French Bulldog takes over as the most popular dog in the U.S.

For the first time in 31 years, America’s Top Dog is a breed other than the Labrador Retriever, the French Bulldog, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC) breed registry numbers is now the most popular dog in the U.S.

Frenchies aren’t doggie’s come lately, the breed has been around for a very long time. French Bulldogs were first registered by the AKC back in 1898. However, their slow climb in popularity turned into a catapult of craziness, increasing over 1,000 percent compared to 2012 when the breed was the 14^th most popular.

The versatile Labrador has held the record for the most time at America’s top-dog, and it seemed no breed could beat the this perennially popular dog. Why French Bulldogs? Obviously, they’re trendy for a reason. Being small dogs, this compact canine is perfect for apartments or condo’s, and they’re simply fun. In fact, if dogs have a sense of humor, Frenchies may also win the award for ‘the funniest dogs.’

Due to the demand of Frenchies, some can be pretty expensive to purchase. In the early 2000’s, Frenchies became a fashionable dog for celebrities, and today they can cost anywhere from $3,000 to over $10,000. In part because of their presumed street dollar value, Frenchies have also become likely America’s most stolen dog, and gained headline prominence when Lady Gaga’s French Bulldogs were kidnapped.

French Bulldogs are also so expensive because of the necessity to pay for a birth by Cesarean. This is required because even as newborns their big round heads are simply too large to naturally pass through mom’s birth canal. Nope it’s not natural. And life is often anything but funny for this brachycephalic breed.

Brachycephalic – dogs with pushed-in faces commonly have such great difficulty breathing, that this health issue has a name, Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS). These dogs have difficulty getting air into their lungs and can’t easily breathe through their nose, and have an elongated soft-palate obstructing their larynx or windpipe. This lifetime of turbulence may also cause the larynx to thicken up. They also may have narrowing of the windpipe or trachea. BOAS impacts quality of life for these dogs, often daily as well as lifespan. This is so much an issue at the World Small Animal Veterinary Association recently pronounced extreme brachycephalic dogs an “international canine welfare crisis.”

Another extreme brachycephalic breed, the Bulldog, is in the AKC top-10, at number six. When it comes to cost, Bulldogs are right up there with Frenchies. Both breeds (or dogs sold reported to be pedigreed French Bulldogs or Bulldogs) are among the most common dogs sold at pet stores, and these dogs are far more likely to suffer from medical issues when compared to those from responsible hobby breeders. Yet, the AKC supports sales at pet stores, dogs which typically are sourced from puppy mills.

Number three on the AKC list are the Golden Retriever, another breed with a myriad of potential medical issues. At number four is the German Shepherd Dogs and the 3-way combo of Toy, Miniature and Standard Poodles are number five.

Rounding out the top-20

#7 Rottweiler

#8 Beagle

#9 Dachshund (all varieties)

#10 German Shorthair Pointer

#11 Pembroke Welsh Corgi (those are the Corgi’s without the tail)

#12 Australian Shepherd

#13 Yorkshire Terrier

#14 Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

#15 Doberman Pinscher

#16 Boxer

#17 Miniature Schnauzer

#18 Cane Corso (last year number #21, one of the trendiest breeds of the year)

#19 Great Dane

#20 Shih Tzu

The least most popular breed, at the bottom of the list, #199 is the English Foxhound.

Likely, the truth is that most popular dog in the U.S. today is the mutt, most often dogs with blocky heads and broad shoulders, which we refer to commonly as pit bulls.