Sunday Puzzle: Dog breeds devoted a recent edition to wordplay in which every on-air answer was the name of a dog breed, turning the program’s trademark linguistic games into a canine-themed romp for listeners.

The episode wove together a series of short riddles and a listener challenge, drawing puzzle contributions from across the country and naming a single puzzle winner. Producers framed the on-air portion around a set of breed names used as answers to wordplay clues; listeners were then invited to try an additional challenge and submit their entries by a stated deadline.

Contributors to the broadcast included Greg VanMechelen and Al Gori, two regulars whose entries were incorporated into the program’s sequence of breed-based questions. Other submissions were identified by hometowns, underscoring the show’s nationwide reach: one contributor was listed from Berkeley, Calif., and another from Cozy Lake, N.J.

The episode announced Kevin Demko of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, as the named puzzle winner. The program’s presenters said the winner had supplied the correct answer sequence for the on-air set and was acknowledged during the broadcast. In addition to declaring the winner, the segment opened a new round for listener entries, with a submission deadline set for Thursday, December 4, 2025 at 3 p.m. ET.

Sunday Puzzle is produced by NPR and the show posts full puzzle text and submission details on its episode page. Listeners who want the complete set of clues and all the answers can consult that page; the same puzzle text and related material are also carried by NPR Illinois for readers who prefer a separate presentation of the questions and mechanics.

Beyond the immediate puzzle, the episode’s focus on breeds touches on wider public interest in the most popular dog breeds in America. According to the American Kennel Club’s most recent national registration statistics, the French Bulldog is currently the most popular dog breed in the United States, followed by the Labrador Retriever in second place. The AKC maintains a complete breed database online with background on personality, history, health and grooming for each recognized breed.

The issue of breed identification has broader implications beyond trivia: labels influence how dogs are perceived in shelters and by prospective adopters. Animal welfare organizations say breed identification can affect which dogs are adopted, how long they stay in shelters, and even whether they are euthanized, because certain labels — notably “pit bull–type” — carry stigma and can trigger breed-specific policies or housing restrictions. Resources such as kennel club databases, major animal health and welfare organizations and veterinarians provide more reliable, research-based information for owners and shelters trying to match dogs with homes.

For puzzle fans, the takeaway is simple: solve the wordplay or submit an entry before the deadline. For anyone interested in the clues, answers, or how to participate, NPR’s episode page and the NPR Illinois posting supply the official puzzle text and all submission details.

Source: NPR’s Sunday Puzzle episode and related online puzzle text.

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Original reporting: view the original article.