Dog o' Day
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Meet the British most popular dog breeds of 2019

By Wesley Coburn

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: A Labrador Retriever is seen on day four of the Cruft's dog show at the NEC Arena on March 11, 2018 in Birmingham, England. The annual four-day event sees around 22,000 pedigree dogs visit the center, before the 'Best in Show' is awarded on the final day. (Photo by Richard Stabler/Getty Images)
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: A Labrador Retriever is seen on day four of the Cruft's dog show at the NEC Arena on March 11, 2018 in Birmingham, England. The annual four-day event sees around 22,000 pedigree dogs visit the center, before the 'Best in Show' is awarded on the final day. (Photo by Richard Stabler/Getty Images) /
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Wiener Dog Ice Cube, most popular dog breeds of 2019
Dachshunds run as they compete in the annual Teckelrennen Hophaus Dachshund Race and Costume Parade (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) /

Germany has been the starting place for many breeds, so it’s no surprise that a couple exports made the British most popular dog breeds of 2019.

No. 8 – German Shepherd

Registration total – 6,837

Group – Pastoral

2018 ranking – No. 8 (7,299)

American 2018 ranking – No. 2

Though classified as a Herding or Pastoral Group member, the German Shepherd is often more thought of as a working dog, due to often serving as police dogs, bomb-sniffing dogs and other bodyguard-type roles.

They were the original breed used in guide dog training, though they’ve been replaced by Goldens and Labs for the most part, and sometimes Poodles.

A German Shepherd named Brutus, a former military working dog, is a main character of the Pixie and Brutus comic strips on Instagram from an artist who uses the handle @PetFoolery.

For more on the German Shepherd and their close cousins, we recommend reading Matthew Duffy’s creative nonfiction work Franklin, and reading our interview with legendary dog trainer Jeff Franklin (and be sure to check out our review, too).

No. 7 – Dachshund (Miniature Smooth)

Registration total – 8,375

Group – Hound

2018 ranking – No. 9 (7,008)

American 2018 ranking – No. 12

The Dachshund (pronounced “dock sin”, not “dash hound”) was originally bred to hunt underground critters like moles and badgers (it means “badger hound” in German).

They come in two sizes – Standard and Miniature – and three coat varieties – Smooth-, Wire- and Long-Haired. Smooth is considered the default coat type, so its not surprising that this is the variety that made the top 10.

They are friendly and curious, though at the same time very protective of their chosen people, and they’re extremely cute.

Fans of the breed include children’s authors EB White (Stuart Little, Charlotte’s Web, The Trumpet of the Swan) and  Marguerite Henry (King of the Wind, Album of Dogs, Misty of Chincoteague). White wrote several essays about the breed and dogs in general, as did his friend James Thurber (who penned the short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”), while Henry’s first published short story was about a Collie playing hide and seek in autumn leaves. She also wrote Cinnabar the One O’clock Fox about a legendary canine resident of Mount Vernon during George Washington’s time there.

Online, Lena Pup Dachshund (@LenaPupperz15) is an active member of Dog Twitter and the ZSHQ crew of zombie hunters, often promoting her friends’ causes and celebrating their successes.

Also of note, the minor league ice hockey team Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League annually rebrand themselves for one night as the Sioux Falls Fighting Wiener Dogs during their Wiener Dog Races, a staple of minor league hockey clubs throughout the US and Canada.

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