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List of U.S. state dogs facts for kids

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Official Dog States
A map of the USA showing in red which states have a specified dog breed as an official symbol

Thirteen states of the United States have designated an official state dog breed. Maryland was the first state to name a dog breed as a state symbol, naming the Chesapeake Bay Retriever in 1964. Pennsylvania followed the year after, naming the Great Dane as its official breed. Dog breeds are mostly affiliated with the states that they originated in. North Carolina chose the Plott Hound as it was the only dog breed indigenous to the state.

Other official state dogs also are indigenous to their state, including the Boston Terrier (Massachusetts) and the Alaskan Malamute (Alaska). Pennsylvania selected the Great Dane not because of its origin, but because it was introduced by early settlers in the state to be used as a hunting and working dog; it was chosen over the Beagle, which was also proposed around the same time.

Two of the more recent successful campaigns to name a state dog have been started by schoolchildren. In 2007, Alaskan kindergarten student Paige Hill's idea created the campaign for the Alaskan Malamute which would convince Representative Berta Gardner to support the bill in 2009, with it becoming law in 2010. Elementary school students from Bedford, New Hampshire won their campaign for the Chinook to be accepted as a symbol of their state in 2010.

There have been a variety of campaigns in other states to select a state dog. Georgia was undecided about choosing a state dog in 1991, with an attempt to make the Golden Retriever the official dog failing after a vote in the Georgia State Senate; an opposing campaign promoted the Bulldog, the mascot of the University of Georgia. The campaign to make the Siberian Husky the Washington state dog failed in the Washington House of Representatives in 2004. In January 2019, Minnesota partnered with charity Pawsitivity Service Dogs to introduce a bill to make the Labrador Retriever the State Dog.

In 2006, New York State Assembly member Vincent Ignizio suggested that New York should adopt a dog as a state symbol, and during the campaign to name the western painted turtle as state reptile for Colorado in 2008, it was suggested by local press that the Labrador Retriever would be suitable as a symbol, even though it is not native to the state. While in Kansas as early as 2006, residents have suggested the Cairn Terrier as the state dog due to the breed's appearance as Toto in the film The Wizard of Oz. In 2012, Representative Ed Trimmer tabled a bill proposing the Cairn Terrier as a state symbol. In 2015, the "working dog", animals that have been trained for various service roles, was adopted.

Although South Dakota does not have a state dog breed, it does list the coyote—a canine species related to the dog—as its state wildlife animal. In Minnesota, legislation has been proposed on six occasions to adopt the eastern timber wolf as the state animal.

In 2013, Colorado listed rescue dogs and cats as the state pet, as did Tennessee in 2014. California also named the shelter pet as its state pet in 2015 because of all the abandoned shelter pets each year. California's legislature hopes this will cause more adoptions of pets from shelters. In 2017, Illinois designated shelter cats and dogs as the state pet as well, while in 2018, Georgia adopted "adoptable dogs" as its state dog.

State dog breeds

State Dog breed Image Year of designation Ref.
Alaska Alaskan Malamute "A white and grey husky-like dog faces left. Its tail curves over its back." 2010
Delaware Golden Retriever "A golden fluffy colored medium-size dog faces left in a woodland setting." 2016 (expired on Aug. 31, 2017 pursuant to 80 Del. Laws, c. 365, § 3).
Louisiana Catahoula Leopard dog "A mottled brown dog with a white chest faces right. It wears a red collar." 1979
Maryland Chesapeake Bay Retriever "A brown dog faces left." 1964
Massachusetts Boston Terrier "A brown and white dog turns to face the camera. Its ear's stand up on top of its head." 1979
New Hampshire Chinook "A light brown dog stands in woodland. It faces left but has turned its head to face the camera." 2009
North Carolina Plott Hound "A dark colored mottled dog faces right while sniffing the ground." 1989
Pennsylvania Great Dane "A large white dog with black patches stands next to a trophy." 1965
South Carolina Boykin Spaniel "A brown spaniel faces the camera in the snow." 1985
Tennessee Bluetick Coonhound BluetickCoonhound.jpg 2019
Texas Blue Lacy "A dark grey colored dog faces just to the right, it wears a large tag on its collar." 2005
Virginia American Foxhound "A mostly white dog with black and brown markings faces left with its head turned to the camera." 1966
Wisconsin American Water Spaniel "A curly coated dark brown colored spaniel stands next to its owner." 1985

Proposed dog breeds

The table below shows the dog breeds which have been proposed to each state's relevant State Senate or House of Representatives, but either were not accepted as a state symbol or are still pending nominations.

State Dog breed Image Year proposed Ref.
Georgia Golden Retriever "A golden fluffy colored medium-size dog faces left in a woodland setting." 1991
Georgia English bulldog "A stocky brown and white dog." 2016
Kansas Cairn Terrier "A small mottled brown dog." 2012
Maine Labrador Retriever "A black Labrador Retriever at a confirmation show." 2015
Ohio Labrador Retriever "A black Labrador Retriever at a confirmation show." 2015
Oregon Newfoundland "Black Newfoundland" 2015
Washington Siberian Husky "A dark grey and white wolf like dog faces left in profile." 2004

Designations other than breed

State Designation Image Year of designation Ref.
Georgia "Adoptable dog" 2016
New Jersey The Seeing Eye Dog "A Seeing Eye Dog" 2019
New York Working dog "A labrador retriever in service as a guide dog" 2015

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Razas caninas oficiales en estados de Estados Unidos para niños

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