Hey there, I'm Amy Chen.

And I'm Matt Kiefer.

We're both data journalists at WBEZ, and the question this week is right up our alley.

A curious city listener had a question about dogs in Chicago.

Specifically, what are the most popular breeds?

Yeah, there's a lot of data to unpack here.

We looked into the numbers, and spoiler, it's the pit bull.

But there's more to the story, and we want to tell you about the reasons why the American Pitbull Terrier

and other bully breeds are so popular, and the impact that it has on the larger shelter system.

By the way, Amy, are you a dog person or a cat person? Actually, I'm more of a cat person. I've

fostered 16 cats now.

Yeah. 16. Wow. Okay.

Yeah. It's been like one or two at a time. It started as a pandemic hobby and I just kind of stuck with it.

What about you? Well, I'm more of a dog person. I have a cattle dog pit bull mix named Cooper.

I feel like a lot of people in the neighborhood have adopted dogs in the last couple of years.

I like dogs too, for the record.

I like all animals.

In this episode, we get into breed differences by neighborhood, the fascinating world of dog DNA,

and some more serious topics like the overcrowding of shelters and misconceptions about

the most popular dog,

Hipples.

That's all coming up after the break.

...