SEATTLE, WA – August 22, 2023 – Rover.com®, the world’s largest online marketplace for pet care, today released its 2023 Most Popular Dog and Cat Breeds Report. Rover’s fifth iteration of the report reveals Canada’s most popular dog and cat breeds, the top trending breeds nationally, the rarest dog breeds in the country, and breaks down local breed trends in Toronto. In conjunction, Rover surveyed 500 Canadian based pet parents to uncover insights around which factors impact decision making when choosing a pet.
According to the report, non designer mixed breeds are the most popular dog breed in Canada, followed by the Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, Goldendoodle and German Shepherd. In terms of year-over-year change, the Pomeranian, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Samoyed, Shiba Inu and the Chihuahua are the top trending breeds of 2023. When it comes to the rarest dog breeds in Canada, the Saluki, Barbet, Welsh Terrier, Japanese Spitz, and the Bull Terrier (Miniature) led the pack. For cats, the Domestic Shorthair, American Shorthair and Domestic Longhair are most popular.
“Whether they’re bringing home a designer, hybrid or mixed breed pet, pet parents tell us what they really want is a dog or cat who fits their family dynamic,” said Kate Jaffe, trends expert at Rover. “Pets are important members of our families and a lot of thought goes into choosing who to bring home. Many of the traits we most desire in a pet aren’t determined by their breed, but can be found and celebrated in dogs and cats of all kinds.”
For more than one third (35%) of pet parents, breed was not an important factor when considering which dog to bring home. In fact, eight in ten (81%) would still have gotten a dog, even if their top three breed choices were unavailable. According to pet parents, family-friendliness is the number one factor when considering which type of dog to bring home. For those choosing a dog based on personality, friendly or social behavioral traits rank the highest (22%), followed by cuddly (18%), intelligent (18%) and energy level, with low-energy (13%) and high-energy (13%) equally preferred.
And, it turns out that people fall in love with their dog, regardless of breed, with the majority (76%) saying their dog is their “best friend”. People may also gravitate toward pets that mirror themselves, with nearly two thirds (64%) of pet parents claiming they resemble their dogs—both in looks and personality. Even pet parents who didn’t intentionally pick a specific dog breed, ultimately develop “breed loyalty” as nine out of ten (90%) would choose a dog of the same type again, next time.
When it comes to cats, breed is less important as just one third (35%) say it was an important factor when considering which type of cat to bring home. Instead, cat parents indicate the color of their cat’s fur (46%) was more impactful. When it comes to personality, pet parents say they most want a cat that is cuddly (32%), friendly or social (22%) and intelligent (10%).
To view the full report on Canada’s most popular dog breeds, please visit here. For the most common cat breeds in Canada, please visit here. A similar report was conducted in the U.S. (dog and cat), the U.K., France (dog and cat) and Spain.
About the Report
Rover data from June 2023 includes the top 8 most popular and top 4 rarest dog breeds in Canada, the top 8 trending dog breeds–where breeds experienced the most growth in 2023–and the top 10 most common cat breeds in Canada. Rover also conducted a survey via Pollfish in July 2023 of 500 Canadian pet parents.
About Rover:
Founded in 2011 and based in Seattle, Rover (NASDAQ: ROVR) is the world’s largest online marketplace for loving pet care. Rover connects pet parents with loving pet care providers who offer overnight services, including boarding and in-home pet sitting, as well as daytime services, including doggy daycare, dog walking, and drop-in visits. Millions of pet parents have booked a service on Rover across North America and Europe.
Contact:
Kristin Sandberg
pr@rover.com
360-510-6365