Arkansas lawmakers have concluded the 2025 Legislative Session, with one standout bill making headlines: the Labrador retriever is now the official state dog.

So Arkansas just made the Labrador retriever its official state dog. Makes sense—Labs love water, are super family-friendly, and they're great hunting dogs, which is a big deal in the state. Funny thing: 14 other states already have state dogs, but none picked the Lab until now.

During the vote, one senator joked that his Pekingese was offended. Another fired back saying the Pekingese wouldn’t even go outside in the rain, while the Lab was already doing laps in the water.

Anyway, the bill flew through both the Senate and House with hardly any pushback, and Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders made it official on April 18. Agencies can mention it in brochures if they want—but no one's forced to start printing Labrador merch.

5newsonline.com