by Jeffrey Houdlette

A predominance of Siberian huskies might make you guess you are in, say, Anchorage, Alaska. But does a breakdown of breeds reveal anything about the citizenry of Portland, Maine?

According to Cesar Millan, “dog whisperer” from the Dog Psychology Center in Los Angeles, as Maine goes, so goes the nation. In fact, our top three registered breeds exactly match the warp and woof of a 2002 national survey of breeds.

Leading the pack in Portland, Labrador Retrievers are the most registered dog here by far. The black, chocolate, and yellow varieties account for 396 registered pooches. Next comes Golden Retriever with 171, and then 127 German Shepherds…

Nearly 30 different breeds share the bottom slot at one each, mostly exotic breeds from an Affenpinscher to a Beauceron, Irish Water Spaniel, and a Japanese Chin. Janice Gadner of the city clerk’s office says, “Only about half of the dogs in Portland are registered here, so some breeds may be, let us say, under-represented.” As for vox populi, “mixed breeds still outnumber any single breed three to one.”