Chi-related news: AKC's most popular dogs

Jan 16, 2007 10:29

I saw this article in the New York times about the most popular dog breeds, and just had to look up the Chihuahua.

Chihuahuas just missed the top 10 list at number 11:
link

You can see the lists by major city too:
link

Here's a quote from the article:
Daisy Okas, a spokeswoman for the club, said the toy-dog group of breeds, which include Yorkshire terriers, had risen from 12 percent of the registry in the 1970s to about 23 percent today


Labradors Still No. 1, but Yorkies, Dahling, Move Into Second Place
By ANTHONY RAMIREZ

IN a dog-loving nation, the lists seem to say something.

The American Kennel Club yesterday announced a shift in its 10 most popular dog breeds in the nation and in the city, or at least in that elite group of purebred dogs whose pedigrees and papers are in order.

At a Rockefeller Center news conference filled with handlers, dogs and photographers, the club noted that the dog claming the No. 1 ranking had not changed.

Across the country, the most popular dog last year, as it has been for 16 years in a row, was the Labrador retriever, with about 124,000 registrations, or 14 percent of the club’s total.

In New York, the most popular breed in 2006 was the poodle, with 77 registrations, or about 8 percent of the club’s total in the city. It has been the most popular breed for two years in a row, according to the club, which describes itself as the largest purebred-dog registry in the world.

But the big news, the club said, was the No. 2 ranking in both the city and the country: the Yorkshire terrier, overtaking larger breeds like the golden retriever and the German shepherd.

The tiny Yorkie, favored by the wife played by Eva Gabor in television’s “Green Acres,” had about 48,000 registrations in the United States, or 5 percent; and 49 in the city, also 5 percent.

Daisy Okas, a spokeswoman for the club, said the toy-dog group of breeds, which include Yorkshire terriers, had risen from 12 percent of the registry in the 1970s to about 23 percent today. Among the criteria to register with the club is providing proof of a dog’s family tree.

Representing No. 1 was Sabrina Fairchild, 5, a tan Labrador retriever owned by Linda Berkeley, 44, a landscape architect from Greenburgh, N.Y.

On her head, Sabrina wore a gold-colored fabric crown, and around her shoulders was draped a red velour cape with faux ermine piping. The photographers cooed.

There was a small platoon of Yorkies, including Maggie, 8, and Sammie, 3, her granddaughter.

Sharon Jones, 55, Maggie’s owner and an amateur breeder from Mohrsville, Pa., squeezed a yellow toy to make sure the dogs paid attention to the photographers.

Ms. Jones used to acquire aircraft for films like “Nighthawks,” the 1981 Roosevelt Island thriller starring Sylvester Stallone.

Squeeze toys “don’t work on movie stars,” Ms. Jones noted. “Ego too big.”





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