Sorry, Labrador Retrievers. You’re adorable and had a great run, but there’s a new top dog in America. After 31 years as the American Kennel Club’s most popular breed, the Labrador Retriever was dethroned in 2022.
The American Kennel Club, which is the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world, uses registration stats to rank the most popular breeds every year. For the first time in history, the French Bulldog is in the top spot, knocking the venerable Lab to second place.
French Bulldogs, also known as Frenchies, have slowly become more popular over the last decade. The breed was ranked 14th back in 2012 and has since had a 100% increase in registrations. In 2021, they were number two on the AKC’s list.
This past November, a French Bulldog named Winston took the prize for Best in Show at the AKC’s 2022 National Dog Show. Social media star Walter Geoffrey may have also helped boost the breed’s popularity. The very vocal Frenchie has a huge following on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
The AKC’s Top 10 Most Popular Dog Breeds of 2022
