Kennel Club has launched an interactive dog map to show dog popularity throughout the UK.
Corgi is one of the breeds that has increased in popularity
The new figures released by the Kennel Club show that a number of dog breeds have dramatically increased in popularity in the first half of 2015, since acquiring a canine celebrity ambassador on the social networking platform. Instagram appears to be the latest craze that is influencing dog owners' buying decisions, after recent years have shown the power of celebrity influence.
Queen's Corgi, on the Kennel Club's 'at watch' list after falling out of fashion, sees 54% increase so far this year thanks to Instagram following and is heading out of danger zone. The Pembroke Welsh Corgi has gained popularity due to almost a quarter of a million people following @LaCorgi and in the UK Winnie the Corgi, who has gained 10,000 followers since February this year.
Miniature Smooth-Haired Dachshund up by more than a third in the last five years as Instagram, YouTube and celebs popularise the breed. Bruno the Miniature Dachshund has 30,000 followers on Instagram and Noodle the Dachshund has 10,000 followers. Celebrity Dachshund owners include YouTube sensations Tanya Burr and Jim Chapman and the breed has also been popularised by Steph and Dom Parker on TV's Google box and also the celebrity studded Vitality adverts.
Nation's fastest growing dog breed, the French Bulldog, continues astronomical rise in popularity with another 37% increase this year and 553% percent rise over five years as it gets a huge Instagram and celebrity following. Mannie the French bulldog is extremely popular on Instagram and Lady Gaga's French bulldog, Miss Asia Kinney has 188,000 Instagram followers. The French bulldog is the most rapidly trending breed in the country after celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Jessie J have been seen with them.
Speaking about the findings, Kennel Club Secretary, Caroline Kisko, said "We are not only seeing celebrity dog ownership influence dog choice, but are now seeing dogs who are celebrities in their own right through their Instagram fame, leading to huge increases in dog breed popularity."
"People can meet some of the UK's most popular Instagram dogs at our Discover Dogs event in London next week, and find out more about what these breeds are like to live with and who they would be suitable for. It is important to remember that every breed is different and one of the reasons dogs end up in rescue is because people make rash choices."
Lindsay Sanders, owner of Instagram sensation, Bruno, said "We are shocked by how quickly Bruno has acquired a mass following on Instagram, which seems to be growing every day. Whilst we are really pleased that people are loving his photos we also want to make sure that people understand what owning a Dachshund is all about before they make the decision to get a Bruno of their own, which is why we will be chatting to people about the breed at the Discover Dogs event in London."
Rachel Oates, owner of Instagram dog Winny the Corgi and founder of Instagram page 'UKDogsofInsta' said "People cannot get enough of dogs' pictures on Instagram. People are hugely influenced by what they see online and it is no surprise that some of the dogs that are most popular on Instagram are impacting on the popularity of dog breeds in real life. This is great news for the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, which is a breed that has long been struggling to get noticed in the UK, but at the same time it is important that people buy the right breed for them, so that the dog has a loving home for life."
You can see the UK's most popular breeds throughout the different regions of the UK on the Kennel Club's interactive dog map at www.thekennelclub.org.uk/populardogs
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