How many dogs are licensed in San Francisco?

51,379 individual dogs were registered with San Francisco Animal Care & Control between January 2017 and May 2026, across 82,070 license events. Licensing is voluntary; recent license coverage is roughly 1 in 6 to 1 in 8 of the estimated 120,000–150,000 dogs in the city.

What is the most common dog breed in San Francisco?

The Chihuahua, with 3,502 licensed dogs, leads the Pit Bull, Labrador Retriever, and Poodle. Another 2,170 dogs are listed as Chihuahua mixes. Its share has fallen by more than a quarter since 2017 as Golden Retrievers, Poodles, and French Bulldogs climb.

What is the most popular dog name in San Francisco?

Luna. It has been the city's #1 dog name every year since 2020 (Charlie led in 2017). Bella, Charlie, Coco, and Max round out the most common names.

What is the most common coat color for San Francisco dogs?

Black, at about 26%, followed by white, brown, and tan.

How many dog breeds, names, and neighborhoods are in the data?

412 breeds and 13,525 distinct names, across 26 San Francisco neighborhoods.

What is the most typical dog in San Francisco?

The city's archetype is "Luna": a female black Chihuahua, spayed, about 6 years old, most often found in the Mission / Bernal Heights.

How old are San Francisco's dogs?

Among recent records with age on file, the median current age is about 6 years; few puppies are licensed. The oldest plausible recent record shown is Ernie, a 20-year-old Chihuahua in Potrero Hill / Dogpatch.

Are most San Francisco dogs spayed or neutered?

Yes. About 87% of licensed dogs are spayed or neutered.

Does San Francisco have more dogs or babies?

In 2025 the city issued more first-time dog licenses (7,123) than babies born (about 6,970). Counting unlicensed dogs, new dogs run to roughly twice the number of births.

San Francisco,
by the dogs

Every dog licensed with San Francisco Animal Care & Control from January 2017 to May 2026: what they are called, what breeds they are, and where in the city they live.

51,379dogs

13,525distinct names

412breeds

26neighborhoods

Watercolor painting of Luna, a black-and-tan Chihuahua wearing a gold LUNA license tag — **Luna**, the city's most typical dog: a black Chihuahua, about six, from the Mission.

A decade of dogs

Every licensed dog, month by month. After a long slide from 2017, the registry rebounded to a record 11,200 licenses in 2025. Licenses spike each spring, and the busiest month on record was May 2025.

Licenses issued per month, 2017–2026. Only licensed dogs are counted: recent coverage is roughly 1 in 6 to 1 in 8 of the city's estimated 120,000–150,000 dogs, so treat this as a sample, not a census.

More new dogs than babies

In 2025, San Francisco issued more first-time dog licenses than birth certificates. Since many dogs go unlicensed, new dogs likely outnumber births by about 2 to 1.

Estimated unlicensed Licensed new dogs SF births

New dogs per year, licensed and estimated unlicensed, against resident births, 2020–2025. Births: California Department of Public Health.

In this report

Names

Luna leads

San Franciscans register thousands of new dogs each year, and one name leads. Charlie led in 2017. Luna took over in 2018 and has held the top spot every year since 2020.

Rank of the most common names by year. Higher on the chart is more popular.

The leaderboard

The 16 most common dog names, by number of licensed dogs.

The most unisex names

Names split most evenly between male and female dogs.

The fastest-moving names

Change per 1,000 named dogs, 2017 to 2025. Lines show each year's share.

Names that come with a breed

Share of each name's dogs in its most common breed, and how that compares with the citywide rate.

The funniest names

Grouped by theme, with the number of licensed dogs carrying each.

Every name above belongs to a real licensed dog. Sir Archibald the Noodle is one (1) dog in San Francisco.

Breeds

The Chihuahua is losing its crown

The Chihuahua still leads, but its share is down more than a quarter since 2017. Golden Retrievers, Poodles, and French Bulldogs are climbing, so the city's dogs are getting bigger.

Each breed's share of newly licensed dogs by year. Solid lines rise; dashed lines fall.

Purebred or mutt

Three in five are purebred

About 61% of licensed dogs have a single-breed label. The rest are mixes, with designer crosses near the top.

Two-breed crosses as ribbons: thicker means more dogs. The Poodle sits at the center of nearly every designer cross. Hover or tap a breed to trace its ribbons.

Where the purebreds live

Purebred share by neighborhood: highest in the north and west, lowest in the south and east.

The Marina is doodle country

Goldendoodles and Labradoodles as a share of each neighborhood's licensed dogs.

The dashed line marks the citywide rate. Neighborhoods with at least 150 licensed dogs.

Neighborhoods

Every neighborhood has a signature breed

Chihuahuas lead in the east and south; Labradors lead in the west and north. For names, Luna leads nine neighborhoods, while Charlie takes the Inner Richmond, Marina, and North Beach.

Hover or tap a neighborhood for its most common breed.

Colors

A city of mostly black dogs

More than one in four licensed dogs is black. After black, white, and brown, the coat list gets specific: brindle, merle, apricot, sable, and tricolor.

Primary coat color of all 51,379 licensed dogs.

Every breed has a palette

Coat colors within the most common breeds. Labs run black, Goldens gold, Frenchies everything.

Two-tone coats

Four in ten dogs have two coat colors listed. Black and white leads.

Age & licenses

Past the puppy years, and almost all fixed

Few puppies make the registry. Most licensed dogs are adults, and nearly all are spayed or neutered.

Current age of licensed dogs

Recent licenses with an age on file, projected forward from the first reported age.

The license itself

Most owners buy the one-year tag.

The most typical dog in San Francisco

The most common name, breed, color, and neighborhood, at the median known age.

The oldest dogs

Dogs re-licensed in 2026, ranked by plausible current age.

Your dog

How rare is your dog?

Pick a breed, coat color, and neighborhood to estimate how many licensed dogs match.

Modeled across all 51,379 licensed dogs. Narrow combinations are approximate.

Look up any name

See how many licensed dogs share a name, what breeds they are, and where they live.

Results appear here: the number of dogs with the name, their top breeds, and their neighborhoods.

Adopt

Find an adoptable twin

The dogs in this report have homes. These dogs need one. Enter a breed and color to find adoptable San Francisco dogs with a similar look.

Listings come from seven San Francisco shelters and rescues and link to each shelter's own adoption page. Adoptions and donations go through the shelters; this site does not collect money.

Pick a breed to see adoptable dogs, newest listings first.