Four paws and a wagging tail, that’s typically all people need to be ‘sold’ on the dog they want. But for others, they may look into traits and prefer one over another. So what determines the perfect dog? What determines the most popular dog? And why is it that way?

In a survey sent out for the Triton Voice, 130 responses were recorded, answering the following questions regarding dogs: If the interviewee owned a dog, what breed, why they owned that dog breed, and what breed they believed to be most popular and why.

A total 76.7% of Triton students and faculty who answered owned a dog, leaving only 23.3% who did not. Out of the dog breeds mentioned by their owners, the top three within our school were as follows: Pit Bulls with 9.8%, Labrador Retrievers with 8.7% and Golden Retrievers with 6.6% (who are also tied with the Golden Retriever x Labrador x Poodle designer mutt known as the Golden Doodle, as well as Boxers). These numbers were as expected, for the most part.

The data supported the answers found when asked what the most popular dog breed is believed to be.

The top three dogs believed to be most popular were Golden Retrievers (51.4%), Labrador Retrievers (20.3%) and French Bulldogs (8%). These numbers relatively match up with the percentages of their owners within Triton.

Environmental science teacher and dog owner, Mr. Thomas Horsley, had some specific ideas in mind when he was searching for his personal pup. , “I wanted a dog that could climb any mountain… be as active as I am… and good with our cats,” he said. Horsley elaborated, mentioning that he wanted an active dog but one that was good around small animals such as his cats as well as children. Looking for these traits led him to the result of his current dog, Brandi, an Australian Shepherd.