WHILE Kelpies are the obvious choice of breed for the farming areas that surround Hamilton, a recent release of statistics for dog registrations in Victoria has revealed a very different breed is the most popular in town.

Plugging in postcode 3300 into the Central Animal Records database reveals Jack Russell Terriers are the dog of choice for locals, with 288 dogs registered compared to 257 Kelpies.

Making up the balance of the top 10 local breeds are (in order) Maltese, Labrador, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Border Collie, Fox Terrier, Golden Retriever, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and German Shepherd.

The company has a database that recently exceeded five million registrations and included about 75 per cent of all dogs and cats in Australia.

Jack Russell Terriers are actually the second-most popular breed in the state, and dogs remain more popular than cats in most postcodes.

Some of the positives of keeping a Jack Russell were listed as them being very intelligent and energetic, and their small size requiring not as much food and not taking up much room.

However, their energy drive can make them destructive if bored, inside and outside, including digging holes, and exposure to other animals and humans is an important aspect of socialising them, as they are known to get aggressive.

Border Collies and especially Kelpies remain the dog of choice in huge areas of rural Victoria – especially in the west, with their legendary working dog status making them a clear winner in the open air.

Owners were reminded to keep their microchipping details up-to-date as finding and identifying missing animals was then a considerably easier task.