The Dog

Overview

The Dog API is the canine counterpart to The Cat API: thousands of dog images (and GIFs), breed-filtered search, and voting/favorites with an account. And just like its feline sibling, the basic image search works even without a key.

Verified 2026-08: Access-Control-Allow-Origin: * is returned, so browser calls work (the listing’s CORS “No” is outdated).

Quick Start

Random dog image — works without a key:

curl "https://api.thedogapi.com/v1/images/search"

[{"id":"VywKKonr8P","url":"https://cdn4.thedogapi.com/optimized/VywKKonr8P.jpg","width":1152,"height":928}]

With your free key (recommended — higher limits):

curl "https://api.thedogapi.com/v1/images/search?limit=3&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY"

By breed:

curl "https://api.thedogapi.com/v1/images/search?breed_ids=akita&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY"

Breed list:

curl "https://api.thedogapi.com/v1/breeds"

Authentication

• Free key from thedogapi.com signup — raises rate limits, unlocks voting/favorites.
• Send it as the api_key query parameter.
• Image search tolerates missing keys — great for demos.

Rate Limits & Notes

• Free tier is generous for hobby use; current limits on the docs page.
• Images are served from a Google Cloud Storage CDN (cdn4.thedogapi.com) — hotlink-friendly.
• Breed IDs are short lowercase codes (akita, labrador).
• Voting/favorites require an account and your key.

FAQ

Does The Dog API require an API key? The image search works without one; a free key gives higher limits and voting/favorites.

Is it free? Yes — free tier for hobby use.

Can I call it from the browser? Yes — CORS is enabled (verified).