11 State Dogs to Celebrate This Fourth of July
Published on June 25, 2013
On July 4th we celebrate all things American — and one of the most American things we can think of are our dogs.
Almost 50 years ago, Maryland became the first state to pick an official dog: its native Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Since then, campaigns to designate certain breeds as state symbols have come from all over — even a kindergarten classroom in Alaska. And not all state dogs are fancy breeds: The state dog of Texas isn’t recognized by the AKC, and in 2013 Colorado’s governor signed into law a bill declaring dogs and cats adopted from shelters as that state’s official pets.
Browse through our gallery to find out if your state has an official dog. And if it doesn’t, tell us in the comments what you think it should be!
- 5 Dog Breeds You’ve Never Heard Of
- The 10 Most Trainable Dog Breeds
- 10 Dog Breeds That Shed the Most
- Retired? Tips for Finding the Perfect Dog