Labrador retriever once again celebrated as most popular breed.

Posted: Wednesday, January 21, 2009, 7:51 p.m., EST

The Labrador retriever’s reign as the most-popular purebred dog in the nation continues for the 18th year in a row, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC). The AKC on Wednesday, Jan 21, unveiled the top-10 most-popular dogs in America during an event in New York to kick off the organization’s 125th anniversary. 

The other top dogs include the Yorkshire terrier, German shepherd, golden retriever and beagle. The top 10 most popular dogs in America for 2008 are:

1. Labrador retriever
2. Yorkshire terrier
3. German shepherd
4. Golden retriever
5. Beagle
6. Boxer
7. Dachshund
8. Bulldog
9. Poodle
10. Shih Tzu

Each year, the AKC also looks at the most popular breeds in each of the 50 largest cities in the U.S. Some highlights include:

• The Bulldog continues to climb the national list.  It’s really marking its territory in a number of western cities -- Las Vegas, Nev.,  Long Beach, Calif., Los Angeles, Calif., and San Diego, Calif. -- where it ranked second.
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• Detroit, Mich., and Miami, Fla., are the only cities that do not have the Labrador retriever in the top spot, both favoring the German shepherd dog. 
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• The boxer is muscling its way to the top in a few cities, ranking second in Baltimore, Md., Cincinnati, Ohio, Des Moines, Iowa, Louisville, Ky., Omaha, Neb., and Kansas City, Mo. It's  third in Atlanta, Ga., Cleveland, Ohio, New Orleans, La., Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., Pittsburgh, Pa., St. Louis, Mo., and Philadelphia, Pa.
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• Californians seem to love the miniature  pinscher (ranked 32nd nationally). It came in sixth (up from 15 in 2007) in San Diego and ranked eighth in Sacramento. 
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• The Vizsla is tied for 10th with the shih tzu in Chicago, Ill. Ranked 44th nationally, the Vizsla has long been a favorite in the Windy City, having made the local top 10 list in 2007 and 2003. 
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• Unusual breeds on local top 10 lists include the Great Dane (10th in St. Louis, Mo.), the mastiff (10th in Indianapolis, Ind.), the Brittany (10th in Minneapolis, Minn.), the Belgian Malinois (eighth in Kansas City, Mo.) and the Siberian husky (ninth in Long Beach, Calif.). <HOME>