Every dog has its day…

1950s

The Australian silky terrier became an iconic pet dog in this decade. After fading away somewhat, this lovable toy breed has enjoyed a recent resurgence in popularity.

1970s

To go with the flowing kaftans and big, floppy hats of the ’70s, you needed a leggy, silken-haired Afghan hound. They were the supermodels of the canine world.

1990s

For inner-city emo kids, your own pet rat was the must-have accessory. Or, failing that, a giant stick insect. For some reason, however, neither species took off in the ’burbs.

2010s

French bulldogs stormed up the bestseller lists… then quickly ran out of breath and had to have a good lie-down. Those little guys are cute but have no stamina.

1960s

No Australian backyard was truly complete without a labrador chewing on a tennis ball. They’ve never wavered in popularity and are still our favourite pedigreed canines.

1980s

This is when the ‘oodle’ craze started. Labradoodles, the first of these hybrids, were soon followed by cavoodles, spoodles, malti-poos and other adorable crossbreeds.

2000s

Suddenly, fluffy bunnies were everywhere. Some managed to escape their backyard hutches and rapidly populated local parks, after which people became less keen on rabbits.

The future

Could pet goats be the next big thing? Smart as a whip, affectionate and very trainable, they might just be the livestock/pet crossover of the next decade.