Top 5 Most Popular Dog Breeds In Philadelphia
With National Dog Show 2022 Best In Show Champion Winston as the standard bearer, the National Dog Show celebrates the French Bulldog as the new #1 most popular breed in America for 2023.
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), the French Bulldog has now surpassed the Labrador Retriever as the most popular breed in America, based on purebred registration figures compiled during the 2022 year.
“I have always called it the ‘alma mater factor’ ” says David Frei, the Kennel Club of Philadelphia member who is expert analyst on the NBC Thanksgiving Day TV special viewed every year by some 20 million people. “The dynamic is simply this: People watching at home are rooting for the breed in our show that matches up with their own breed sitting right there on the couch with them—it’s like rooting for your alma mater in college games. This goes right along with the fact that we all think that we have the best dog. And we are all correct,” Frei says. “I think that it is pretty cool to see that the great City of Philadelphia had already figured out that the French Bulldog is a special breed.”
Nationally, the “Frenchie” ended the Lab’s 31-year run as America’s most popular. The next three, in order, are the Golden Retriever, the German Shepherd Dog and the Poodle.
In Philadelphia, the second most popular breed is the Bulldog, followed by the Golden Retriever, the Rottweiler and the German Shepherd Dog. The Lab comes in at #6 in the City of Brotherly Love.
The National Dog Show features some 2,000 canines representing almost 200 different breeds and is the only remaining show in America that is “benched,” meaning that all the dogs are on-site throughout the day so that the public can meet them and their owners/handlers to learn about the different breeds. The event will be held on November 18 and 19. Ticket prices are $16 for adults, $7 for ages 4-11 and children three and under are admitted free. Tickets are available now by visiting nds.nationaldogshow.com.
