
The rankings reflect a
breed’s prevalence among 580,900 puppies & other purebred dogs newly
registered in 2018 with the AKC, the country’s oldest such registry…
…Estimates of the total
number of pet dogs nationwide in the U.S. range from about 70 million to 90
million.
The
Consistent Fave
Beagles, now No. 6, can
boast they’re uniquely beloved. No other breed has made the top 10 in every
decade since record-keeping began in the 1880s...
Beagles…work sniffing out
contraband meat & plants at airports, detecting bedbugs in homes, &
doing their traditional job: hunting rabbits…
The
Rarest of Them All
The most scant breed was
the sloughi (pronounced SLOO’-ghee)...
The greyhound-like dog
has a long history in North Africa, but garnered AKC recognition only 3 years
ago…
How
Did Doodles Do?
…New breeds join the club
periodically, after meeting criteria that include having at least 300 dogs
nationwide & 3 generations…
The
Why, Pros & Cons of Popularity
Many factors can
influence a breed’s popularity: ease of care, exposure from TV & movies,
& famous owners, just to name a few…
The
Purebred Debate
Some animal-welfare groups feel the
pursuit of purebred dogs puts their looks ahead of their health & diverts
people from adopting pets…The club…encourages responsible breeding of healthy
dogs…to preserve traits that have helped dogs do particular jobs.”
Jennifer
Peltz
The
Associated Press
in The
Gazette, Montreal
March
26/2019
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