A POPULAR BREED Dogs are popular pets Today Americans own more than 78 million Around the world there are more than 400 dog breeds One of these is the Labrador retriever Let’s learn why the Lab is the most popular breed in the United States
As of 2017 the Labrador retriever had been America’s favorite breed for 26 straight years
THE DOG FAMILY Dogs come in all shapes and sizes Yet all dogs belong to the Canidae family The name comes from the Latin word for dog which is canis This family includes coyotes foxes wolves and more Humans and dogs have lived together for at least 16,000 years In the beginning humans bred them to hunt Soon they trained dogs to do other jobs such as guarding property and herding livestock
Long ago Labrador retrievers would help fishermen on their boats The Labs would bring in nets pull ropes between boats and retrieve fish
