(Reuters/Jason Reed)Labrador puppies "Hoey" (L) and "Hatton", named in honor of September 11, 2001 attack victims Patrick Hoey and Lenny Hatton who died in the World Trade Center, are pictured June 28, 2011. The dogs are being raised to be used as future bomb sniffers at air cargo facilities nationwide.

The most popular dog in the United States is the Labrador retriever, according to the American Kennel Club. The announcement means the Labrador retriever retains the title for the 22nd straight year.

The Labrador retriever is widely praised for being a family-friendly pet. However, the breed was closely followed by the German shepherd, which took the number 2 spot on the list.

The Top 10 list was released by the American Kennel Club on Wednesday and contained few surprises at the top of the leader board.

The Golden retriever and the Beagle took the number three and four spots respectively on the rankings.

AKC spokeswoman Lisa Peterson has commented on the list, highlighting that larger breeds dominate the smaller. However, a few smaller dogs also made the list, with the Beagle of course coming in fourth.

Completing the top 10 were the bulldog, Yorkshire terrier, boxer, poodle, Rottweiler and dachshund.

"We love all dogs, mixed or purebreds," the AKC spokeswoman said at a news conference at AKC National Headquarters in the Madison Avenue building in New York City. "What kind of dog people get, and whether they adopt from a shelter, is each owner's choice."

The Labrador retriever has dominated the contest over recent decades, however, that has not always been the case. AKC spokeswoman Lisa Peterson explained that in the 1920s the German shepherd ruled the roost, and was especially popular due to silver screen hero Rin Tin Tin.

Peterson praised the winner of this year's competition, the Labrador, by saying: "They do so many things so well: They're great company and a great family dog, but also work in law enforcement, bomb and narcotics detection, search and rescue, and as hunting dogs. And they come in three colors."

Here is a video featuring some cute Labrador puppies: