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There are almost two million dogs registered in Victoria, and the most popular breeds vary depending on where you live.
Using this colour-coded map, you can see the most popular breeds in every Melbourne postcode. What’s the top dog in your area?
In the wealthy inner city, cavoodles (crosses between King Charles cavalier spaniels and poodles) are the most popular breed, with these areas shaded teal on the map.
Take a walk through a dog park in well-heeled areas like Brighton, Camberwell, Caulfield, Hawthorn or South Yarra, and you will most likely see more cavoodles than any other breed.
Once you move further out, the Maltese (coloured dark blue on the map) becomes the most popular breed.
There are more Maltese dogs than any other dog breed in places like Essendon, Epping, Templestowe, Cheltenham and Dandenong.
By the time you reach Melbourne’s suburban fringe, Staffordshire bull terriers (or staffies for short) are the preferred pet.It’s thanks to this breed’s popularity in growth suburbs such as Werribee, Tarneit, Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury that there are more staffies than any other type of dog registered in Victoria.
You can also see the most popular dog breed in postcodes outside the metropolitan region. If you tap the “Victoria” button on the map, it zooms out to show the entire state and becomes a sea of red, marking postcodes where kelpies reign supreme.
You can view more detailed information on the top dogs in your area using the interactive below. Simply enter your postcode and it will show the top 10 most popular breeds in your area.
The data used in the map and the interactive is from Central Animal Records, which has registered almost two million dogs in Victoria.
Central Animal Records managing partner Varun Uthappa said this database included about 75 per cent of all cats and dogs microchipped in Victoria and that it was the largest of its kind in Australia, having recently surpassed five million animals registered throughout the country.
He said surpassing five million registrations was a significant milestone for the company. “It signifies the trust and confidence that pet owners and vets have in our services,” he said.
Statewide, staffies are the most popular breed, with almost 139,000 registered. Second place goes to Jack Russell terriers with about 138,000, while Maltese dogs round out the top three.
The Central Animal Records database does not include strays or dogs that have not been microchipped or registered.
Uthappa said pet owners were reminded each year to check their pets’ details on the registry, which ensures the information remained up-to-date.
“It is important for people to get their pets microchipped and registered, as it provides a reliable and permanent form of identification for the animals,” he said. “Microchipping helps us reunite lost pets with their owners, increasing the chances of pets returning home.”
“Our national registry listing also ensures that owners can be contacted, even if their pet is found across state borders.”
For the overwhelming majority of postcodes, one of eight different breeds is the most popular type of dog, but there are some outliers. Poodles are the most popular breed in 11 postcodes, including the CBD, Toorak, Box Hill and Blairgowrie.
Golden retrievers are the most popular breed in Portsea, Cairn terriers are top dog in Ashburton and rottweilers win out in Menzies Creek.
The Central Animal Records data also shows that dogs outnumber cats in almost every Australian postcode, although there are 17 postcodes in Melbourne where more cats than dogs are registered.
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