Labrador retriever named American Kennel Club's most popular dog breed for 28th year
Humans just cannot get enough of labs -- the loyal, loveable dogs topped the American Kennel Club's list of most popular breeds for the 28th year, the club announced Wednesday.
After over a quarter of a century as man's favorite best friends, the Labrador retriever "shows no signs of giving up the top spot anytime soon," the AKC's executive secretary Gina DiNardo said in a statement.
"Labs make wonderful companions for a wide variety of people, and for good reason," she added. "The breed is very intelligent, friendly and great with children."
German shepherds, Golden retrievers and French bulldogs followed close behind labs on the AKC's list. Check out their top 10 most popular breeds below.
Most popular dog breeds of 2018
1. Labrador retriever
2. German shepherd Dog
3. Golden retriever
4. French bulldog
5. Bulldog
6. Beagle
7. Poodle
8. Rottweiler
9. German Shorthaired pointer
10. Yorkshire terrier
Notably, the German Shorthaired pointer made a big leap on last year's list, climbing to the ninth spot -- the breed's highest position on the list since becoming recognized in 1930, according to the AKC.
"This jack of all trades in the pointer world has slowly but steadily risen in popularity over the years," DiNardo said in a statement. "People continue to fall in love with its versatility, extreme intelligence and willingness to please.”
Some other rare breeds that have been growing in popularity over the past few years include the Pumik (who jumped 11 spots in one year), Ibizan hounds (who jumped 13 spots) and Finnish lapphunds (who climbed 12 spots).
