video transcript

Meet America's top dogs for 2012. The Labrador Retriever, together with the German Shepherd and the Golden Retriever are most popular dog breeds in the United States according to the American Kennel Club. In fact, 2012 was the year of the big dog, with all top five ranked pooches being larger breeds. Lisa Peterson of the American Kennel Club explains. SOUNDBITE: Lisa Peterson, Director of Communications at the American Kennel Club, saying (English) "Larger breeds are gaining popularity while smaller breeds are tumbling off the list. And what we found is that the bulldog has muscled his way up to the number five position. And he hasn't been there in quite a few years, decades in fact." Peterson thinks that families nowadays want bigger dogs that can play with children. Rounding up the top five in fourth place is the Beagle but the undisputed king of all is the Labrador Retriever, named the most popular breed for 22 consecutive years.