New research suggests that Hollywood movies can have strong impacts on dog adoption.
Dog movies can influence featured breeds' popularity for up to 10 years, even if the animals are cartoons, according to a new study published in PLOS One. Researchers at the University of Bristol, Western Carolina University, and the City University of New York studied the effects of 87 dog movies with data from the American Kennel Club's 65 million dog registries.
The researchers found that collies were 40 percent more popular, registration-wise, after Lassie Come Home's release in 1943. The study also found that 1959's The Shaggy Dog increased registrations of Old English Sheepdogs 100-fold, Time reports. And even the cartoon 101 Dalmatians increased dalmatian popularity after its release in 1985.
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Dog movies may not help struggling breeds now, though — earlier movies had larger breed impacts than more recent ones, which Time speculates may be related to the internet's obsession with all types of animals.
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