Even in a county of 9.9 million people, some dog breeds are rare. According to the database, there is only one Alaskan Klee Kai -- a smaller version of the Alaskan husky -- registered in Los Angeles County: Sparky. He (she?) lives in Long Beach.
Similarly, there is only one registered Ariegeois, a French pack-hunting scent hound. That would be Mimi of Montebello. Where exactly in the county the one Swedish Lapphund, Pepper, lives is unknown.
There are some caveats to the database. Although it covers most of the registered dogs in Los Angeles County, it does not include parts of Arcadia, Downey, Sierra Madre and La Canada Flintridge, jurisdictions that did not provide official counts.
Also, the database relies on the accuracy of pet owners in reporting their dogs' breeds to licensing agencies. The list ranks the American pit bull terrier as the fourth most popular dog in the county. Any dog whose license said "pit bull" was put in that category. But the term "pit bull" encompasses several breeds and mixes of them: the American pit bull terrier, the American Staffordshire terrier (24th on the list with 4,788) and the Staffordshire bull terrier (33rd with 2,857.)
As with any census, some expectations about dog demographics hold up and some don't. For example, the second most common name for a Chihuahua is, predictably, Chiquita.
But forget about Chiquita and her posse basking poolside at Beverly Hills mansions as the dominant breed in that 'hood. The most commonly registered dog for the Beverly Hills ZIP Codes is the German shepherd, followed closely by the Labrador retriever. Labs are also the most prominent canine residents in Malibu and Brentwood.
In reality, there are more than 1,000 registered Chihuahuas that live in Compton (in ZIP Codes 90220, 90221, 90222), making them the No. 1 breed there. The same is true for Lynwood. (The dogs in the American pit bull terrier category come in third in Compton.)
The distinction of having the most Chihuahuas in the county goes to the 91706 ZIP Code of Baldwin Park, with 1,438 of them.
Are Chihuahuas truly the most popular breed? City and county shelters certainly see their share.
"We get a lot at our shelters. It's hard to tell, but it might be in the top five," said Marcia Mayeda, director of Los Angeles County's Department of Animal Care and Control, which runs six shelters across the county. Mayeda estimates her department -- which has 40 canvassers -- licenses about 60% of the dogs in the unincorporated areas of the county plus other areas that contract for services. Currently it has about 254,000 dogs licensed.
