Poodles pop in popularity, Labs still No. 1 US dog

Poodles strutted back into the American Kennel Club's top five most popular dog breeds for the first time in nearly a quarter-century.

The club's annual popularity rankings come out Tuesday, drawn from more than 800,000 purebred puppies and older pooches. After Labs, the top 5 are: French bulldogs, golden retrievers, German shepherds, poodles and bulldogs. Poodles reigned as top dog from 1960 to 1982 before falling off somewhat in popularity. But in the new statistics, they reclaimed the fifth spot for the first time since 1997.

FranzikaHinkelmann, Miniature Poodle Owner said "Because they've been such a popular breed and then a kind of out of favor, maybe because of the image of the term, and it's good to see those intelligent dogs back in the top five again."

 Poodles have made therapy visits in hospitals and compete in obedience. Other poodles work as guide dogs for the blind, hunt or compete in agility or other dog sports.