The Labrador Retriever remains the most popular dog in metro Atlanta, according to the American Kennel Club's latest ranking, with the German Shepherd Dog taking over the No. 2 spot from the Golden Retriever.
The Shepherd and the Retriever swapped places in the 2011 ranking of most popular breeds, with the Retriever falling to No. 3, according to AKC spokeswoman Lisa Peterson.
Rounding out the top breeds locally are (4) Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, (5) Yorkshire Terrier, (6) Rottweiler, (7) Boxer, (8) French Bulldog, and (tied for 9) Bulldog/Miniature Schnauzer/English Springer Spaniel.
The top breed nationally also remained the Labrador Retriever, followed by (2) German Shepherd, (3) Beagle, (4) Golden Retriever, (5) Yorkshire Terrier, (6) Bulldog, (7) Boxer, (8) Poodle, (9) Dachshund and (10) Rottweiler.
Among the other highlights both locally and nationally:
* The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, which ranked 21st nationally, jumped five places to No. 4 in metro Atlanta, while the English Spaniel rose 18 spots locally to land in the No. 9 spot.
* The Yorkie dropped a spot in this year’s local ranking, and the Boxer fell two places, while the Beagle is becoming more popular in metro Atlanta, the AKC said.
* Nationally, the Beagle overtook the Yorkshire Terrier to become the third most popular breed, and the Rottweiler bumped the Shih Tzu out of the top 10.
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