For a week or so, I thought that I'd post something else here. It's an article on the favorite dog breeds in each state, and the explanation of how they came to these conclusions.

I will add that these breeds can change pretty rapidly. In the later 80's through the 90's and early 2000's, the main dog here by owners and shelters were herders and labs/lab mixes.

Then, suddenly, 'pits' took over the lab's spot, and chi crosses were everywhere.

Now, though 'pits' are still right up at the top, GSD's are in all of the shelters.

So, what once was in an area, may not be anymore.

I'm sure that other breeds have big presences in various states, but this is what they've come up with, starting with the first states.

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Statistics have shown general trends among favored dog breeds, but when it comes down to it, location creates quite a discrepancy between the types of pups that people prefer. If we were to only look at the American Kennel Club data (which features 193 pure-bred registered breeds, not including rescues and mixed breeds), this would be a very short article.

If you go by internet searches, the story shifts a little. In 2019, company Joybird compiled a list of most searched dog breeds by location, using Google-search data. Rottweilers took the number one spot, being the most-searched dog breed in seven out of 50 states, narrowly trailing ahead of Golden Retrievers and Shih Tzus. Neither of these sources mentioned "doodles," the Poodle crossbreeds that are all over Instagram, and that seems like an oversight. To be as accurate as possible, we've sourced the top dog breeds using a mix of these sources as well as 2020 city data from the largest cities in each state collected by Rover.com, an online marketplace for pet care services. So, without further ado, here are the most popular dog breeds from state to state.

Alabama: Shih Tzu

Also known as the "little lion" dog, the Shih Tzu takes the top spot for popular dog breeds in Alabama. This compact dog is small enough to fit in a purse. These dogs aren't as vocal as other toy breeds, and they're most content to just sit in your lap.

Alaska and Idaho:
Bloodhound

The Bloodhound is a large-breed dog known for droopy wrinkled skin and powerful noses. Often used by police forces to find missing people, these dogs can follow a scent for hours on end. Not only do these dogs love to roam and hunt, which there is lots of space to do in Alaska and Idaho, they also make great companion animals.

Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico:

Australian Cattle Dog

Rover used city data from Phoenix, Colorado Springs, Denver, and Albuquerque to determine that the favorite dog breed of these western states is the Australian Cattle Dog, also commonly known as the Blue Heeler. These medium-sized dogs are known for herding. They are alert, loyal and extremely intelligent. Be careful or they might just outsmart you.

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It might be fun to talk about if you know/knew/or had any of the breeds each day.

For example, yes on the Australian Cattle Dog, back in the late 80's. Grange, and he was beautiful.

Blood hound, no, I've never had one, or known one well.

Shih Tzu, just to groom.