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What is the best dog breed? The most popular pooches in US since 1880

The American Kennel Club has been tracking the popularity of purebred dogs for 128 years as the number of recognized breeds grew from nine to 177. Here's of the country's most popular dog breeds by the decade, according to data released by the AKC:

11. 1990 through 2013: the Labrador retriever, overwhelmingly

Reuters
A Labrador retriever puppy yawns during the American Kennel Club's most popular purebred dog in America news conference in New York. 2009.

  • By Staff Associated Press

Labrador retrievers take hold and hang on tight as the nation's most popular purebred for 23 years in the row, and they seem to not be losing their luster. But no breed has rocketed up the rankings quite like the French bulldog, now the nation's 11th most popular purebred after its numbers more than quadrupled in the last 10 years. The Frenchie was 14th last year - and 58th in 2002.

[Editor's note: The original version of this list article item incorrectly noted the type of retriever that is most popular.]

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