Ever wondered which breeds of dog are celebrities most likely to own?
Bored Panda combed news and lifestyle reports on 2,303 celebrities and their 3,305 doggos to find out, noting the breeds of all dogs owned by each celebrity as well as the zodiac signs of the owners. And we can now reveal the most popular dog breeds among celebrities overall and among actors, athletes, musicians and Scorpios.
The most popular ‘breed’ amongst celebrities is not actually a breed at all. Mixed breeds or mongrels top our list with 7.8% of celebrities owning a ‘mutt’. Many of these precious pooches are rescue animals adopted from a shelter. For instance, superstar actor Margot Robbie adopted her mixed breed dog, Boo Radley in 2017.
One in 13 celebrity-owned dogs is a French Bulldog, making the little bat-eared character the second most popular dog breed among celebrities. This echoes broader demographic trends: French Bulldogs have been the most popular dog in the U.S. since 2022, after 31 years of Labrador Retriever domination. Everyone from The Rock to Michael Phelps to Megan Thee Stallion has a French Bulldog, while Gustav and Koji — dogs belonging to Lady Gaga — were famously stolen at gunpoint in 2021 not due to their fame but to their breed.
Next, we calculated the breed that each zodiac sign owns at the highest rate above average. For example, famous Scorpios are most likely to own a French bulldog — as are several other signs — but they own a disproportionate number of Cane Corsos compared to other star signs. Miami Dolphins wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is one Scorpio who loves the Cane Corso. His are named Mowgli, Khan, Blackjack and Eris, and in 2018, he announced plans to breed them. “I’ll be having them go off and do whatever they do,” Beckham told interviewers. “I don’t know how all that works.”
Not only are mixed-breed dogs the most popular type of dog overall but they top the charts for the most popular type of dog actors adopt as well. Examples include, Emma Watson’s beloved dog Sofia who she adopted from Mexico, three of Matthew McConaughey’s five rescue dogs who are mixed-breeds and Florence Pugh’s pet pooch, Billie.
French Bulldogs are the most popular breed among actors, athletes and musicians. However, these different breeds of celebrities have different second-favorite dog brands. We found that 82 out of 1,544 dogs belonging to famous actors are Chihuahuas. One such doggo is Pilaf, “the little mouse” who accompanies Demi Moore everywhere. Pilaf continues a trend of fabulous actresses and their Chihuahuas that stretches back to Marilyn Monroe and her chi-chi, ‘Choo-Choo’ (real name Josefa, but who uses their dog’s full name?).
Unlike actors, athletes can count the Bulldog, Cane Corso and Rottweiler among their top ten breeds. One explanation is that some athletes turn to their dogs for inspiration and company during mental and physical training, and muscle, energy and power are a better fit (while actors seek a more sensitive companion). Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson famously dropped a pair of Anta ball shoes themed after his Bulldog, Rocco, while soccer star Rose Lavelle’s Bulldog is named Wilma Jean Wrinkles, and teammate Andi Sullivan has a Pit Bull Terrier Mix called Coupa.
More than one in ten dogs belonging to famous musicians are French Bulldogs; one in 19 are Pomeranians. The Pomeranian’s seven lb, seven-inch body is encased in a rich and puffy double-coat and no little charisma; one such heartbreaker, Chewy, proved a sticking point in the divorce settlement of musicians Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale even after they’d sorted custody of their children with relative ease. Chewy is no longer with us, but the concept of ‘90s pop stars with Poms lives on through Courtney Love and her fluffy duo, Bell and Shijo Kingo.
Celebrity dogs expand the mythology of their owners while providing essential care and companionship at home, on the road and sometimes in the purse. Their social media accounts are often far superior to those of their owners, and some celebrities don’t feel complete unless spotted with their breed of choice in their arms. Which celebrity dog posters do you have pinned to your walls?
Methodology
First, we manually curated reports of 2,303 celebrities and their 3,305 dogs from U.S.-based news reports and lifestyle websites.
Next, we recorded the breeds of all dogs owned by each celebrity as well as their birth dates and professions. This allowed us to identify the most popular breeds overall and by profession.
In addition, we calculated the most disproportionately popular breed by celebrity zodiac sign — the breed with a percentage ownership rate above the overall average.
This data analysis was completed in June 2024.