Today, the American Kennel Club announced their top ten dog breeds for 2007 based on registration statistics of its members...

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

For the first time since 1935, the Bulldog has broken into the top 10. The organization says that this breed has recently gained appeal to a very wide range of dog lovers. The Bulldog is both docile and adaptive, and can thrive in small or large homes. It's also one of the few dog breeds to be adopted as a mascot for some sports teams.

The Bulldog was first recognized by the AKC in 1886, just two years after the organization's founding, and was most popular in 1915 when it peaked in 5th place. The breed's popularity ebbed and flowed throughout the mid-20th century, but since hitting a low of 41st place in 1973, its ranking has steadily increased.

The AKC published statistics by cities...

• The Bulldog is most popular in Los Angeles where is it currently ranked 2nd right after the Lab.



• Atlanta, GA did not include the Bulldog in its top 10, despite being the home to University of Georgia's "Bulldogs".



• The Poodle and Dachshund, who each once enjoyed the top spot in Manhattan (2006, 2005 for the Poodle and 2004 for the Dachshund) now share a tie for 3rd place, ousted by America's top choice, the Labrador Retriever.



• Detroit, Knoxville, Miami, Honolulu and Orlando are the only cities that do not have the Labrador Retriever in the top spot. Detroit and Miami favor the German Shepherd, Orlando puts the Yorkie in 1st place, Honolulu the Golden Retriever and Knoxville the Boxer.



• Salt Lake City is the only city to place the Shih Tzu in one of its top two spots. It moved from 3rd in 2006 to 2nd in 2007.



• The only cities to not have the Yorkie on their lists are Buffalo, Milwaukee and Des Moines.



• Des Moines had the most unique list of all 50 cities, considering that it shared only four dogs with the national Top 10.



• The Miniature Schnauzer, which was displaced on the national list this year by the Bulldog, still claims top dog status in Oklahoma City where it ranks 3rd, higher than in any other U.S. city.



• San Francisco and Los Angeles were the only cities in the nation to include the French Bulldog in their Top 10 lists.

Other interesting dog breed preference facts...

• The Miniature Schnauzer was bumped off the Top 10 list in 2007 to make room for the Bulldog.



• The Yorkshire Terrier held steady in 2nd place, after making news last year by displacing the Golden Retriever and German Shepherd.



• The Havanese, a small dog with a coat type that is a good choice for people with allergies, has enjoyed the greatest surge in popularity since 1997, increasing 994%. It now ranks as the 37th most popular breed.



• Other small dogs (under 20 lbs.) that have gained popularity in the past decade include the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (+406%), the French Bulldog (+404%) and the Brussels Griffon (+157%).



• Large dogs with notable increases are two Swiss breeds -- the Bernese Mountain Dog (+74%) and the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog (+127%) -- as well as the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon (+130%).



• Breeds on the decline include the Rottweiler (-81%) and the Dalmatian (-96%). Many breeds of Asian origins are also waning in popularity: Chow Chows (-84%), Pekingese (-79%), Akitas (-76%), Lhasa Apso (-75%), Chinese Shar-Pei (-73%) and Shiba Inu (-38%).



• The Beagle is the only breed that has consistently been included in the Top 10 list since 1915. It reigned as the most popular breed from 1954 to 1959.



• Poodles enjoyed a long reign as the most popular dog for 23 years (1960–1982), the longest any breed has held that position consecutively.



• Cocker Spaniels ranked number one from 1936-1953 (replaced by the Beagle in 1954). Cocker Spaniels made a comeback and were number one again from 1983-1990, making them the dog with the longest total reign in the top spot at 25 years.



• The Toy group has been steadily on the rise since the 1970s, when it made up only 12% of the registry versus 23% today.



• The Working group peaked in the 1990's at 17%, most notably due to the Rottweiler being in the Top 10 at that time, including several years in 2nd place.

You can read more about the AKC's top ten dog breeds here...

http://www.akc.org/news/index.cfm?article_id=3408

Labels: American-Kennel-Club, Bulldogs

The Center for Consumer Freedom, a non-profit trade group representing the interests of manufacturers and retailers, formally petitioned the Commonwealth of Virginia to reclassify PETA as a "slaughterhouse".

An official report filed by PETA itself shows that the animal rights group put to death nearly every dog, cat, and other pet it took in for adoption in 2006. During that year, the well-known animal rights group managed to find adoptive homes for just 12 animals. The organization killed 2,981 of the 3,061 "companion animals" it took in.

According to David Martosko, Research Director for CCF...

"It is absurd to classify PETA as a 'humane society' when its employees are slaughtering nearly every companion animal they bring in. PETA has killed over 17,000 pets since 1998. Given the group's astonishing habit of killing adoptable dogs and cats with such ruthless efficiency, it's only fair that the state of Virginia refer to PETA as a slaughterhouse."

CCF's petition was directed to Virginia's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. If approved, the new classification would force PETA to abide an entirely new set of laws and regulations.

The Center of Consumer Freedom has set PETA in its sights because PETA has targeted the companies that CCF represents, such as food makers, department stores, and textile companies.

PETA's most successful publicity campaigns have been those against the fur industry, arguing that killing animals for fur is akin to cruelty. Yet ironically, PETA itself is killing thousands perfectly healthy and adoptable animals for no better reason than just ideology.

Labels: PETA

I guess what the television world needs now is an "Iron Dog Trainer" show, similar to the Food Network's, "Iron Chef".

Dogtime ran an article that compares Cesar Millan with Ian Dunbar, and paints Millan as the bad guy, with Dunbar as the good guy, as if Dunbar is the sigh of relief in a world of shock dog trainers.

Most of us don't know Millan, or Dunbar for that matter. All we know about Millan is what we see on television.

What gets missed in all the Millan debates is that dog training is an art, not a science. There is no "best" way to train dogs. Each trainer has their own beliefs and methods on what works best. Just like in healthcare, whether you're talking about allopathic or holistic, each practitioner has their beliefs, and you as the consumer take responsibility on whom you hire.

So why does Millan continue to take his knocks? Because he has a successful television show, period. It's not about his beliefs or methods. In fact, there are other trainers who share similar beliefs and methods as him, yet they never become the subject of debate. If not for Millan's television show, we wouldn't be talking about him.

That means only one thing. Some people out there can't stand it when someone else with differing viewpoints, get so much media attention. Had Ian Dunbar gotten the nod as "Dog Whisperer" instead of Millan, then he too would be criticized by those with differing viewpoints.

Labels: Cesar-Millan, Dog-Training, Ian-Dunbar

In 2006, PETA apparently took in 3,061 companion animals, of which it killed 2,981. This information supposedly comes from the Commonwealth of Virginia's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS).

The Center for Consumer Freedom, an advocacy group representing the interests of manufacturers and retailers, issued a press release today that made light of this figure.

The press release goes on to report that the average euthanasia rate for humane societies in the state was just 34.7 percent in 2006, compared to PETA's kill rate of 97.4 percent.

Apparently, the Commonwealth ordered PETA to submit a report of its operations for all of 2006, and PETA finally complied 9 months after the deadline.

You can read the rest of the alarming details here...
http://www.prnewswire.com/..../www/story/01-10-2008/0004734363&EDATE=

Those of you who have followed this blog for a long time know that I've been a big critic of PETA, charging them to be hypocrites in the most vile kind of way.

They campaign for our donations on the grounds that they're going to take care of these animals, love them, and protect them, and yet it appears they use that money to buy syringes, plastic bags, and pentobarbital.

They're opportunists. When an animal tragedy occurs, such as the Michael Vick story, they capitalize on the situation with their, "I told you so" advertisements, and leverage donations from our emotions.

What's worse, PETA, or Michael Vick?

No one who calls themselves an animal lover can stick a needle into a perfectly healthy and adoptable dog, and tell it that they're doing this for love.

If you're going to argue that a "kinder, gentler death" is better than a cruel one, then you're just as clueless as Michael Vick.

Labels: PETA

The Seattle Times ran an article about a local woman who started an organization called, "Families and Dogs Against Fighting Breeds". She wants the city to either ban pit bulls or at least a mandatory sterilization of them.

Colleen Lynn, who was attacked by a pit bull, said the following...

"I have to prepare myself to be massively intimidated. But we need to recognize the problem. Our community is suffering."

Are we looking at another Denver, another Windsor, another fascist state where hundreds of well-tempered dogs are ripped from their homes and put down like Jews in a concentration camp, just because a few dog owners weren't acting responsibly?

Like I've said countless times here, we already have laws and remedies against irresponsible dog owners, the problem is that local governments don't want to go after the bad apples. It costs money. They'd rather take the easy road by burdening everyone.

The irony of that approach is that only the law-abiding citizen abide by laws. The irresponsible citizens, who don't abide by laws, are the problem.

How will another law address the people who don't abide by laws?

You've heard the old saying, "If you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns". It's the same principle.

Read the full article...
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/..../2004112928_brodeur08m.html

Labels: Pit Bull Bans

This is why people shake hands and say "hello"...

Labels: Photos

A labrador named "Dingo" in Vienna, Austria was drunken with alcohol without having consumed any alcohol.

The culprit was mass quantities of pastries. The dog managed to sneak half a kilogram of fresh yeast dough from its owner's kitchen. The yeast in the dough fermented in the dog's belly and produced alcohol...

Drunk Dingo presented a pitiful sight, Carl Hofbauer, the vet looking after the intoxicated labrador was quoted as saying in reports. His charge had been barely able to stand on its own four paws and needed to be held up when walking. Moreover, the dog smelled like a beer hall, the vet said.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/170132.html

Labels: Strange Stuff

Here's a sad story about a man who lost his dog last Halloween, only be called on the phone by some kids threatening to kill his dog unless he paid $600.00. And then apparently, they killed the dog anyways...

http://news.yahoo.com/..../missing_dog_extortion

Police have arrested at least one 15-year old boy in the case, but the whereabouts of the dog is unknown.

The judicial system needs to come down much more hard on low-life scum such as this. If you read the article above, it's clear these kids are not just playing games, and will certainly grow up to commit bigger crimes.

I'm tired of compassionate courts.

People like these are beyond rehabilitation, and the courts need to excise these little tumors before they metastasize into cancers, and send a message to rest of America's youth.

Labels: Dog Cruelty

Here's a weird story, a frozen dog, kept at a pet crematory, exploded as it was put into an incinerator.

As ABC News reports...

"He revealed that a frozen dead dog in the furnace was the cause of the overheating chimney, as frozen dogs sometimes explode when cremated."

I wouldn't want to be the one to clean up that mess.

According to another report, this happens occasionally at this crematory.

Labels: Strange Stuff