Can You Guess The Most Popular Dog Breeds In LA?

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Ever wonder what the most popular dog breeds are in Los Angeles? There are more than 100,000 licensed dogs in LA, and the city tracks licensed dogs for 100 zip codes, gathering partial data for 28 more, according to Los Angeles Times.

Licensing pet dogs is required by Los Angeles city law, although not owners do. LA Times mentions that licensing also doesn't guarantee the accuracy for breed of a dog.

These 6 breeds make up 47% of LA's 121,198 registered dogs in 2016:

1. Chihuahua, 15.5%
2. German Shepherd, 7.7%
3. Labrador Retriever, 7.5%
4. Terrier Mix, 6.2%
5. Poodle, 5.9%
6. Pit Bull, 4.2%

Chihuahua

The most popular dog in LA can fit into your purse! There were 18,849 registered Chihuahuas (both short- and long-haired) in 2016.

Did you know? The Chihuahua is the smallest breed of dog and is named after the state of Chihuahua in Mexico.

German Shepherd

The second most-loved dog in Los Angeles is the German shepherd, with 9,378 registrations in 2016 – about half the number of Chihuahuas in LA.

Did you know? German shepherds are considered working dogs, and the breed originated in Germany. These pups were once known as the Alsatian in Britain and Ireland.

Labrador Retriever

Labrador retrievers come in third in the line-up of most-registered dog in LA, with 9,116 registrations in 2016 – that's only 262 dogs behind the German shepherd.

Did you know? Labradors are one of the most popular breed of dog in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They're a favorite disability assistance breed in many countries and are frequently trained to aid the blind, those who have autism, to act as a therapy dog or to work for law enforcement.

Terrier Mix

Terrier mixes came in fourth place as most-registered dog in LA with 7,471 registrations in 2016.

Did you know? Terrier mix is not a breed, but enough dogs were registered as terrier mix for it to become the fourth-most-popular dog in Los Angeles, according to LA Times.

Poodle

Poodles (which include toy, miniature, and standard poodles) are the fifth-most-registered dog in Los Angeles with 7,114 registrations in 2016.

Did you know? There's still a dispute over the origins of the poodle – some say poodles descended from the old French Barbet breed or from Germany as a type of water dog.

Pit Bull

Pit bulls are the sixth-most-registered dog in LA with 5,152 registrations in 2016. Although many breeds can be classified as pit bull, LA Times only looked at dogs registered as pit bull.

Did you know? The term 'pit bull' is often used to describe dogs with similar physical characteristics, and the physical variation amongst "bully breed" dogs makes it difficult for anyone – even experts – to identify them visually as distinct from "non-pit bulls."

A complete list of areas serviced by the city, including Beverly Hills (since 2009), can be found on the LA Animal Services website.

Main image via Kaz/Pixabay; Article photos: Chihuahua by Bella67/Pixabay; German shepherd by Pexels/Pixabay; Labrador retriever by Patch staffer Emily Holland; Terrier mix by PublicDomainPictures/Pixabay; Poodle by chili71/Pixabay; Pit bull by artbycharlotte/Pixabay