• This year, the French Bulldog took Los Angeles’s top spot in the American Kennel Club’s (AKC®) 2023 ranking of the most popular AKC-recognized dog breeds in the U.S.
The French Bulldog was also recognized as the #1 pup in Miami, FL and Detroit, MI.
It’s the battle of the Retrievers this year in Los Angeles as the Golden Retriever takes the Labrador Retrievers spot as 3rd most popular breed.
“The French Bulldog is coming in hot this year,” said AKC Executive Secretary Gina DiNardo. “This family friendly breed is making its way into everyone’s hearts.”
Los Angles’s top 5 breeds for 2023:
1. French Bulldogs
2. Bulldogs
3. Golden Retrievers
4. Poodles
5. Labrador Retrievers
The American Kennel Club also announced its nationwide rankings today. The playful and adaptable French Bulldog is America’s most popular breed for the second consecutive year,
Since overtaking the loveable Labrador Retriever as the most popular breed, the French Bulldog’s popularity has continued to surge. The breed is playful, adaptable and has an even temperament. Frenchies are very popular among city dwellers, as they’re also portable and get along with almost anyone.
2023 Most Popular Dogs in the U.S.
1. French Bulldog
•2. Labrador Retriever
3. Golden Retriever
4. German Shepherd Dog
5. Poodle
6. Dachshund
7. Bulldog
8. Beagle
9. Rottweiler
10. German Shorthaired Pointer
• People sometimes conclude that cats are unfriendly, unwilling to learn or domineering, but their characteristics have origins in their evolution and continue to be influenced by how humans treat them, say veterinarians. “There are so many misconceptions that cats are spiteful, or cats are being jerks, that they’re being aloof or asocial,” says cat behaviorist Luke Hollenbeck, “but cats are trying to communicate with us all the time, and people have to be really good at understanding that.”
• Service Dogs Lead to Fewer Seizures in Resistant Epilepsy
By Eve Bender
Working with medically trained service dogs is associated with a 31% reduction in seizures compared with usual care in treatment-resistant epilepsy, a new study showed.
Investigators speculate that the dogs may ease participants’ stress, leading to a decrease in seizure frequency, although they note this relationship warrants more study.
“Despite the development of numerous antiseizure medications over the past 15 years, up to 30% of people with epilepsy experience persistent seizures,” study author Valérie van Hezik-Wester, MSc, of Erasmus University Rotterdam in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, said in a press release.
The unpredictable nature of seizures is one of the most disabling aspects of epilepsy, Hezik-Wester added. Seizure dogs are trained to recognize seizures and respond when they occur.
“The tasks that these dogs perform along with their companionship may reduce seizure-related anxiety, also potentially reducing seizures caused by stress, the most common trigger for seizures,” she said.
The study included 25 individuals with medically refractory epilepsy who had an average of two or more seizures per week, with seizure characteristics associated with a high risk for injuries or dysfunction. They also had to be able to care for a service dog.
All were observed under usual care, which included antiseizure medications, neurostimulation devices, and other supportive therapies. Participants could then choose to work with a service dog that had completed socialization and obedience training or be assigned a puppy they would train at home.
The median follow-up was 19 months with usual care and 12 months with the intervention. Participants recorded seizure activity in diaries and completed surveys on seizure severity, quality of life, and well-being every 3 months. Daily seizure counts were converted to obtain cumulative seizure frequencies over 28-day periods.
Of the 25 original participants, six discontinued trial participation before the end of follow-up, four of whom left the study due to difficulty with dog care and training.
Participants receiving usual care reported an average of 115 seizures per 28-day period, while those with trained service dogs recorded 73 seizures in the same period, or a 37% difference between groups.
Researchers found that participants had an average of 31% fewer seizures during the past 3 months when they had seizure dogs, with seven participants achieving a 50%-100% reduction in seizures.
The number of seizure-free days increased from an average of 11 days per 28-day period before receiving a service dog to 15 days after working with a dog.
Scores on the EQ-5D-5L, which measures perceived health problems, decreased on average by 2.5% per consecutive 28-day period with the intervention, reflecting an increase in generic health-related quality of life (0.975; 95% CI, 0.954-0.997).
“These findings show that seizure dogs can help people with epilepsy,” said van Hezik-Wester. “However, we also found that this partnership with seizure dogs might not be the right fit for everyone, as some people discontinued their participation in this program. More research is needed to better understand which people can benefit from working with seizure dogs.”
In an accompanying editorial, Amir Mbonde, MB, and Amy Crepeau, MD, of Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona, noted the findings add to a growing body of work on the effectiveness of service dogs in reducing seizure frequency.
“In addition to improved seizure control, the EPISODE study demonstrated the benefit of seizure dogs in enhancing the quality of life for patients, a crucial component of comprehensive epilepsy care,” they wrote.
In prior studies, seizure dogs have identified an odor that a person emits before a seizure in up to 97% of people, they noted, adding that this ability “offers immense clinical benefits to people with epilepsy, enhancing their independence, social engagement, employment opportunities, self-confidence, and thus quality of life.”
The study was funded by the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development and Innovatiefonds Zorgverzekeraars. Smith and Jones reported no relevant financial relationships. The authors reported no disclosures.
