Labrador retrievers are still tugging hardest on U.S. dog lovers' heartstrings, but poodles just strutted back into the American Kennel Club's top five most popular dog breeds for the first time since 1997. The club's annual popularity rankings came out Tuesday. They're drawn from more than 800,000 purebred puppies and older pooches that joined the nation's oldest canine registry last year. Labs have been No. 1 for an unprecedented 31 straight years. Rounding out the top five are French bulldogs, golden retrievers, German shepherds and poodles. After that come bulldogs, beagles, Rottweilers, German shorthaired pointers and dachshunds.
What Are the Top 10 AKC Dog Breeds?
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FILE - Memo, a Labrador retriever, competes in the sporting group during the 142nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, at Madison Square Garden in New York, Feb. 13, 2018.
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FILE - A French bulldog named Reba waits to enter the ring at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog show in New York, Feb. 16, 2015.
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FILE - Daniel, a golden retriever, wins the sporting group during 144th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York, Feb. 11, 2020.
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FILE - Rumor, a German shepherd, poses for photos after winning Best in Show at the 141st Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York, Feb. 15, 2017.