#6 overall in the US! Go Yorkies!
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Two retrievers - Labradors and goldens - continue to dominate as the country's most popular dog breeds, according to a recently released 2003 ranking from the American Kennel Club.
But purebred registrations show beagles, those little hounds governed by inquisitive noses, surpassed the German shepherd to claim the No. 3 spot nationally.
In Oregon, however, Snoopy falls off the doghouse altogether, not even making it into the top 10. Labs, dachshunds, goldens and Chihuahuas lead the pack in this state, according to the AKC.
Of course, those statistics don't truly represent the most common dogs found in any given community.
Mike Wellington, program manager for the Lane County Animal Regulation Authority, said his shelter sees an abundance of pit bulls, Labs, Rottweilers and chows. Of the smaller breeds, Wellington sees mostly Shih Tzus, miniature pinschers, poodles and some beagles.
According to a review of the past three months of pet ads in The Register-Guard's classified section, the most popular dogs available are labs, dachshunds, golden retrievers, German shepherds, Parson Russell (aka Jack Russell) terriers, Pomeranians and beagles.
Al Phillips, president of the Eugene Kennel Club and a breeder of beagles and German shepherds, said he's not surprised to see Labrador retrievers topping the lists.
"We have some very serious field people with top field labs, some very serious hunters," Phillips said. "And, of course, we have many pet homes because of the temperament of a Lab and a golden."
Rural and suburban areas tend to have higher numbers of larger dogs, he said.
"In the big cities, you're going to have a high population of small dogs because of apartment living," he said.
The AKC's top 10 lists for large cities proves he's right. Poodles are No. 2 in Detroit and Washington, D.C., and No. 3 in Seattle. Pugs rank high in San Francisco, Chicago, Boston and Seattle.
In Miami, two members of the toy group, the Yorkshire terrier and the Maltese, rank second and fourth, respectively. The Yorkshire terrier also ranks high (No. 3) in Boston, where the Boston terrier fails to appear in the top 10.
But enough about the prevailing pooches. Can you name any of the least popular of the 151 breeds ranked by the AKC?
The bottom 10 are the plott coonhound, Dandie Dinmont terrier, Sealyham terrier, German pinscher, Canaan, komondor, American foxhound, harrier, otterhound and, in last place, the English foxhound.
- Scott Maben
TOP DOG BREEDS
United States
1. Labrador retriever
2. Golden retriever
3. Beagle
4. German shepherd
5. Dachshund
6. Yorkshire terrier
7. Boxer
8. Poodle
9. Shih Tzu
10. Chihuahua
http://www.registerguard.com/news/20...side.0725.html