Toronto dogs: who’s hot, who’s not

Labs and golden retrievers have won the hearts of Toronto’s dog lovers, city data shows. The two breeds are #1 and #2 respectively, the same place they held in 2008. Labs are up 28% in absolute numbers, and goldens 35%.

German shepherds, now in #4, have been sliding slowly from the #1 slot they had in 2004.

There is a growing market for small dogs:

 – Shih tzus have almost doubled in three years, moving from #5 to #3.
 – Yorkshire terriers have more than doubled, moving from #13 to #6.
 – Miniature schnauzers are up 52%, moving from #9 to #7.
 – Miniature poodles are up 58%, moving from #12 to #8.
 
 Buyers seem to be pickier about purebred dogs, or perhaps there are more available to be bought. Mixed-breed Labs have fallen from 834 to 766, (slot #8 to slot #23). Mixed-breed German shepherds have also fallen, from 771 to 622 (slot #10 to #30).

And pit bulls, loved only by their diehard defenders, have halved in number, and dropped from #7 to #35.

Using an access-to-information request, Global News obtained records showing the breed, name and postal code of all of Toronto’s licenced dogs.

Toronto’s top 10 dog breeds 

All Toronto dog breeds  

Cut off at 10