Top dog: vote for Britain's favourite breed

The British defend their dogs as fiercely as they defend their children – sometimes, perhaps, with more determination. We are celebrated the world over as a nation of dog-lovers, characterised as the Bulldog breed, and often accused of being better at communicating affection to our dogs than we are to other human beings.

What accounts for this great British love affair with dogs – and why, to narrow the focus, are dog-lovers so fiercely attached to their chosen breeds?

Perhaps it is about loyalty. The dog sticks by its owner, to death and beyond (think of the hound howling at the graveyard gates), and the owner protects his dog, in combat or in conversation. That loyalty is surely rooted in the fact that a puppy or rescue dog has been specially chosen – exercising more control than prospective parents have – as a new addition to their family.

With children one has only limited control over their inherited characteristics: it might be great if the child has his looks and her sense of humour, but what if it turns out the other way around?

But a dog reflects our taste, and announces to the world what kind of person we are. Sometimes the relationship is straightforward: a solid country lover will have a solid rural dog – a labrador perhaps, as championed in this article by Telegraph columnist Ben Fogle, while the urbanite might prefer something that looks good on a lap or fits neatly into a handbag, such as the of chihuahuas paraded by socialite Paris Hilton.

But there are owners who have chosen dogs that seem to contradict their personality types: David Hasselhoff and his Pomeranians Jenny and Killer, for example, or Miley Cyrus and her bulldog Ziggy.

Sometimes these allegiances are inherited, so you can meet Great Danes confined to tiny urban apartments because “My parents were Great Dane people” – even though the parents farmed 1,000 acres in Lincolnshire and their offspring have a decked pooping patch the size of a handkerchief. 

Whatever the choice, the dog makes a statement. And if you disrespect my dog – or his/her breed – the thought runs, you disrespect me.

This attitude survives sustained and – to the neutral – justifiable criticism. The owners of googly-eyed, pancake-faced pugs will insist that their pooches are “handsome” or “beautiful”, the minders of ferocious pit bulls will defend their beloved “pibbles” as cute, and those who treasure a lumbering retriever will insist that “he’s really very intelligent” as the creature humps a sofa cushion or headbutts a doorjamb.

It may be that the owners are repaying their pets’ faithfulness, for stickability is a prized canine characteristic. Psychologists suggest that this may be, on the dog’s part, no more than respect for the pack leader, but the owner sees the dog as their indefatigable ally, a speechless huggable buddy who will never criticise, cheat or abandon them and who in return expects only kibble, affection and exercise. Who could fail to defend such a friend?

Those who do not own dogs may hold powerful opinions about them, often based on media image. Thus Staffordshire bull terriers will be derided as “devil dogs” while their owners point to their historic role as childminders, and Old English sheepdogs will be cooed over on the basis of pastel interiors with scant regard for the breed’s inevitable shedding issues.

Of course, breed loyalty can be useful at Christmas: simply whistle up a T-shirt emblazoned with “The more people I meet, the better I like my poodle [or pug, or pointer]!!”

So, as Ben Fogle publishes his new book justifying his devotion to the labrador, we set out to discover our readers’ favourite breeds. Vote in the poll below: