LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Dog owners across the nation prefer Labrador retrievers, but here in Los Angeles, we love our bulldogs.

The bulldog was ranked today as the most popular dog breed in Los Angeles by the American Kennel Club for the second straight year, followed — again — by the French bulldog.

As usual, Los Angeles appeared to be spearheading a national trend, with the bulldog creeping up the national rankings to claim fourth place, the highest it has ever been ranked.

“Los Angelenos remain ahead of the trend,” AKC Vice President Gina DiNardo said. “While the Frenchie and bulldog are trending nationally this year, they have been popular breeds in L.A. for years.”

Rounding out the top-five dog breeds in Los Angeles for 2014 were the German shepherd, Labrador retriever and golden retriever. By comparison, the nationwide top five were the Labrador retriever, German shepherd, golden retriever, bulldog and beagle.

The AKC noted that Los Angeles is one of the few cities in the nation not to have the Labrador retriever ranked in the top three.

The golden retriever gained some favor from Angelenos last year to move into the top five, displacing the Yorkshire terrier, which ranked fifth in 2013. The Labrador retriever slipped from third to fourth in Los Angeles between 2013 and 2014, as the German shepherd moved up on the list.

Nationally, 2014 marked the 24th straight year the Labrador retriever has topped the list of most-popular breeds. But AKC officials noted that the rise of the bulldog shows growing popularity for the breed that “makes an excellent family companion with a natural tendency to form strong bonds with kids.” The bulldog also has “an easy-to-care-for coat and minimal exercise needs.”