NYC Bucks the Trend of Popular Breeds

By Amy Fernandez

New York has always had a strange relationship with dogs. That became clear last week when Albany closed up shop without getting around to a few key issues like rent control and property taxes. No one seemed to notice because there was dancing in the streets about their unanimously approved ‘Dining with Dogs’ bill. Maybe you won’t have a place to live, but you can take comfort in the fact you can take your dog to dinner.

Nothing illustrates New York’s kinky rapport with the canine species better than the relative popularity of certain breeds in this city. Currently trending breeds fall within the AKC’s  stats, but they are definitely rearranged.  For instance, according to overall registration stats, 2014s top five AKC breeds are the Lab, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Bulldog, and Beagle. You wouldn’t know it around here where Frenchies and Bulldogs top the list. That’s the most conspicuous, but not the only drastic variation on national breed trends you will encounter here.

Although it’s fallen to sixth place nationally, NYC is still in the grip of Yorkie domination, closely followed by several other miniature breeds.  You can’t walk a block without tripping over a Pug or Chihuahua, along with a few others that don’t hover at the top of AKC’s list like the Cavalier, IG, Pom, Papillon, and Min Pin.

In 1948 Clifford Hubbard offered his insights about breed trends that were emerging in the wake of World War II. “We can in the course of time expect wide changes in the popularity of certain breeds; many will become obsolete through no fault of their own, yet others will appear from nowhere almost overnight…so far as house dogs are concerned, the tendency will be towards small- to medium-size breeds with smaller breeds leading the vogue.”

Overall, he was correct regarding the impact of urbanization and the plummeting popularity of wirehaired breeds “because of the need for periodic stripping and trimming.” His reasoning wasn’t flawed. Stripping fell by the wayside along with many classic hard-coated Terriers. But you can rely on NYC for the major piece of bad data to contradict his sensible, largely accurate predictions. Admittedly, they are somewhat fluffy, but Scotties, Westies, Wires, and Airedales abound, which a five-minute walk around Queens will confirm.

Hubbard was right when he forecast the enduring popularity of Gundogs and Hounds to some extent. Like the rest of America, NYC is home to plenty of Labs and Goldens. AKC’s fifth-ranked breed, Beagles, make their case on the streets the streets of NYC, along with a sizeable pack of Basenjis, Dachshunds, and Greyhounds.

Hubbard ranks among the twentieth-century’s finest purebred historians, but he was way off the mark saying, “Working dogs will never be cultivated as pets in the town house or flat because of their rugged ways and inconvenient size.” Big Working breeds have always retained a steadfast following in NYC. Along with the ever popular German Shepherd, New York is packed with Mastiffs, Ridgebacks, Bouviers, Dobermans, Rotties, and tons of other breeds that make no logistical sense, like Siberian Huskies.

But that’s the thing. Attempting to place NYC dog trends within a logical framework is pointless. If you don’t believe me, consider this: back in 1877 when official “breeds” first became part of our annual dog census, the most popular breed was the Newfoundland. Scotties and Skyes were next on the list. The city was also home to a substantial population of Greyhounds and Bloodhounds and a surprisingly high number of Poodles at a time when the breed was barely known in America.

Yes, we’re a little out of step with the rest of the country, but just think of all the interesting company you might encounter the next time you dine out in NYC.

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Posted by chesliepickett on Jul 1 2015. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.