From Yorkies To Shih Tzus, The American Kennel Club Uncovers What The Top Dogs Of The Metro NYC Area Say About The People Who Own Them

NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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 10^th 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. Havanese 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 20^th and 21^st 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 at http://images.akc.org/pdf/meet_the_breeds/2012/NYCMetroPopularDogRanking.pdf]

About AKC Meet the Breeds – From Afghan Hounds to the Turkish Van, AKC Meet the Breeds® showcases 160 American Kennel Club® (AKC) registered dog breeds and this year will feature 50 cat breeds registered by The International Cat Association (TICA) in booths individually decorated to depict each breed's country of origin, historical purpose/function, and attributes as a family pet.  This family-friendly event is an opportunity for potential pet owners to interact with responsible breeders and play with dogs and cats while educating themselves about responsible pet ownership and choosing the right pet for their lifestyle. AKC Meet the Breeds is proudly presented by PetPartners, Inc., a leading pet healthcare provider, and will feature more than 160,000 square feet of dog and cat festivities including ongoing demonstration rings – featuring law enforcement K-9's, dog agility, grooming– and more than 100 vendor booths that offer every imaginable product for pets and their owners.  Event sponsors include The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., Pet Brands, Inc., Purina® Pro Plan®, Motel 6, K9 Advantix II, Felidae®, Sturdi Products, Citibank, Oreck Direct LLC, Pets Add Life (PAL) campaign, sponsored by the American Pet Products Association, Harry and David, BH Pet Gear LLC, TimberTech, BowTie Inc., Petfood.com, Petsupplies.com, ShowSight, Baker Institute for Animal Health at Cornell University. For more information visit www.MeetTheBreeds.com.

The American Kennel Club, founded in 1884, is a not-for-profit organization which maintains the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world and oversees the sport of purebred dogs in the United States. The AKC is dedicated to upholding the integrity of its registry, promoting the sport of purebred dogs and breeding for type and function.  Along with its nearly 5,000 licensed and member clubs and its affiliated organizations, the AKC advocates for the purebred dog as a family companion, advances canine health and well-being, works to protect the rights of all dog owners and promotes responsible dog ownership. More than 20,000 competitions for AKC-registered purebred dogs are held under AKC rules and regulations each year including conformation, agility, obedience, rally, tracking, herding, lure coursing, coonhound events, hunt tests, field and earthdog tests. Affiliate AKC organizations include the AKC Humane Fund, AKC Canine Health Foundation, AKC Companion Animal Recovery and the AKC Museum of the Dog.  For more information, visit www.akc.org.

The International Cat Association, Inc. (TICA) was organized during 1979, is the world's largest genetic registry of pedigreed cats, largest registry of household pet cats and kittens, and one of the world's largest sanctioning bodies for cat shows. TICA currently recognizes more than 54 breeds of cats. Wherever you are, you're in TICA's world. A world of fabulous felines…fun...and friendships. To learn more about TICA visit http://www.tica.org.

MOST POPULAR BREEDS IN THE NEW YORK CITY METRO AREA

Mirror, mirror on the wall, what is the most popular dog breed of all? 

Inspired by New York City's American Kennel Club (AKC®) Meet the Breeds event, the world's largest gathering of dogs and cats, the AKC ranked the most popular dog breeds based on 2011 registration statistics.  Most popular dogs in other major U.S. cities can be found online at http://www.akc.org/reg/topdogsbycity.cfm.

*Registration data pulled from New York City zip codes as specified by U.S. Postal Service

*Registration data pulled from Bergen, Hudson, Passaic, and Essex County zip codes as specified by U.S. Postal Service

**Tied for #2

*Registration data pulled from Long Island zip codes as specified by U.S. Postal Service

SOURCE American Kennel Club