Have you ever wondered what your state's official dog is?  Yeah, us too!  

So the other day I decided to go to the library, order a library card, search through the card catalog, find a book about the US, then about dogs, then look up the state dogs, and finally, four hours later I found out ....***(drumroll, please)***.... that my state didn't even have one?!

Ok, so I didn't go to the library, I simply searched "state dogs" in google - It's crazy how long it used to take to find things out - but I did discover, that surprisingly, not only did my home state of Connecticut not have a state dog, the state I currently live in, California, didn't have one either.  In fact, only 11 states in America currently recognize a state dog.  

But given the fact that 70% of households in the US have one pet or more, and there are said to be 80 million dogs in our country, I would think more states will begin to recognize state dog in the coming years...

But as it stands today, here are the 11 states who have currently made it Paw-fficial:

The 11 State-Recognized Dogs

Alaska - The Alaskan Malamute, recognized in 2010

Louisiana - The Louisiana Catahoula Leopard dog, recognized in 1979

Massachusetts - Boston terrier, recognized in 1979

Maryland - Chesapeake Bay retriever, recognized in 1964

New Hampshire - Chinook, recognized in 2009

North Carolina - Plott hound, recognized in 1989

Pennsylvania - Great dane, recognized in 1965

South Carolina - Boykin spaniel, recognized in 1985

Texas - Blue lacy, recognized in 2005

Virginia - American foxhound, recognized in 1966

Wisconsin - American water spaniel, recognized in 1985

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Image sources:  Wikipedia