Posted on 01/28/2010 1:38:35 PM PST by JoeProBono
For the 19th consecutive year, the Labrador Retriever has held on to its title as America's "Top Dog," according to the American Kennel Club's (AKC) 2009 registration statistics.
In a nod to watchdog breeds, the German Shepherd Dog overtook the Yorkshire Terrier to claim the spot of "second most popular pooch" for the first time in more than three decades. An American favorite since the time of Rin Tin Tin, the German Shepherd Dog became the number one breed of the 1920s, but then slipped in popularity until after World War II.
The German Shepherd Dog isn't the only working canine to sniff out a place in the Top 10. Labradors, Golden Retrievers and Beagles have all been employed by law enforcement military and homeland security personnel to help with border patrol, bomb and narcotics detection and searching for missing persons.
Here is the AKC's Top 10 list of most popular dogs for 2009:
* 1. Labrador Retriever* * 2. German Shepherd Dog * 3. Yorkshire Terrier * 4. Golden Retriever * 5. Beagle * 6. Boxer * 7. Bulldog * 8. Dachshund * 9. Poodle * 10. Shih Tzu*
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Very sorry to hear about your losses.
I have a red & white and a tri too. They’ve slowed down alot in their old age, but when little the crate was a must.
If they were inside and we left the yard they’d unroll and shred all the toilet paper in the house.
>Obviously, not all people are good enough for a GSD...<
(c:
Must be some strong people personalities in your house. All terrier breeds require very strong pack leaders or they take over and usually with lots of misbehaving! I worked with a nurse who took 2 weeks off when she got her Scottie just to establish that she was the one in charge.
I was raised with a daschund who was 8 weeks younger than I. One of my most vivid memories was when my dad was at the Naval Post Graduate school and our daschund got in a fight with a German Shepherd. One of those...”this block is not big enough for the two of us” fights. My dad went outside in a towel trying to break up the fight. I couldn’t have been more than 4 years old and it made quite an impression. Lots of personality packed in a little body.
People think Dachshunds are funny looking dogs, what with their sausage shape and all, but tend to forget that they were bred to go underground and fight badgers, BADGERS, to the death.
I wish there were stricter laws in this country for people who dump animals and also for people who abuse animals. I have 2 dogs and 3 cats. 2 of the cats and one of the dogs were strays. The dog is a tiny shih tzu who was found in the middle of the interstate. My boyfriend risked his life to stop and save that poor dog. I would like to punch the person who would dump a small defenseless animal like that. He’s been such a blessing to me. He is the sweetest dog. The low tonight is 9 and it hurts my heart to think of all the cold, lonely animals out there tonight. I wish I could save them all!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
