The American Kennel Club (AKC) recently announced the most popular dog breeds, and once again it isn’t the Golden Retriever. We didn’t even come in second. Instead, Golden Retrievers continue to hold onto 3rd place. Well except for in 2020, when we dropped to 4th, but that was a bad year for everyone. Don’t get me wrong, this is isn’t a post snubbing the French Bulldog’s rightful place as number one. They’ve worked hard to gain that recognition, moving from 14th to 1st in just a few short years. Besides, after 31 years, it is about time someone knocked the Labrador Retriever from top dog status. Sorry Labs, but other dogs deserve a turn in the spotlight. Speaking of which, as one of the most recognized breeds, isn’t it about time that Golden Retrievers win this popularity contest?

There is no escaping our smiling faces! From dog food, to toys, to shampoo, tick control medicines, and piddle pads; to even non-dog products of cars, vacuums, fences, and clothing, Golden Retrievers are everywhere! And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of the variety of products marketers use us as spokesdogs. There’s nothing we won’t sell! Then when not seeing us in ads, we pop up in television shows, movies, and books too. And if that’s not enough, when out and about, it isn’t unusual to run into Golden Retrievers working as service dogs, therapy dogs, K9s, as well as search and rescue. Maybe humans are just getting tired of seeing us everywhere? After being bombarded with our goofy grins, perhaps they just want to see a different dog? Or maybe because humans constantly see us, we’ve somehow blended into the background of daily life? Is it possible we are too much of a good thing?

Or maybe we are denied the top spot as AKC’s most popular dog breed because we aren’t perfect? Yeah, I said it! Golden Retrievers aren’t perfect! We shed a lot, require a lot of exercise, and are perpetually puppies at heart no matter our age. But who doesn’t love Golden confetti all over their clothes, furniture, food, and places non-Golden owners would never imagine? And is it really a bad thing to get our humans up and moving to help drain off some of that energy? As for being a puppy at heart, I think we can all agree whether you’re a human or a dog, no one wants to grow old! But alas, not all Golden Retrievers do grow old, because we also face a lot of health problems, and require expensive medical treatments.

Luckily though, one of Golden Retrievers’ best traits is that we are naturally cheerleaders at heart and want all of our friends to succeed, no matter what the breed. So congratulations to the French Bulldog for being named the most popular breed in the country by the AKC! Long may you reign!