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American Kennel Club Announces America’s 10 Most Popular Dog Breeds

Amy Tokic
by Amy Tokic
Published:  February 14th, 2013

Way to go Labs! For the 21st year in a row, the Labrador Retriever hangs on to the #1 spot on the American Kennel Club’s most popular breeds list.


The 2012 results were based on AKC registration statistics. There were a few upsets – the Beagle passed the Yorkshire Terrier as the third most popular dog breed in the U.S. The Golden Retriever jumped in the ranks, moving from fifth to the fourth most popular dog breed. There was bad news for the Shih Tzus. This breed, which has been a top 10 contender since 2000, was unseated by the Rottweiler made news by unseating the Shih Tzu – which had been in the top 10 since 2000.


For the 21st year in a row, the Labrador Retriever hangs on to the #1 spot on the American Kennel Club’s most popular breeds list.


“While the Labrador Retriever has proven once again to be a family favorite, this year clearly belongs to the Beagle,” said AKC Spokesperson Lisa Peterson. “The Beagle’s merry personality combined with his love of outdoor activities make him such a wonderful family pet that I wouldn’t be surprised to see this spunky breed sniff his way to the top of the list next year.”


Here’s the full 2012 list of America’s 10 most popular dog breeds.


Photo credit: Capture Light/Shutterstock

1. Labrador Retriever


Photo credit: Photo credit: Marina Jay/Shutterstock

2. German Shepherd (credit: Eric Isselee/Shutterstock)

3. Beagle (Photo credit: Jagodka/Shutterstock)

4. Golden Retriever (Photo credit: Christian Mueller/Shutterstock)

5. Yorkshire Terrier (Photo credit: Eric Isselee/Shutterstock)

6. English Bulldog (Photo credit: Eric Isselee/Shutterstock)

7. Boxer (Photo credit: Lebedinski Vladislav/Shutterstock)

8. Poodle (Photo credit: Eric Isselee/Shutterstock)

9. Dachshund (Photo credit: Nikolai Tsvetkov/Shutterstock)

10. Rottweiler (Photo credit: Toloubaev Stanislav/Shutterstock)

WOW
Amy Tokic
Amy Tokic

Amy Tokic, Editor of PetGuide.com, is a passionate animal lover and proud pet parent of Oscar, a Shih Tzu/Chihuahua cross, and Zed, a Japanese Chin. Her love of animals began in kindergarten, when she brought her stuffed dog Snoopy into class with her every day. Now, she writes about her adventures in pet ownership and tirelessly researches products, news and health related issues she can share with other animal enthusiasts. In her free time, Amy loves perusing used book and record stores, obsessing over the latest pet products available and chasing squirrels with wild abandon (a habit attributed to spending too much time with her pooches).

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