When outsiders think of Southern California canine culture, they surely conjure images of glamorous celebrities with Chihuahuas, Shih Tzus and Yorkshire Terriers. In other words, we're known for people who use dogs as fashion accessories, even if the pups are often pampered more than many humans.

It might come as a surprise, then, that a big dog, the Golden Retriever, topped the American Kennel Club's annual most popular breeds list for Los Angeles.

Golden Retrievers were the third most popular dog nationwide, according to the AKC, which looked at the types of canines most often registered from coast to coast.

In L.A., Labrador Retrievers were the second most popular pups, followed by German Shepherds, French Bulldogs and Bulldogs. There's not a toy breed in sight!

Nationwide, Labrador Retrievers won the day for the 24th consecutive year, the club said.

German Shepherds took second place, followed by the aforementioned Golden Retriever, Bulldogs, and Beagles. Bulldogs, the AKC says, are coming up like Mexican directors in Hollywood:

The Bulldog has quietly crept up the list, landing this year at number four for the first time. This is the highest ranking in the breed's history.

Meanwhile, Pets Best Insurance Services recently looked at its own data on thousands of insured canines and came up with its own ranking of most popular breeds in California.

And the winner is … “mixed breed.” We know this is anticlimactic. But, hey, next up is the Labrador Retriever (2), followed by “designer/hybrid (3), Golden Retriever (4), and Chihuahua (5).

Paris Hilton would be proud.

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