The American Kennel Club wanted to find out which dog breeds were the most popular in 2021. Being the “only purebred dog registry in the United States maintaining systematic inspections and investigations,” the club has unique access to data showing which breeds are the most sought after each year. “In a time when there are more families with dogs than with children, it’s no surprise that the breeds vary widely, from large guard dogs to agile herders, to tiny toy breeds and everything in between,” the club writes. “The pandemic has been an especially popular time for new dog owners to decide to bring home a puppy.” The organization is right. There were a lot of new pets in peoples’ homes since the start of the pandemic. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a national poll of over 5,000 people got a new cat or dog since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. That amounts to approximately one in five households, or approximately 23 million American households.
That’s a lot of pets – but which dog breeds were the most popular in 2021?
pure-bred or not.
