Labrador Retriever Celebrates A Quarter Of A Century At Number One

NEW YORK, Feb. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Labrador Retriever lovers have spoken!  The American Kennel Club (AKC^®), the nation's largest purebred dog registry, announced today that the intelligent, family friendly breed holds tight to the number one spot on the most popular list for the 25^th consecutive year, continuing the longest reign as the nation's top dog in AKC history.

While the Lab is clearly America's dog, the French Bulldog is poised for a takeover.  The affectionate and playful breed continues to win the hearts of dog lovers everywhere, jumping three spots to number six in 2015. 

"The versatile, loveable Lab has firmly planted its paw print in AKC's history, celebrating a quarter of a century as America's most popular dog," said AKC Vice President Gina DiNardo.  "But keep your eye on the French Bulldog.  The Frenchie has risen 32 spots over the past decade and shows no signs of stopping."

In addition to the country's most popular, the movers and shakers of 2015 were the bigger breeds.  The Cane Corso jumped 12 spots (47^th to 35^th), the Norwegian Elkhound rose 12 spots (100^th to 88^th), the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon jumped eight spots (74^th to 66^th), the Belgian Malinois moved up eight spots (59^th to 51^st), the Belgian Tervuren rose eight spots (106^th to 98^th), and the Leonberger jumped eight spots (101^st to 93^rd), among others.

See below for AKC's top 10 most popular breeds in 2015, along with the 2014 comparison:

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View photos of the most popular breeds HERE.

The American Kennel Club, founded in 1884, is a not-for-profit organization which maintains the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world and oversees the sport of purebred dogs in the United States. The AKC is dedicated to upholding the integrity of its registry, promoting the sport of purebred dogs and breeding for type and function.  Along with its more than 5,000 licensed and member clubs and its affiliated organizations, the AKC advocates for the purebred dog as a family companion, advances canine health and well-being, works to protect the rights of all dog owners and promotes responsible dog ownership. More than 22,000 competitions for AKC-registered purebred dogs are held under AKC rules and regulations each year including conformation, agility, obedience, rally, tracking, herding, lure coursing, coonhound events, hunt tests, field and earthdog tests. Affiliate AKC organizations include the AKC Humane Fund, AKC Canine Health Foundation, AKC Reunite and the AKC Museum of the Dog.  For more information, visit www.akc.org.

AKC, American Kennel Club, the American Kennel Club seal and design, and all associated marks and logos are trademarks, registered trademarks and service marks of The American Kennel Club, Inc.

To become a fan of the AKC on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/americankennelclub. To follow the AKC on Twitter, go to http://www.twitter.com/akcdoglovers.

SOURCE American Kennel Club

Related Links

http://www.akc.org