2007 Most Popular Dogs in the U.S. 1. Labrador Retriever
2. Yorkshire Terrier
3. German Shepherd Dog
4. Golden Retriever
5. Beagle
6. Boxer
7. Dachshund
8. Poodle
9. Shih Tzu
10. Bulldog
AKC dog registration statistics
It comes as no surprise to anyone in rescue that Labrador Retrievers are invaribly the most popular purebred registered with the AKC. From that starting point, imagine most of those dogs sold or handed out with no oversight whatsoever, and from there begin multiplying proportionately with all the other breeds they end up mixed with, and just try to imagine how many lab-looking dogs end up competing with each other for a shot at life.
Don't take my word on it. Check petfinder. 18,000 lab listings, twice as many as the nearest competitor, pit bull terriers. And that's not counting those listed separately as black, yellow or chocolate labs.
Around here anyhow, labs and beagles (6,800 on petfinder) seem to reign over any of the other breeds I see dumped in pounds. And not all of them get out either. In the rural pounds I go to, I'm sure some of them are lost or abandoned hunting dogs. They also both have reputations as "good family dogs" which may or may not be true, depending on what you want from a dog for your family. I just about bet at least half of unwanted dogs out there end up that way because their original owners acquired them for all the wrong reasons without bothering to put the least amount of effort into learning what that breed is like and whether it is even close to being a good fit for their family situation.
Take for example the number of border collies (4,600), Australian Cattle Dogs (2,900) and Australian Shepherds (3,300) on petfinder, way out of proportion to their popularity rankings (54,64,33.) Yes, the straight numbers can be misleading--not all of these dogs end up registered and many of those listed on petfinder are mixes--but the main reason is these are NOT breeds that adapt well to just any home but that sure doesn't stop a whole lot of people from getting them. "They're so pretty!" As someone who likes and usually fosters a herding dog or two, if I had a dollar for every UNqualified applicant I've had who insisted they should still be allowed to adopt these dogs, well, I'd have at least a tank of gas and a bag of dog food.
Continuing down the list, it doesn't seem like the smaller breeds show up nearly as often. They're certainly still out there, in this area dachshunds and yorkies more than shih tzus or poodles, but my guess is more often than with the big dogs, someone offers to take them before they end up at the pound. So instead they just get bumped from home to home!
Quite honestly even with these smaller breeds, when I do happen across them, there is usually foster space more readily available and they are also adopted more quickly. That's not to excuse irresponsible breeding or owners, or to suggest they aren't put down elsewhere but I'd much rather walk into a pound with a few yorkies or poodles than a bunch of yodeling beagles or bouncy labs. At least the odds are higher I won't be the last friendly face they see.
Boxers and Goldens fall into a category of their own. There's still way too many of them for even purebred rescues to keep up with but for me anyhow I can usually find a place for them and they do seem to be adopted easily. Again, they aren't safe from euthanasia, and sometimes I'm holding my breath up until the last minute, too. I don't see too many German Shepherd Dogs but they're definitely out there and not getting a better shot at it than the labs and beagles. And the only dog more common than a lab mix is a "shepherd mix."
I have only seen one bulldog, and that was a "hold" from a turnpike accident who was of course claimed. I'm not sure why. Cost has something to do with it but even when the stupid "doodles" were going for $1000, they'd still trickle into pounds. Sooner or later, bulldogs will start showing up too. Terrible as it perhaps sounds, I can't wait! Going to that pound week in and week out believe me it's fun to run into a high demand dog or rarer breed. I love bulldogs.
Obviously I think it's freaking nuts to go anywhere for a dog besides responsible rescue. Still if you HAVE to have a purebred puppy, PLEASE at least find a responsible breeder. Responsible breeders will make sure you are a good home for their puppies. They will at the very least ONLY adopt with a strict spay/neuter contract and they will also ALWAYS take their dogs back if for some reason they can't stay in their original homes. It does matter. Yeah I know, not everyone is into this cause or concerned about the bigger picture, and why shouldn't they just go ahead and buy that puppy wherever it's most convenient for them? My only response to that is to quote St. Francis of Assisi:
If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.
