I spent Saturday morning at the Atlanta Pet Parade working in the booth for the Georgia Network of Professional Pet Sitters.  It was a great chance to see some neat dogs, plus meet some potential clients.  It was amazing to see the diversity of breeds represented.   The event is sponsored by the Atlanta Humane Society so you would expect to see a lot of rescued, mixed breed dogs.  But there were a lot of purebreds as well. 

With some of them dressed up the way they were, it was kind of hard to tell what breed some of them were!

Each year the American Kennel Club releases the top breeds in the country.  According to the 2011 numbers, the Labrador Retriever is the top breed in the US as they have been for the past 21 years.  The German Shepherd is next, then Beagles, Golden Retrievers, Yorkshire Terriers, Bulldogs, Boxers, Poodles, Dachshund.  Rottweilers make the top 10 this year instead of Shih Tzu, the breed that was 10^th in 2010.

According to the AKC, Labs are the top breed in Atlanta, followed by the German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Cavalier King Charles, Yorkshire Terrier, Rottweiler, Boxer, French Bulldog, and a tie for 10^th between Bulldog, Miniature Schnauzer and English Springer Spaniel.  I’m a little surprised with all the UGA fans in town, more of them don’t have English Bulldogs because of UGA.  Of all the dogs we have cared for in the past year and half, we have had more Goldens than any other breed.  While Beagles are 3^rd nationally, they are only 29^th in Atlanta. Meanwhile CKCs are 4^th in Atlanta, but only 21^st nationally. 

Of course, I know your favorite breed is the breed you have, so I’ll ask, what’s your second favorite breed or why do you like your favorite over other breeds?

Fetch! Pet Care of NW Atlanta provides in-home pet care and dog walking as well as cat care services in Roswell, East Cobb, Marietta and Woodstock, Georgia.