The most popular dog breed in Utah is the goldendoodle, a new analysis by U.S. News & World Report has determined.
The study found that the goldendoodle, a poodle-golden retriever mix, is the sixth most popular breed nationally and among the top five breeds in 37 states. It was also the top breed in neighboring Idaho and No. 2 in Minnesota.
Rounding out the top five dog breeds in Utah are the Chihuahua, Shih Tzu, golden retriever and French bulldog.
According to Daily Paws, “Goldendoodles are a highly affectionate crossbreed known for their intelligence and loyalty to their humans. Active and playful, doodles fit in well with families and are great for first-time dog owners. Smaller versions make good apartment dwellers, too.”
U.S. News & World Report analyzed 811,798 data points from a third-party pet insurance industry partner to determine the most popular dog breeds by state.
Dogs are the most popular pet, occupying 49 million American households, according to the United States Census Bureau.
Pew Research Center found that 51% of pet owners view their companion animals in the same light as any human in the family.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are many health benefits to pet ownership.
“They can increase opportunities to exercise, get outside, and socialize. Regular walking or playing with pets can decrease blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels. Pets can help manage loneliness and depression by giving us companionship. Most households in the United States have at least one pet,” the CDC report states.
The American Pet Products Association’s national pet owners survey has tracked pet ownership since 1988, when the rate was 56%. Today, two-thirds of Americans own pets, up 10% since the survey began.
The U.S. News analysis found that nationwide, the favorite dog breeds are:
- Chihuahua.
- French bulldog.
- Golden retriever.
- German shepherd.
- Shih Tzu.
- Goldendoodle.
- Yorkshire terrier.
- American pit bull terrier.
- Pit bull.
- Labrador retriever (black).
- Maltese.
- Pomeranian.
- Miniature Dachshund.
- Labrador retriever (yellow).
- Siberian husky.
- Boxer.
- Miniature Schnauzer.
- Australian shepherd.
- Pug.
- American bully.
- Beagle.
- Labrador retriever (chocolate).
- Boston terrier.
- Rottweiler.
- Miniature poodle.
The report also looked at the most popular dog names. In Utah, they are Bella, Luna, Daisy, Max and Bear.
The top dog names nationwide are: Bella, Luna, Max, Daisy and Charlie.
Bella is the name of popular characters in the “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” books and films. Luna is also a character in the “Harry Potter” world, but the name is rooted in Roman mythology as the divine personification of the moon, according to the report.
“Other standouts on our top 100 names include the names of pagan deities — resurrected as TV and movie characters — like Zeus, No. 40; Loki, No. 38 and Thor, No. 76,” according to U.S. News.