Last year, the BC SPCA reported a staggering increase in the number of animal adoptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to so many people spending more time at home. Among the new pet owners are several proud pup parents in Vancouver, but which dog breeds are the most popular in the city?
The 2021 edition of Rover's annual Canada's Most Popular Dog Breeds report was just released, ranking the top dog breeds coast to coast, as well as in major cities like Vancouver. Nationwide, mixed breed doggos took the number one spot this year, followed by Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, Goldendoodle and German Shepherd.
Out west in Vancouver, locals are loving the American Pit Bull Terrier, which took the top spot in Rover's 2021 rankings. This year's list of trending dog breeds in Vancouver is a big change-up from the 2020 rankings, which had Vancouverites loving mixed breeds the most, followed by Labrador Retriever, Chihuahua, Golden Retriever, and French Bulldog in the top five.
The Top 5 Trending Dog Breeds in Vancouver 2021:
- American Pit Bull Terrier
- Pomeranian
- Labradoodle
- Border Collie
- Havanese
Ahead of releasing this year's rankings, Rover surveyed 500 Canadian dog parents in June 2021, and found that more than half (56 per cent) of dog parents claim they "connect" with people who have the same breed as they do. Rover also found that the top determining factor for choosing a new dog was if the breed is considered "family friendly."
Other key factors when getting a dog included: 48% wanted a breed that would snuggle, 40% wanted a breed that was highly intelligent and 34% wanted a breed that would get along with other pets.
And as in B.C., where we saw an uptick in pet adoption during the pandemic, Rover found that "Pandemic Pups" are real across Canada: "43 per cent of pet parents said they brought a new dog into their family since March of 2020. And, the vast majority (68%) of dog parents said they’ve noticed more dogs in their neighbourhood over the past year."
