Labs retrieve top spot — again

They've been No. 1 for 16 years straight, so it's probably no wonder that Monday's news was received with a yawn. Then Chance, a slightly overweight Chocolate Lab, got up and trotted nonchalantly across the playroom of Salt Lake City's Dogs R Us dog day care.

According to the American Kennel Club, the most popular dog in the United States in 2006 was, for the 17th consecutive year, the Labrador retriever. The breed was also again named top dog in Salt Lake City. The AKC's annual list tallies up the number of purebred puppies registered each year in the 50 largest U.S. cities.

Salt Lake City's list puts Yorkshire terriers, more commonly known as Yorkies, in the No. 2 spot, again echoing the national list. Salt Lake City's list then veers from the national average — the poodle ranks higher here, the boxer lower. The golden retriever and the beagle (No. 4 and 5) nationwide, didn't even make it on Salt Lake's Top 10. Salt Lake City is one of only two cities that does not list the golden retriever in the Top 10.

"I haven't had a Lab who came in for an interview who hasn't passed," says Danya Twigg, owner of Desert Dog Daycare on 900 West, as she tries to sum up the allure of the Labrador retriever.

As for the No. 2 Yorkie, it's "a big dog in a small-dog package," says AKC spokeswoman Lisa Peterson. They're feisty and in-your-face but can also be carried through the supermarket line. "People more and more want to keep their dogs with them," she says. This year, the Yorkie pulled ahead of another small breed, the Shih Tzu, on Salt Lake's list.

Monday's classified ads included Yorkie puppies for $950 each. The dogs are currently the size of a soda pop can, says breeder Kevin Parkin of North Salt Lake.

The AKC list does not include mixed breeds, which make up half of the clientele of places like Sugar House Veterinary Hospital. The list also doesn't include designer dogs such as Labradoodles and Schnoodles. The designer dogs "sound cute," says Peterson. "But unfortunately, a lot of consumers are paying thousands of dollars for mixed breed dogs — and there are hundreds of mixed breeds in shelters waiting for homes." Breeds of dogs go in and out of fashion. The Cocker Spaniel, No. 1 during the entire 1940s, and then again in the 1980s, is now No. 16 nationally. Chow Chows, in the Top 10 in 1990, are now No. 64.

Perhaps that's why, at Desert Dog Daycare, the Labs weren't celebrating Monday's news. Although sometimes they like to play tug with a rope or lick the ice in the day care's yard, on Monday they were "just kind of hanging out," Twigg reported.

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E-mail: jarvik@desnews.com