The Dachshund Tumbles To The 9th Most Popular Dog In The United States Of America

It's All About Me

We've been waiting patiently for the American Kennel Club to release its registration statistics for 2011, as 2010's stats came out at the end of January last year.  Well, the results were finally released today, and we find that the lovable Dachshund has slipped from the 8th to the 9th most popular dog in the United States of America.  Via the AKC:

Look out Lab, the American Kennel Club® (AKC) has announced that the Beagle has overtaken the beloved Yorkshire Terrier to become the third most popular dog breed in the U.S.  The Golden Retriever also made a strong push into the top ranks – advancing from the fifth to the fourth most popular dog breed – and the Rottweiler made news by unseating the Shih Tzu – which had been in the top 10 since 2000. But fans of the Labrador Retriever need not fear: the beloved Lab remains the champ – a spot it has now held for 21 consecutive years – thanks to its well-earned reputation for playfulness and loyalty and its use as a police and search-and-rescue dog.

"While the Labrador Retriever has proven once again to be a family favorite, this year clearly belongs to the Beagle," said AKC Spokesperson Lisa Peterson. "The Beagle's merry personality combined with his love of outdoor activities make him such a wonderful family pet that I wouldn't be surprised to see this spunky breed sniff his way to the top of the list next year."

If we spend about an hour graphing out AKC's Dachshund registration statistics over the last twelve years, this is what that graph would look like.  Of course, these are registration statistics, and heaven only knows how many Dachshunds aren't even registered with the AKC each year. The Dachshund seems to have lost popularity in many major cities across America as well, most notably New York, where we were in the top 5 for many years, but have fallen out of the top ten altogether for 2011.
Falling in popularity isn't necessarily a bad thing, as the more popular a dog, the greater likelihood that their numbers will increase in Rescue.  And we are still in the top 10 after all.
Read all the stats at The American Kennel Club.