Labrador retrievers the most popular dog breed
The Labrador retriever was once again the most popular dog breed in the country with over 41 thousand registered in the
2013/14 registration year.
On the top five list are the Huntaway (31,385); Border collie (23,190); and Jack Russell Terrier (18,658). The New
Zealand Heading, also known as the New Zealand eye dog for the way it uses its eyes and quick movements to control
sheep, made the fifth spot with just over 17,000 registrations, edging out the Fox Terrier.
The information from the National Dog Database was released this week by the Department of Internal Affairs. The
Database collates the dog registration information received from territorial authorities throughout New Zealand. As
required under the Dog Control Act 1996, all dogs over 3 months old have to be registered with their local council every
year by 1 July.
Internal Affairs Deputy Chief Executive Paul James said that a statistical snapshot of the database is taken as at 31
May and is made publicly available online.
“The information on the localcouncils.govt.nz website is provided in an accessible and user friendly format and is aimed at making it easier for the public to access
and reuse the Department’s information on local government”, he said.
Mr James said that new data releases and refreshed content is regularly added to the site to keep the website relevant,
functional and attractive to visitors.
The localcouncils.govt.nz website profiles the country’s 78 regional and territorial councils and includes information about population, election
statistics, dog control statistics and council finances.
In 2013/2014 there were just over half a million dogs registered with councils. Every council must keep a record of all
dogs registered and provide information on the dog and its owner along with its microchip number (if it has one) to the
National Dog Database. The statistical data available on local councils does not include any personal identifying
information about owners.
This year’s data also shows that 57% (304,309) of registered dogs have been micro-chipped.
ENDS