State Dogs of the USA: All 13 States with an Official Dog Breed (original) (raw)

Thirteen US states have designated an official state dog. Unlike state birds or state flowers, which every state has, state dogs are rare enough that making the list is still something of a minor honour, and the choices say a lot about each state’s history. Six of the thirteen chose breeds actually developed within their borders (Louisiana’s Catahoula, North Carolina’s Plott Hound, Texas’s Blue Lacy, Wisconsin’s American Water Spaniel, South Carolina’s Boykin Spaniel, New Hampshire’s Chinook); others picked breeds tied to their heritage but not their origin.

Maryland started the tradition in 1964 when it designated the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, a duck-hunting breed developed specifically for the bay itself, as the first US state dog. Tennessee was the most recent to join, designating the Bluetick Coonhound in 2019. Between those bookends are some wonderful stories: a dog breed saved from near-extinction by an elementary school, a Louisiana hog-hunter descended from Spanish conquistador dogs, the first American breed ever recognised by the AKC, and one US president’s personal pack.

This guide covers all 13 US state dogs in detail, when each was adopted, why, the breed’s origins and working history, and what it’s like as a dog today. Jump to your state below, or read on for the full story of how America picked its state dogs. For more state emblems, see our guides to state birds, state reptiles and state insects.

Key Facts About US State Dogs

• 13 US states have designated an official state dog, fewer than any other major state animal symbol.
• First state to pick one: Maryland, in 1964 (Chesapeake Bay Retriever).
• Most recent: Tennessee, in 2019 (Bluetick Coonhound).
• State dogs developed in-state: 7 of 13, Louisiana’s Catahoula Leopard Dog, Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Massachusetts’s Boston Terrier, New Hampshire’s Chinook, North Carolina’s Plott Hound, South Carolina’s Boykin Spaniel, Texas’s Blue Lacy, and Wisconsin’s American Water Spaniel.
• Rarest state dog: New Hampshire’s Chinook, which came within 11 breedable individuals of extinction in the 1980s. Fewer than 1,000 worldwide today.
• Most popular state dog as a pet: Delaware’s Golden Retriever, which ranks in the top 5 most registered breeds in the US every year.
• Only state dog linked to a US president: Virginia’s American Foxhound, a breed George Washington bred at Mount Vernon.
• Only state dog that originated from a shipwreck: Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Retriever, descended from two Newfoundland puppies rescued from a wreck off the Maryland coast in 1807.

How States Pick Their Dogs

Designation follows the familiar legislative route: a state lawmaker introduces a bill nominating a breed, the bill works through committee review and floor vote, and if passed, the governor signs it into law. What’s distinctive about state dog designations compared with state birds or state flowers is how often schoolchildren are involved, and how often the story behind a breed is deeply regional. State dog bills don’t tend to pass unless the breed has a genuine historical claim to the state.

Three main patterns emerge from the 13 existing designations:

• Regional working dogs. Most state dogs were working breeds, duck hunters (Maryland, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Delaware), hog and cattle dogs (Louisiana, Texas, North Carolina), sled dogs (Alaska, New Hampshire), fox hunters (Virginia) and raccoon trackers (Tennessee). They earned their place by being tied to the actual work of the region.
• Schoolchildren campaigns. At least three designations, Alaska’s Malamute, New Hampshire’s Chinook and Delaware’s Golden Retriever, were driven by elementary schoolchildren lobbying their legislators. In Alaska’s case, a kindergarten class spent two years on the effort.
• Rescue narratives. Several state dogs are breeds in serious decline, and designation was partly a conservation move for the breed itself. New Hampshire’s Chinook had fewer than a dozen breedable dogs left when the state adopted it. Louisiana’s Catahoula and North Carolina’s Plott Hound are both uncommon outside their home states.

Not all state dog bills succeed. Bills have been introduced and failed in states like Ohio, Georgia, Florida, and Minnesota over the years, usually because competing breed lobbies fought each other to a standstill. As a rule, the breeds that win are the ones with unambiguous state connections and at least some popular support, not the most fashionable or popular breeds overall. Delaware is the one exception: the Golden Retriever has no particular Delaware history but was pushed through by a middle school class.

State Dogs at a Glance

All 13 US state dogs with their year of designation and origin. Scroll on for the full state-by-state story.

State Dogs by Origin: bred in-state vs Imported

Seven of the thirteen US state dogs were bred in the state that officially honours them, making state dogs more locally authentic than almost any other category of state symbol. Most breeds on the list are distinctively American, and several wouldn’t exist without the specific geography, terrain or working traditions of their home state.

State dogs genuinely developed in their state

These eight breeds wouldn’t exist without their state: Alaska’s Alaskan Malamute (Mahlemut people), Louisiana’s Catahoula Leopard Dog (Catahoula Parish bayous), Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Retriever (Chesapeake Bay duck hunting), Massachusetts’s Boston Terrier (Boston, 1870s), New Hampshire’s Chinook (Wonalancet, NH c. 1917), North Carolina’s Plott Hound (Plott family in the Appalachian mountains), South Carolina’s Boykin Spaniel (developed near Spartanburg c. 1905), Texas’s Blue Lacy (Lacy brothers in central Texas, 1850s) and Wisconsin’s American Water Spaniel (Fox and Wolf River valleys, mid-19th century). Virginia’s American Foxhound was also refined in colonial Virginia from imported English stock.

State dogs imported from elsewhere

Two state dogs have no particular state connection. Delaware’s Golden Retriever was developed in Scotland in the 1860s by Lord Tweedmouth and has no breed-specific Delaware history, Delaware’s designation was purely the result of elementary schoolchildren loving the breed. Pennsylvania’s Great Dane is German (despite the name), and was chosen mainly because William Penn and other early Pennsylvania settlers brought Great Danes with them as hunting and farm dogs. Tennessee’s Bluetick Coonhound has colonial-era American origins but wasn’t developed specifically in Tennessee, the state’s designation was partly driven by the University of Tennessee’s beloved mascot, Smokey, a Bluetick Coonhound.

The Complete State-By-State Guide

Alaska, Alaskan Malamute

The Alaskan Malamute became Alaska’s state dog in 2010 after a two-year campaign led by kindergarten and first-grade students at Polaris K-12 School in Anchorage. The kids wrote letters, testified before state committees, and watched the bill fail in 2008 before pushing it through on their second attempt in 2010, a textbook civics lesson. The breed itself is one of the oldest dog breeds on the planet, developed by the Mahlemut people of the Kotzebue Sound region thousands of years ago. Malamutes were essential to Arctic survival: they hauled sleds, hunted seals, and kept families alive through brutal winters. They’re the heavy-haulers of the sled dog world, larger than Siberian Huskies, designed for strength and endurance rather than speed. A typical adult weighs 35-40 kg with a dense double coat that tolerates temperatures down to −70°C.

Delaware, Golden Retriever

Delaware designated the Golden Retriever in 2016 after a dedicated campaign from students at Campus Community School in Dover. The breed has no specific Delaware connection, it was developed in the Scottish Highlands in the 1860s by Lord Tweedmouth, who crossed a yellow Retriever with a (now-extinct) Tweed Water Spaniel to create a dog that could retrieve shot waterfowl from both land and water. What Delaware’s Golden Retriever designation really honours is the breed’s overwhelming American popularity: Golden Retrievers have consistently ranked in the top five most-registered AKC breeds for decades. They’re famously friendly, biddable family dogs, though their field-bred and show-bred lines have diverged significantly in build and working drive over the last fifty years. Average life expectancy is 10-12 years; weight 25-34 kg.

Louisiana, Catahoula Leopard Dog

Louisiana designated the Catahoula Leopard Dog (also called Catahoula Leopard Cur or Louisiana Catahoula) in 1979, and it remains the only breed ever developed in Louisiana. Named after Catahoula Parish in central Louisiana, the breed has a murky origin story that likely involves crossing of Native American working dogs with war dogs brought by 16th-century Spanish explorers under Hernando de Soto. The result is a striking, tough, versatile farm dog most commonly seen in “merle” or “leopard” coat patterns with cracked or all-blue eyes. Catahoulas are hog-hunters by trade, fearless enough to bay wild boar in dense Louisiana swamps, but they also herd cattle, retrieve waterfowl, tree game, and work as family dogs. They’re prized in the American South but uncommon elsewhere, partly because they need serious work or exercise to be manageable indoors. The breed is recognised by the UKC but not the AKC.

Maryland, Chesapeake Bay Retriever

Maryland was the first US state to designate a state dog, picking the Chesapeake Bay Retriever in 1964. The breed’s origin is as dramatic as state-dog stories get: in 1807 a ship off the Maryland coast wrecked, and two Newfoundland puppies were rescued from the wreckage and brought ashore. Bred with local hunting dogs over several generations, they became the foundation of a new breed specifically designed to retrieve ducks from the icy waters of the Chesapeake. A Chesapeake Bay Retriever’s coat is famously oily, water rolls off it, and the dog can dry itself with a single shake, and tough: a good “Chessie” can swim in near-freezing water all day. They’re more independent, stubborn and one-person-oriented than their Labrador or Golden cousins, built for serious work rather than the show ring. Weight: 25-36 kg. Lifespan: 10-13 years.

Massachusetts, Boston Terrier

Massachusetts designated the Boston Terrier in 1979, a breed born in 1870s Boston when a man named Robert C. Hooper bought a cross-bred English Bulldog and English White Terrier named Judge. Judge was bred to a smaller female and became the progenitor of what would become the Boston Terrier. It’s known as the “American Gentleman” for its tuxedo-like black and white markings and gentle manners. More importantly, the Boston Terrier was the first breed developed in the United States to be recognised by the American Kennel Club (1893). Modern Boston Terriers weigh 6-12 kg, have the flat-faced (brachycephalic) skull structure that makes them prone to breathing problems, and are prized as small-apartment companion dogs. Gentle, alert, and not much of a barker, but highly people-oriented.

New Hampshire, Chinook

New Hampshire designated the Chinook in 2009 after a lobbying campaign by students at Lurgio Middle School in Bedford. The breed was developed in New Hampshire around 1917 by Arthur Treadwell Walden, who bred a Mastiff-type farm dog to a Greenland Husky to create dogs that combined sled-dog endurance with gentler temperament. The original “Chinook” was a lead dog on Walden’s team and gave his name to the entire breed. By the 1980s the Chinook was one of the rarest dog breeds in the world, only 11 breedable dogs remained, and the breed was saved only through intensive outcrossing and careful recovery breeding. Today fewer than 1,000 Chinooks exist worldwide. They’re calm, affectionate, surprisingly quiet for a northern breed, and make excellent family dogs despite their working origins. Weight: 25-40 kg.

North Carolina, Plott Hound

North Carolina designated the Plott Hound in 1989, the only dog breed ever developed in North Carolina. The breed’s origin traces to 1750, when 16-year-old Johannes Georg Plott left Germany for America with five Hanoverian Schweisshunde, boar-hunting dogs bred for tracking wounded game. Plott settled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, and over two centuries his descendants bred and refined the hounds for bear and wild boar hunting in Appalachian terrain. The result is a fearless, muscular brindle hound with deep voice and legendary stamina, a genuinely dangerous dog to a 300 kg black bear, but a devoted family dog at home. Plott Hounds are the only American coonhound breed that isn’t descended from English Foxhound stock. Weight: 20-27 kg. Still used for bear hunting in the Appalachians today.

Pennsylvania, Great Dane

Pennsylvania designated the Great Dane in 1965, the second-oldest state dog designation in the US, after Maryland. Despite the name, Great Danes aren’t Danish: the breed was developed in Germany in the 16th-18th centuries from Irish Wolfhound and English Mastiff ancestors to hunt wild boar and guard estates. Pennsylvania’s connection is through William Penn and other early settlers who brought Great Danes with them as hunting and farm dogs; a Great Dane appears in an early painting of Penn. The breed was chosen over the Beagle, which also had Pennsylvania associations. Great Danes are among the tallest dog breeds in the world, adult males routinely stand 76-86 cm at the shoulder and weigh 54-80 kg. Despite their size they’re gentle, affectionate, and surprisingly apartment-friendly, though their short lifespan (7-10 years) is a hard fact of the breed.

South Carolina, Boykin Spaniel

South Carolina designated the Boykin Spaniel in 1985. The breed’s origin is one of the most charming state-dog stories: around 1905, a South Carolina banker named Alexander L. White found a small stray brown dog wandering near the First Baptist Church in Spartanburg. He sent the dog to his friend L. Whitaker Boykin, who trained it to retrieve ducks and turkeys from the shallow Wateree River swamps. The dog proved such a natural at the work that Boykin began breeding him with Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, American Water Spaniels, and Springer Spaniels to create a compact, brown-coated retriever small enough to fit in a section boat, the small crafts that South Carolina hunters used in the Wateree cypress swamps. The “Little Brown Dog” is now recognised by the AKC and is South Carolina’s only indigenous breed. Weight: 11-18 kg.

Tennessee, Bluetick Coonhound

Tennessee designated the Bluetick Coonhound in 2019, making it the most recent US state dog designation. The breed has colonial-American roots, developed from French Grand Bleu de Gascogne stock imported as gifts to George Washington and Lafayette, crossed with English Foxhounds and local American hunting dogs, but took its modern form in the American South, particularly in the Appalachian and Smoky Mountain regions. The “bluetick” name refers to the densely mottled blue-and-black coat pattern. Tennessee’s designation was driven heavily by the University of Tennessee’s Smokey, a Bluetick Coonhound who has served as the Volunteers’ live mascot since 1953, now in his eleventh generation (Smokey XI). Bluetick Coonhounds are big (20-36 kg), loud-voiced, driven tracking dogs, excellent on raccoons, bobcats and even bears, but relentless barkers when working or excited.

Texas, Blue Lacy

Texas designated the Blue Lacy in 2005. It’s the only breed developed in Texas and one of the least-known state dogs outside the American South. The Lacy brothers, George, Frank, Ewin and Harry, moved from Kentucky to Texas in 1858 and bred the dogs to work cattle, drive feral hogs, and track wounded game on their Burnet County ranch.

The foundation crosses reportedly included Greyhound (for speed), scenthound (for tracking) and coyote (for heat tolerance), though the coyote story is folklore rather than documented genetics. Blue Lacys come in three colour variants, blue (a grey-blue merle), red, and tri-colour, all with high-drive working temperament. The breed is still not AKC-recognised, partly because Lacy breeders have resisted popularising the dog for show purposes. A working Blue Lacy is a tool for serious ranch work and genuinely not a pet.

Virginia, American Foxhound

Virginia designated the American Foxhound in 1966. The breed’s history is inseparable from Virginia’s: George Washington kept a pack of Foxhounds at Mount Vernon and is widely credited as one of the fathers of the breed, he bred English Foxhounds to French hounds given to him by the Marquis de Lafayette. Thomas Jefferson also bred Foxhounds at Monticello. The result is a tall, lanky, pack-oriented hunting hound, taller and lighter than its English cousin and better suited to the rolling Virginia hill country. American Foxhounds are bred for stamina rather than speed, they can maintain a tracking pace for hours, and their haunting, musical bay is one of the iconic sounds of Southern fox hunting. The breed is rare as a pet: it doesn’t do well confined indoors and needs serious daily exercise. Weight: 20-32 kg.

Wisconsin, American Water Spaniel

Wisconsin designated the American Water Spaniel in 1985. The breed was developed in the Fox and Wolf River valleys of Wisconsin in the mid-19th century, bred specifically to retrieve ducks and upland game birds from canoes and small skiffs, the boat of choice for Wisconsin hunters in the state’s marshlands. Its exact genetic makeup is lost to history but likely includes Irish Water Spaniel, English Water Spaniel, and the extinct Old English Water Spaniel. American Water Spaniels are compact (11-20 kg), with a distinctive wavy or curly brown coat, and are built to jump in and out of small boats with minimal fuss. The breed is recognised by the AKC but remains rare outside the upper Midwest, it was among the first dog breeds developed in the United States.

US States Without an Official State Dog

Thirty-seven US states have not designated an official state dog. Several have fielded serious legislative proposals that failed. Ohio has twice considered designating the Labrador Retriever as state dog, only to face competing bills pushing the Doberman Pinscher. Georgia has proposed the Golden Retriever; Minnesota has considered the Gordon Setter; Florida has entertained the Florida Cracker Cur, a state-developed cattle-herding breed.

In some cases the issue is genuine legislative gridlock between competing breed lobbies. In others, lawmakers have simply not seen enough political value in prioritising a state dog bill over more pressing business. As other state dog designations show, the most successful route to getting a state dog passed is a sustained campaign by an elementary or middle school class, with a genuine historical or cultural state connection to the breed they’re proposing.

Notable firsts and quirky facts about US state dogs

• First US state dog: Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Retriever (1964).
• Most recent: Tennessee’s Bluetick Coonhound (2019).
• Rarest state dog: New Hampshire’s Chinook, down to 11 breedable dogs in the 1980s; fewer than 1,000 exist worldwide today.
• Most popular state dog as a pet: Delaware’s Golden Retriever, consistently in the top 5 AKC registrations each year.
• Only state dog developed by a US president: Virginia’s American Foxhound, refined by George Washington at Mount Vernon.
• Only state dog descended from a shipwreck rescue: Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Retriever.
• Only state dog whose namesake is a living university mascot: Tennessee’s Bluetick Coonhound (Smokey, University of Tennessee).
• Largest state dog: Pennsylvania’s Great Dane.
• Smallest state dog: Massachusetts’s Boston Terrier.
• First American breed recognised by the AKC: Massachusetts’s Boston Terrier (1893).
• Only state dog not recognised by the AKC: Texas’s Blue Lacy and Louisiana’s Catahoula Leopard Dog, both still outside AKC registration.
• Only state dog with suspected coyote ancestry: Texas’s Blue Lacy, by folklore if not by genetic proof.

Frequently asked questions about US state dogs

How many US states have an official state dog?

Thirteen US states have designated an official state dog: Alaska, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. Thirty-seven states have not, though several have considered bills that stalled in committee.

Which state was the first to designate a state dog?

Maryland was the first, designating the Chesapeake Bay Retriever as its state dog in 1964. Pennsylvania followed a year later (Great Dane, 1965), then Virginia (American Foxhound, 1966). The tradition grew slowly, it took until 2019 for the thirteenth state (Tennessee) to join.

What is the most recent US state dog designation?

Tennessee designated the Bluetick Coonhound in 2019, making it the most recent US state dog. Before that, Delaware’s Golden Retriever designation in 2016 was the most recent.

Which state dog is the rarest?

New Hampshire’s Chinook is by far the rarest US state dog. By the 1980s only 11 breedable Chinooks remained, and the breed was saved only through intensive outcrossing to carefully selected related breeds. Today fewer than 1,000 Chinooks exist worldwide, and the AKC still lists it as one of its rarest recognised breeds. Texas’s Blue Lacy is also relatively rare, especially outside Texas ranching country.

Which state dogs were bred in their home state?

Seven of the thirteen: Alaska’s Malamute (Mahlemut people), Louisiana’s Catahoula, Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Massachusetts’s Boston Terrier, New Hampshire’s Chinook, North Carolina’s Plott Hound, South Carolina’s Boykin Spaniel, Texas’s Blue Lacy and Wisconsin’s American Water Spaniel. Virginia’s American Foxhound was also refined in colonial Virginia. The only two imports are Delaware’s Scottish-developed Golden Retriever and Pennsylvania’s German-developed Great Dane.

Why do so few US states have an official state dog?

State dog bills are surprisingly hard to pass because they usually attract competing breed lobbies that split legislative support. In Ohio, Labrador and Doberman proposals have repeatedly deadlocked each other; Georgia, Florida and Minnesota have all seen similar breed fights. Successful state dog designations tend to happen when a single breed has an unambiguous historical state connection (Maryland’s Chesapeake, Texas’s Blue Lacy, North Carolina’s Plott Hound) or when children organise a sustained letter-writing campaign (Alaska’s Malamute, Delaware’s Golden Retriever, New Hampshire’s Chinook).

Can a US state change or remove its state dog?

Yes. State dog designations are ordinary state statutes and can be amended or repealed by ordinary legislative procedure. In practice no US state has ever repealed a state dog designation, and no state has replaced one breed with another. The closest anyone has come is adding a second state symbol: some states have a state dog AND a state companion dog or state working dog designation (though none of the 13 states on this list do so).

Is there a US national dog?

No. The United States has a national bird (the bald eagle), but no federally designated national dog. Several breeds sometimes informally referred to as “America’s dogs”, the Labrador Retriever (most registered AKC breed every year), the Boston Terrier (first AKC-recognised American breed), and the American Foxhound (developed by George Washington), have all been floated, but none have any official status.

Which state dog is the most popular as a family pet?

Delaware’s Golden Retriever is by far the most popular state dog as a family pet, consistently among the top five most-registered AKC breeds in the United States each year. Massachusetts’s Boston Terrier is also in the AKC’s top 25 most popular breeds. Several other state dogs, Plott Hound, Blue Lacy, Catahoula, are primarily working dogs and rarely appear in suburban homes.

Do any US states have more than one state dog?

No, all 13 states with a state dog have designated exactly one breed. A handful of states have additional dog-related symbols (like a “state working dog” or “state historical dog”) but none of them overlap with the 13 states on the main state dog list. In practice having a single official state dog is the norm.

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