Official State Dog of Alaska: Alaskan Malamute
I was so pleased to learn that 11 states actually have an official State Dog. This is exactly what our state legislators should be spending their time voting on, don’t you think?
Anyway, here’s the list:
Alaska: Alaskan Malamute. Big surprise there. 
Maryland: Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Pennsylvania: Great Dane (not because the breed hails from PA but simply because the state’s founder, William Penn, had a Great Dane). By the way, when Pennsylvania’s speaker of the House called for a vote to approve the Great Dane as the state’s dog, legislators responded with various barks. The “arfs” won.
Louisiana: Catahoula Leopard Dog (a hunting/ranch dog)
Massachusetts: Boston Terrier
New Hampshire: Chinook (a sled dog)
Virginia: American Foxhound
North Carolina: Plott Hound (a coonhound and big-game hunter)
Texas: Blue Lacy (more of a cross/mix “type” of hunting dog)
Wisconsin: American Water Spaniel
South Carolina: Boykin Spaniel (very similar to the American Water Spaniel and known as “the dog that doesn’t rock the boat.”)
