They can roughhouse with you or put their big head lovingly in your lap. They can run alongside you with their big strides, and they can leave a stranger jelly-legged with their big bark.

They don't yip. Or yap.

We love big dogs.

So says the American Kennel Club, which this week released its top 10 most popular purebred dogs, by city, based on AKC registrations for 2006.

Charlotte's canine heartthrob? The Labrador retriever, followed by golden retrievers and German shepherds -- three breeds that historically have led AKC lists. Mecklenburg County records show Labs (though not necessarily purebreds) also topping the list of county licensed dogs, with 7,069, followed by German shepherds (2,265) and golden retrievers (1,935).

(We're not all yuppie with dogs, however. Mutts are seventh with 1,205.)

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JP Brewer (back left), owner of Club K-9 of Charlotte spends time with the large dogs (like these Weimaraners, Great Dane and Labrador) at her business on North Davidson Street.

"Charlotte loves the good old dogs," says AKC spokesperson Michelle Barlak, who noted that big dogs often top most-popular lists in warmer climates, where larger breeds fit better with active lifestyles.

Another possible factor: "Charlotte is a haven of single, young professionals," says Robin Hatfield, who works here and lives in Lancaster, S.C. "People that fit that profile will tend to have a large dog for protection." She has two -- a yellow Lab (Bentley) and a black Lab (Logan).

The Lab has held the top AKC spot nationally since 1991, but this year, the Yorkshire terrier nosed past the golden retriever for No. 2 -- illustrating a national trend toward smaller dogs.

"People are much more mobile now and are looking for dogs you can pack and go," says Borlak, who believes that ever-tightening living and yard space also has contributed to the popularity of the littler barkers.

Sprawling Charlotte, on the other hand, has plenty of space for large breeds to roam.

What can a big dog bring?

"Big dogs fill up your arms, and they don't get under your feet," says Suzy Redd of Rock Hill.

"They seem more like real dogs versus small, fuzzy, furry, stuffed-animal-looking dogs," says Charlotte's Kim Macfarlan, owner of a boxer, Kersee.

A dissenting voice: "Make mine small," says Charlotte's Jim Banbury, who notes that his 8-pound Maltese takes a month to eat an 8-pound bag of dog food.

Plus, he says delicately, the payoff comes "at both ends."

"When my neighbors walk their Labs and retrievers, it's with grocery sacks to lug the cleanup.

"I need carry only a napkin."

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