By Craig Butt and Anthony Segaert
First there was the latte line, now Sydney has the cavoodle cluster.
The cavoodle is the most popular dog breed across the most affluent suburbs in Sydney’s east, inner west, north and north-west. But Staffordshire bull terriers and German shepherds reign supreme across much of the west and south-west of the city.
You can view more detailed information on the top dogs in your area using the interactive below. Enter your local government area, and it will show the top 10 most popular breeds in your area.
Cavoodles – a cross between Cavalier King Charles spaniels and poodles – outnumber all other breeds in more than half of Sydney’s local government areas, data from the Office of Local Government shows. It is the most popular breed in 22 municipalities, including the City of Sydney, Bayside, Parramatta and Randwick.
If it weren’t for the residents of Campbelltown and Canterbury-Bankstown being more partial to Staffordshire bull terriers, cavoodles would have conquered a continuous bloc stretching from Camden to the Northern Beaches and the Hills Shire.
Using this colour-coded map, you can see the most popular breeds in every local government area. What’s the top dog in your neighbourhood?
Once the statewide pet numbers are tallied up, labrador retrievers emerge as the most popular dog and Jack Russells rank third, winning out over inner city-centric cavoodles and countryside-capering kelpies.
The data includes dogs microchipped or registered over the past 20 years, although pets that have been reported as deceased and out-of-date records have been removed.
Liverpool, Fairfield and Cumberland are the only three local government areas in NSW that record German shepherds as their most popular breed, while Staffordshire bull terriers are the most popular dog breed in Blacktown and Penrith.
Staffies also reign supreme in some areas outside Sydney, particularly along the coast in areas such as Newcastle, Coffs Harbour and Wollongong.
The city’s doggy divide tracks an almost identical map to Sydney’s so-called “latte line” that runs north-west from Sydney Airport past Parramatta, and splits the city by social and economic class.
Demographer Mark McCrindle says the top dogs in each local government area “reinforce some of the perceptions that Sydneysiders have of this city, even in the commonalities of dog ownership”.
“People are choosing dogs like they choose cars: [to] represent their ideal of what they want in life more than their particular need,” he said.
Christina Qazi, a marketing professional from Bellevue Hill, bought cavoodle Luna in 2021.
“She’s a pandemic puppy,” Qazi admits, having convinced her husband to get a dog during Sydney’s second lockdown. “I did loads of research about what were good dogs to have in a small apartment, and cavoodles kept coming up.
Christina Qazi bought cavoodle Luna in 2021.Credit: Louise Kennerley
“There are a lot of cavoodles [in my area]. I think because they don’t shed, everyone chooses to get something half-poodle.”
Kelly Vella, from boutique breeder Sydney Cavoodles, said while they have been desired for more than two decades, the pandemic turbocharged Sydney’s love of the breed.
“They’re very smart and very loving, they’re good for babies up to old people,” she said. “A lot of people used to go for the Maltese shih tzu, but they’re not good with children. Cavoodles love kids.”
She sells larger-sized cavoodles for about $5500. Women tend to prefer smaller types, while men buy larger furry friends, she said.
But cavoodles are far less popular in other areas. Bull terriers are the favoured breeds across Blacktown, Penrith and the Central Coast LGAs. Despite the Central Coast’s geographical distance, McCrindle says there are similarities in socio-economic standings and lifestyle markers that might drive owners towards the big-boned pups.
“The choices of those on the Central Coast lines up strongly with western Sydney,” he said. “And there has been that connection. You do get that sense of an approach on the Central Coast lining up with Western Sydney. It seems that’s reinforced in dog ownership.”
In the regions, one dog reigns supreme: the kelpie. It is the most popular dog in 43 local government areas (which you can see on the map at the top of this article by tapping the ‘NSW’ button) including Bathurst, Bega Valley, Broken Hill and Byron.
There are four areas where the blue Australian cattle dog is the most popular breed (Dubbo, Moree Plains, Coonamble and Bourke). The data counts red Australian cattle dogs separately, and it shows that Bandits outnumber Chillis wherever you look in NSW.
There are 17 local government areas where the Jack Russell terrier is the most popular breed (all of them outside Sydney) and nine areas where labrador retrievers win out, but these two breeds are notable for being beloved throughout the state.
A spokesperson for the Office of Local Government said it was important that all pet owners ensured their dogs and cats were registered and microchipped, as it was a key way to help identify lost pets and reunite them with their owners.
They said the first phase of a $15.6 million digital upgrade to the pet registry that allows pet details to be entered online was expected to be rolled out across NSW next year.
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