Top Dogs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VNRF_3lEHCw
The American Kennel Club shows off this year’s top breeds. Photos: Angelica Berry

By ANGELICA BERRY

The rottweiler has moved onto the list of America’s 10 most popular dog breeds, replacing the shih tzu.

That’s this year’s surprise from the annual <a href=”http://www.akc.org/”>American Kennel Club</a> announcement, which was made in Manhattan on Tuesday.

The rottweiler came in at No. 10 nationally – and No. 9 in New York City. The shih tzu continued to outrank it in New York City at No. 7.

“The list is based on AKC registration statistics. We count how many dogs of each breed are registered and we have 179 breeds,” said spokesperson Lisa Peterson.  The newly announced rankings are for 2011.

The beagle replaced the Yorkshire terrier as the third most popular breed and the golden retriever shifted up a spot to fourth place.

The Labrador retriever topped the list again. This breed has been first  nike cortez for 21 consecutive years. Peterson said its continued popularity is  “thanks to its well-earned reputation for playfulness and loyalty and its use as a police and search-and-rescue dog.”

Large dogs are the current trend. The German shepherd and the boxer are also popular.

The American Kennel Club, located at 260 Madison Ave., looked like a dog convention during the news conference, with examples of the top five breeds and the news-making rottweiler there for photos.

“We call AKC breeders and they volunteer to come help us,” said publicist Jessica Rice. Owners squeezed squeaky toys, snapped fingers, and called commands to get their dogs photo-ready as they sat in front of rows of the cameras.

For an hour, photographers air jordan 7 rotated throughout the lobby taking pictures of every dog in multiple angles. There were the Labrador retrievers Bella and Deli, German shepherds Commander and Ziva, golden retrievers Nicholas and Toby, Yorkshire terriers Heidi and Cierra, and rottweilers Tug and Tasha.