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Great Danes' popularity at lowest in 50 years

Ch. Primus Great Gatsby the Great Dane, a 2-year-old Crufts winner of Junior and Male limit classes, makes a guest appearance at Castle Howard - Charlotte Graham 
Ch. Primus Great Gatsby the Great Dane, a 2-year-old Crufts winner of Junior and Male limit classes, makes a guest appearance at Castle Howard - Charlotte Graham

The popularity of Great Danes has fallen to its lowest level in 50 years, the Kennel Club has warned, because pet owners now prefer smaller dogs.

The organisation, set up in 1873, operates the national register of pedigree dogs in the UK, and said Great Danes were at the peak of their popularity in the 1970s and 80s.

But in the past 50 years, the number of puppies registered have steadily declined, with just 855 pups registered last year, the lowest in five decades.

The popularity of Great Danes soared as soon as Scooby Doo hit TV screens in 1969.

A spokesman for the Kennel Club said: "The popularity of the iconic Great Dane, the breed on which Scooby Doo is based, has steadily declined since its heyday in the 80s, corresponding with the cartoon's primetime TV slot.

"Statistics show that registrations of Great Dane puppies have plummeted by 69 per cent since 1980, with last year seeing a popularity nosedive - just 855 puppies - the lowest figure in over 50 years.

"The peaks and troughs of the Great Dane's popularity can be traced alongside the Scooby Doo franchise.

"In 1969 when the animation aired for the first time on television, the breed jumped by 24 per cent in popularity.

"Numbers then steadily increased and Great Danes enjoyed their peak in 1980, as the Scooby Doo and Scrappy Do spin off series first appeared on screen, with nearly 3,000 puppies registered that year.

"Following this 'puppy power', the breed steadily began to drop in numbers.

"It's a similar story across the UK's 'top dogs', as small dogs surge in popularity and other larger breeds tail behind."

She added: "Compared to 20 years ago, of those large breeds in the top ten most popular dogs, all but the Labrador have declined in popularity."

Stats show that the popularity of German Shepherds had decreased by 62 per cent in the past 20 years, with golden retrievers plunging 34 per cent in the same time period.  The Labrador Retriever is Britain's most popular dog breed with more than 35,000 registered with the Kennel Club in 2019.

Bill Lambert, of the Kennel Club, said: "With the increase in busy lifestyles and city living in the last few decades, there does seem to be a trend towards people wanting smaller dogs - so perhaps it isn't such a 'mystery' why the breed has become less popular."

The second most popular dog in the UK is the French Bulldog, followed by the Cocker spaniel.

In February, the Kennel Club said that the Jack Russell had seen a "Boris bounce" after the Prime Minister and his fiancee Carrie Symonds chose the breed.