The Most Popular Dog Breeds

2009 Most Popular Dogs in the U.S.

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

On Thursday, the American Kennel Club released its 10 most popular dog breeds of 2009. It's no surprise that the Labrador Retriever was the #1 dog breed. What surprised me more was the climb of the German Shepherd. Last year, it was at #3 but this year it climbed up to #2, overtaking the Yorkshire Terrier.

Although the Lab is the most popular dog, it's losing its popularity in some of the smaller towns of America. In cities like Detroit, Honolulu and Miami, the German Shepherd is the most popular breed. In Los Angeles, the Bulldog is the most popular.The dogs that have climbed the most in the last decade are the Bulldog which climbed from #21 to #7. (Last year it was #9). The Havanese soared from #92 to #32.There has also been a huge increase in working dogs. Belgian Malinois dogs are famous for being police dogs and went from #95 to #81. Bloodhounds climbed from #51 to #42. The popular Portuguese Water Dog has climbed from #80 to #60.

Dogs that fell in popularity included the Dalmation which fell from #40 to #75 and the Pekingese which slid from #27 to #55.

The popularity of a breed is a good indicator of how an owner's need for a certain breed changes over the years. It's a great way to learn about trends. One trend is that owners want more low-maintenance dogs.

You can see the full-list of registered breeds in America by visiting the AKC Website Statistics Page.

Let's Discuss!

What's your favorite dog breed? What do you look for in a dog?

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When Dogs Become Too Popular

When Dogs Become Too Popular

Lately, I've seen many stories in the paper about the overabundance of certain dog breeds like Chihuahuas, Dalmations and Pitbulls. Many times, these dogs have come into popularity because of a certain movie like Beverly Hills Chihuahua or 101 Dalmations. Other times, a high profile celebrity will bring attention to the breed. Worse yet, they'll become popular because of a heinous misdeed done to them such as, subjecting them to dog fighting. Also, if there is more demand for a certain brand of dog that's in the limelight, there will be a higher chance they will be bred by puppy mill owners.

This week, I heard about the fifteen chihuahuas being flown to the east coast from San Francisco. last year, there was a man who had over 150 chihuahuas living in Dearborn, Michigan, who had the dogs taken from his house. Granted, this was not a cut and dry situation, but the dogs suffered the most. The humane society was overwhelmed with finding homes for as many of these dogs as they could.

Probably one of the most notorious cases were the bunch of pit bulls from the Michael Vick dog fighting ring. While dogs like these were able to be saved, so many others wind up being euthanized or living their life in a shelter if they are lucky.

The Right Choice

It's so easy these days to watch a movie that has an incredible dog in it and want to adopt that breed. While it's great that a person is willing to help a dog find a home, if it's not the right dog for that person, the dog will wind up being discarded.

We all act on impulse. It gives us instant gratification and reminds us how important it is to live in the moment. It's great if you become inspired to bring a pet into your home, especially if you have been on the fence about it. Maybe watching that movie is all that you needed to jump over it.

The Right Dog

Just remember, it's as important to know what you are looking for in a dog and how well that type of dog will fit into your life style. If you are a couch potato, the last thing you want is a Border Collie. If you are an active person, then a Bichon Frise may not be the best choice for you. If you have recently added a new dog to your home and you're not too familiar with the breed, the best thing you can do is learn all you can by doing the necessary research. It will help you understand the dog better and make the transition easier.

There are some great applications out there to help a prospective dog owner to make the right choice for their lifestyle. If you are considering bringing a new family member into your house but are not sure which type of dog to get, you may find one of these website helpful:
Animal Planet
Breeder Retriever
Select Smart

Let's Discuss

Have any of you had difficulty in deciding which dog to choose? Have you known of a dog who was adopted because the person saw the breed in a movie? How did that work out?

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101 Dalmations: The Musical

Photo Courtesy of 101 Dalmations the Musical

101 Dalmations is the newest musical that will be coming to Broadway. It will be produced by Jerry Zaks and Dennis DeYoung. Some of you rock and roll fans may know Dennis DeYoung from the 70's band Styx. All the original music in this show will be written by him. Starting October 13, this musical will be touring the country. It plans on visiting 24 cities in the United States starting out in Minneapolis and finishing up in Los Angeles.

This show was first produced by Luis Alvarez from Madrid, Spain back in Fall of 2001. It was a smash hit and was one of the most successful productions in Spain ever. Now, he is working as a consultant to help this production duplicate the success of Spain.

There will be a total of fifteen dalmations. The youngest dog Rascal, who is about six months and the oldest goes up to six years. They are all shelter dogs who will have been specially trained by Joel Slaven, one of the best known animal trainers in show business. The training process for the dogs took over three months. The dogs are taught to sit, find their mark (just like any actor would), and leave the stage.

Any time 101 Dalmations had been shown in the past, there was a huge rise in adoptions for the Dalmations breed. As a result, many of them wound up in shelters because the people who adopted them didn't have the patience for this particular type of breed or the dogs didn't blend react well to being around kids.

The producers and trainers are going to work hard to make sure all the dogs will not have the same fate as their predecessors. They will be up for adoption after the show ends. If there are any dogs left over, Mr. Slaven will have them live at his ranch, which is a haven for all kinds of animals.

If you would like to learn more about this show, please visit their website. You can find ticket information here. Their information is great if you are planning a trip. You may also want to check out this article by Samantha Critchell.

Here are some related posts:
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Oodle Dogs

I hope you all are enjoying the weekend. If any of you guys are planning to see this show, I would love to hear about it. I may see it when it hits Chicago. Also, don't forget leave a commentfor your chance to win a free digital photo keychain as part of TKD's six-month celebration. Thanks for stopping in. :)

Oodle Dogs

Just a small note...

The picture I use for my heading was taken by a great photographer from Italy. If you would like to see the photo in its entirety please use this link...
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/780577

Onto the subject at hand...

Yesterday, I was thinking about how all these new types of breeds of dogs are being created. Really, they are a mix of two breeds. So I went to dogbreedinfo.com and was amazed to see over 70 breeds for the poodle alone.

Looking through today's classified section I found the most popular ones to be:

• Bichon-poo, that's when you mix the Bichon Frise and Poodle breeds.
  http://www.bichonpooreview.com/
• Labradoodles which are a combination of Labrador Retrievers and Poodles(even President Obama was considering that one as a potential family member)
  http://labradoodle-dogs.net/
• Goldendoodles, a combination of the Golden Retriever and Poodle breed
  http://www.goldendoodles.com/home.htm
• Maltepoo, a mix of Maltese and poodle
  http://www.maltepoo.com/
• Yorkiepoo, a Yorkshire Terrier and Poodle mix
  http://www.yorkiepoo.org/

I think one of the biggest draws to these dogs are the fact that when mixed with a poodle, most of them don't shed. Also, they usually are more friendly to allergy sufferers. Still, I think as adorable as they are, one should never go by looks alone. Part of me is thrilled that there is a growing market for these unique dogs. It's great that you can find many of these dogs in animal shelters and rescue leagues, but part of me is concerned that it may get out of control. I'd love to year your thoughts on this.