Goldendoodle is Quebec’s most popular dog, golden retriever tops Montreal’s list

Lulu, a goldendoodle who works as a therapy dog, lolls on the lawn outside the Ballard-Durand funeral home in White Plains, N.Y., on Thursday, June 4, 2015. (Jim Fitzgerald/The Canadian Press)

If your name starts with golden and you’re a K-9, you are among the most popular dog breeds in Quebec and Montreal.

The world’s largest network of pet sitters and walkers, The Rover, released its lists of most popular dog breeds in Canada, Quebec and Montreal, and the goldendoodle topped the list for Quebec, and the golden retriever was top in Montreal.

The top breed in Canada was “mixed,” followed by the golden retriever.

Rounding out the top four in Quebec are golden retriever, labrador retriever, poodle and Australian shepherd.

In Montreal, the goldendoodle was second, followed by the poodle, Labrador retriever and French bulldog.

The following dogs will be seen more and more at dog parks as they are the top-trending dogs in Montreal and Quebec.

In Canada, the miniature poodle, pug and toy poodle were the top trending breeds.

Popular breeds, however, come with a warning.

Montreal SPCA executive director Laurence Massé said that vet, food and grooming costs for some dogs can be very high and that potential owners should consider the investment before jumping to find a trendy dog.

“That all adds up because there’s also the regular care that any regular dog needs like their grooming, their regular food and their vaccines,” she said.

Massé said that it is vital to find an ethical breeder if searching for a specific breed, and to do some homework and budgeting on how much it will cost to care for.

• READ MORE: Costly cuddles: French bulldogs among dogs being surrendered at concerning rate: SPCA

Rare breed list

The duck-toller is the smallest retriever and a “Canadian original,” according to the Rover. Ironically, it is one of Canada’s rarest breeds (number two on the list) due to the small genetic pool.

The other rarest breeds in Canada are the small, fluffy Coton de Tulear, which only received Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) recognition in 2005 and has small litter sizes and limited breeding. The Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier is the third rarest breed nationally.

The following breeds had the lowest volume in Quebec:

1. Wirehaired Vizsla
2. Welsh Springer PSaniel
3. Treeing Walker Coonhound
4. Toy Fox Terrier
5. Tamaskan Dog

In Montreal, the following were the rarest:

1. White Shepherd Dog
2. Welsh Springer Spaniel
3. Toy Tox Terrier
4. Toy Bulldog
5. Tibetan Terrier

The Rover surveyed pet parents for the list and found that the vast majority of those questioned were not shopping for a certain breed. Rover said only 21 per cent of pet owners were intentionally looking for a “mixed” breed, while 19 per cent were shopping for a specific breed.

More importantly, Rover said, was the breed size (56 per cent) as well as temperament and personality (41 per cent).

Thirty-nine per cent of pet parents said “meeting their dog was love at first sight,” the Rover said.