Can You Predict Minnesota’s Favorite Dog of 2025?

We may like our 10,000 Lakes here in Minnesota, but we also have a fondness for our furry four-legged canine companions. But just which breed of dog is our favorite this year?

Finding a household with a pet is pretty easy to do these days here in the North Star State. Over half of all households here in Minnesota are currently home to at least one pet. According to the World Population Review. That data, from the 2020 U.S. Census, says Minnesota has a pet, good for a pet residence rate of 54 percent.

How Minnesota’s Love for Pets Stacks Up in 2025

Of those owners here in the Bold North, 35 percent are dog owners, with cat-owning homes coming in at just over 26 percent. And when Minnesotans own pets, most households own more than one dog and cat, as well. The rate for canines per household is 1.4 (though it's difficult to own 4/10ths of a dog, right?), similar to the feline rate of 1.9 per household.

But just which breed of those dogs is the most popular in the Gopher State in 2025? That's what the number crunchers over at U.S. News & World Report set out to find. They looked at industry data, filtered through several online filters, and came up with the favorite dog breeds throughout the U.S. and in every state.

The Dog Taking the #1 Spot in Minnesota May Surprise You

And here in Minnesota, U.S. News & World Report says our most popular dog breed is... the Golden Retriever.

And, we're not alone. Goldens were the most popular dog breed in five other states as well, including North Dakota, Vermont, and Montana. But they weren't the favorite breed overall in the U.S.

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The second most popular breed in Minnesota in 2025 is... the Labrador Retriever.

The Labrador Retriever was also the most popular breed overall in the U.S. in 2025 and was the most popular breed in 17 other states, including our neighboring states of Wisconsin, Iowa, and South Dakota.

READ MORE: Doing This Will Get Your Dog 'High'-- But It's a Good Thing

And Minnesota's third most-popular dog breed in 2025 goes to... the Pit Bull Terrier!

The Pit Bull Terrier, while third in Minnesota, was the most popular breed in five U.S. states, including Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, and Louisiana. It was ranked as the fourth most popular breed overall in the U.S. in 2025, according to U.S. News & World Report. 

See Which Dogs Topped the List Overall in the U.S.

Here's the full list of the Top 10 Most Popular Dog Breeds in the U.S. in 2025:

1. Labrador Retriever
2. Chihuaua
3. Golden Retriever
4. Pit Bull Terrier
5. German Shepherd
6. French Bulldog
7. Goldendoodle
8. Yorkshire Terrier
9. Dachshund

Meanwhile, none of our three dogs —Asher (an Australian Cattle Dog), Juniper (an Australian Shepherd/Border Collie), and Frances (a Mini Australian Shepherd) — made the list again this year. If yours didn't, either, at least you can see what their breed looked like when there were puppies. Keep scrolling to check the pictures out!

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