The American Kennel Club released its list of "the most popular dogs in the U.S.A.," and Valley residents, it turns out, have a thing for Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, and Golden Retrievers. Those are just the most popular dogs registered with the AKC -- in other words, Pit-Bull eating out of a dumpster in south Phoenix is a breed that didn't quite make the list.
According to the AKC, the Valley's top picks for pooches are as follows:
1) Labrador retrievers
2) German shepherds
3) Golden retrievers
4) Yorkshire terriers
5) Bulldogs
6) Poodles
7) Shih tzu
8) Cavalier King Charles spaniels
9) Rottweilers
10 Boxers/ Chihuahuas
Phoenix's faves are fairly similar to the national rankings, which are as follows:
1) Labrador retriever
2) German shepherd
3) Yorkshire terrier
4) Beagle
5) Golden Retriever
6) Bulldog
7) Boxer
8) Dachshund
9) Poodle
10) Shih tzu
As we mentioned, those rankings only count dogs registered with the AKC, but anyone who's spent any time in some of Phoenix's less-reputable neighborhoods -- or the ASU Tempe campus, where male students often accessorize their image with a ferocious looking canine -- knows Pit Bulls make up a large portion of the Valley's dog population. Officials from the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control Center seem to agree.
While Pit Bulls don't get any love from the AKC (again, because often times they aren't registered with the group) officials at the MCACCC tell New Times the three breeds of dogs generally classified as Pit Bulls -- the American Pit Bull terrier, the American Staffordshire terrier, and the Staffordshire bull terrier -- make up roughly one-third of the dogs brought to its kennels.
We have a feeling the AKC's rankings of the "most popular dogs in the U.S.A." would be slightly more Pit-Bull-centric if the group tallied up all the pound puppies the way it does the snooty Scottsdale Shih tzus.
See the AKC's complete list here.
