According to the American Kennel Club (AKC®) the type of dog you own says a lot about your personality.
“Dog owners tend to identify with pets who have similar personality traits, habits and physical activities as themselves,” said AKC Meet the Breeds Spokesperson Gina DiNardo.
Since people gravitate towards dogs that match their personality, the AKC, inspired by New York City’s AKC Meet the Breeds® event – the world’s largest gathering of dogs and cats – searched through the personalities of the most popular breeds in the New York City metro area to determine what each says about the people who own them.
The Labrador Retriever may lead the pack nationally and is also most popular on Long Island and in New Jersey, but New Yorkers created their own trend by having the energetic Yorkshire Terrier in its number one spot. Owners of Yorkies typically love going out for a night on the town and have energy to spare, a perfect fit for those living in the city that never sleeps. New to Manhattan’s top 10 were the Golden Retriever (up six places to number eight) and Havanese (up three places to 10th most popular). Goldens are said to be extremely social with a lot of self confidence, like New Yorkers, and they all tend to be hard working and serious but also have a playful side. Havenese dogs and their owners tend to be successful and highly intelligent, traits found in almost all New Yorkers.
The Labrador Retriever, German Shepherd Dog and Golden Retriever, all service dogs, are three of Northern New Jersey’s most popular breeds. It’s no surprise the German Shepherd moved up two places to second, since they devote their lives to servicing and helping others. Many German Shepherd owners have been known to come from a family of police officers. New Jersey is associated with many things, big hair being one of them, so it seems fitting that the Maltese and Shih Tzu, with their fancy hairdos, are also in the top ten. Owners of the Maltese often spend extra time primping their long, flowing locks, while the Shih Tzu rocks the same hairdo as Snookie. Both are sweet and playful, but not afraid to stand up for themselves, much like those in New Jersey.
While the Lab remains the King of Long Island, the Bulldog (number four), Rottweiler (number five) and Poodle (number six) all made top 10 gains last year on their quest to become most popular on Long Island. Traits these breeds all have in common with Long Islanders are intelligence and confidence, yet an ability to relax and enjoy themselves. Most notably, the Shih Tzu fell four places almost falling out of the top ten. Could this be a sign that Long Islanders are over big hair?
What does your pet say about you? See, learn and play with more than 200 different dog and cat breeds at AKC Meet the Breeds, October 20th and 21st at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. Get your tickets now at www.MeetTheBreeds.com and take advantage of special advanced tickets prices ($15 adults/$10 kids) while supplies last.
Check out the AKC Meet the Breeds blog at http://meetthebreeds.wordpress.com/ to get a special sneak peak of the dogs and cats who will be at this year’s event. You can also join AKC on Facebook and Twitter.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: A complete list of the top 10 dogs in New York City, Northern New Jersey and Long Island can be found online here]
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC®) the type of dog you own says a lot about your…