8 out of 10 pet parents believe a person’s dog breed is an extension of their personality;
Regardless of breed or pet type, pet parents most value friendliness, sociability and playfulness
SEATTLE, Aug. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rover, the world’s largest online marketplace for loving pet care, today announced the 2025 Most Popular Dog and Cat Breeds Report. The report unveils this year’s most popular, trending, and rarest dog and cat breeds nationwide, along with survey data from 1,000 U.S. pet parents that reveals the financial considerations, emotional motivations, and most desired attributes when choosing a new pet.
Dog Breed Trends
According to user-submitted data from more than one million dogs welcomed to the Rover platform this year, non-designer mixed breeds are the most popular dog breed in America, followed by the Labrador Retriever and the Golden Retriever–overtaking the Goldendoodle which ranked third in 2024. In terms of year-over-year change, the Miniature Poodle maintains its status as the number one top trending dog breed in 2025, followed by the American Staffordshire Terrier, with the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel ranking third for the second year in a row.
Other key findings include:
- The top three rarest dog breeds of the year are Japanese Spitz, Spinone Italiano and the Gordon Setter.
- Pet parents voted the Pit Bull as most photogenic and most likely to be trending on social media. The Golden Retriever and German Shepherd came in second and third, while the French Bulldog and Pug were identified as trending breeds on social media.
- When it comes to how and why pet parents end up with a certain dog, size is the deciding factor (58%), while loyalty (67%) is the most desired personality trait or characteristic.
Cat Breed Trends
The most popular cat breeds in 2025 are the American Shorthair, usurping the Domestic Shorthair in second–which ranked first in 2024–followed by the Domestic Longhair in third place. The Celtic Shorthair, Cornish Rex and American Wirehair are the top-trending cat breeds in terms of year-over-year change.
More cat findings:
- America’s rarest cat breeds are the Ural Rex, Suffolk and Sokoke.
- According to pet parents, the Main Coon is the most photogenic cat breed and most likely to trend on social media. The Siamese and American Shorhair came in second and third, with the Bengal also likely to be trending on social media.
- When choosing a cat, temperament and appearance (32%) were the deciding factors, while cuddlyness (71%) is the most desired personality trait.
“There’s a dog or cat out there for every human and vice versa, that much I’m sure of,” said Phil Tedeschi, Rover Pet People Panelist and expert on the human-animal bond. “Pet parents look for certain attributes like loyalty, size or a temperament that fits their lifestyle or budget. These are certainly all important factors to consider, but often a loving pet finds their way into our hearts and the rest is history. Before welcoming a new member into your family, take an honest look at your finances, your lifestyle, your family dynamics, and even the medical history of a particular pet in addition to personality traits or other attributes. Above all else, pet parents tell us that sometimes the love they receive from their pet can trump everything.”
Despite the current economic climate and higher pet-related costs, 77% of pet parents insist they would choose the exact same dog or cat breed if they were to bring home a new pet today–though 28% would consider the total costs more beforehand. If forced to choose differently, the top considerations for pet parents are financial. A quarter (26%) would prioritize lower dog grooming fees, 20% would prioritize lower upfront costs, and another 20% would choose a breed that helps save on pet food spending. Regardless of the financial cost, more than half (56%) of cat parents and 41% of dog parents said meeting their pet was love at first sight.
To view the full report on most popular and trending dog breeds, visit here. To view Rover’s annual report on America’s most popular cat breeds, visit here.
About the Report
Rover data includes the most popular and rarest dog and cat breeds across the U.S., and the top trending dog and cat breeds–where breeds experienced the most growth in 2025–based on user data from millions of pet parents on Rover. In conjunction, Rover conducted a survey via Pollfish in July 2025 of 1,000 U.S. based pet parents.
About Rover
Founded in 2011 and based in Seattle, Washington, Rover is the world’s largest online marketplace for loving pet care. Rover’s global footprint includes North America (US and Canada) and Europe, including the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Austria, Belgium, Finland and Switzerland. Rover sees and serves the unique needs of every pet by connecting pet parents with pet care providers who offer overnight services, including boarding and in-home pet sitting, as well as daytime services, including doggy daycare, dog walking, and drop-in visits. To learn more about Rover, please visit www.rover.com.
Press Contact:
Kristin Sandberg
pr@rover.com
360-510-6365
