Dog API Python API Docs | dltHub

Dog API is a simple public REST API that provides dog images and breed data (lists, sub-breeds, and images). The REST API base URL is https://dog.ceo/api and No authentication required (public, open API)..

dlt is an open-source Python library that handles authentication, pagination, and schema evolution automatically. dlthub provides AI context files that enable code assistants to generate production-ready pipelines. Install with uv pip install "dlt[workspace]" and start loading Dog API data in under 10 minutes.

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What data can I load from Dog API?

Here are some of the endpoints you can load from Dog API:

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How do I authenticate with the Dog API API?

The API is public and does not require authentication or API keys. Requests are made directly to endpoints under the base URL.

1. Get your credentials

No credentials required. Use endpoints directly.

2. Add them to .dlt/secrets.toml

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[sources.dog_api_source]
# No secrets required for this public API

dlt reads this automatically at runtime — never hardcode tokens in your pipeline script. For production environments, see setting up credentials with dlt for environment variable and vault-based options.

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How do I set up and run the pipeline?

Set up a virtual environment and install dlt:

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uv venv && source .venv/bin/activate
uv pip install "dlt[workspace]"

1. Install the dlt AI Workbench:

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dlt ai init --agent <your-agent> # <agent>: claude | cursor | codex

This installs project rules, a secrets management skill, appropriate ignore files, and configures the dlt MCP server for your agent. Learn more →

2. Install the rest-api-pipeline toolkit:

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dlt ai toolkit rest-api-pipeline install

This loads the skills and context about dlt the agent uses to build the pipeline iteratively, efficiently, and safely. The agent uses MCP tools to inspect credentials — it never needs to read your secrets.toml directly. Learn more →

3. Start LLM-assisted coding:

Use /find-source to load data from the Dog API API into DuckDB.

The rest-api-pipeline toolkit takes over from here — it reads relevant API documentation, presents you with options for which endpoints to load, and follows a structured workflow to scaffold, debug, and validate the pipeline step by step.

4. Run the pipeline:

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python dog_api_pipeline.py

If everything is configured correctly, you'll see output like this:

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Pipeline dog_api_pipeline load step completed in 0.26 seconds
1 load package(s) were loaded to destination duckdb and into dataset dog_api_data
The duckdb destination used duckdb:/dog_api.duckdb location to store data
Load package 1749667187.541553 is LOADED and contains no failed jobs

Inspect your pipeline and data:

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dlt pipeline dog_api_pipeline show

This opens the Pipeline Dashboard where you can verify pipeline state, load metrics, schema (tables, columns, types), and query the loaded data directly.

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Python pipeline example

This example loads breeds_list and random_image from the Dog API API into DuckDB. It mirrors the endpoint and data selector configuration from the table above:

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import dlt
from dlt.sources.rest_api import RESTAPIConfig, rest_api_resources

@dlt.source
def dog_api_source(=dlt.secrets.value):
    config: RESTAPIConfig = {
        "client": {
            "base_url": "https://dog.ceo/api",
            "auth": {
                "type": "none",
                "": ,
            },
        },
        "resources": [
            {"name": "breeds_list", "endpoint": {"path": "breeds/list/all", "data_selector": "message"}},
            {"name": "random_image", "endpoint": {"path": "breeds/image/random", "data_selector": "message"}}
        ],
    }
    yield from rest_api_resources(config)


def get_data() -> None:
    pipeline = dlt.pipeline(
        pipeline_name="dog_api_pipeline",
        destination="duckdb",
        dataset_name="dog_api_data",
    )
    load_info = pipeline.run(dog_api_source())
    print(load_info)

To add more endpoints, append entries from the resource table to the "resources" list using the same name, path, and data_selector pattern.

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How do I query the loaded data?

Once the pipeline runs, dlt creates one table per resource. You can query with Python or SQL.

Python (pandas DataFrame):

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import dlt

data = dlt.pipeline("dog_api_pipeline").dataset()
sessions_df = data.breeds_list.df()
print(sessions_df.head())

SQL (DuckDB example):

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SELECT * FROM dog_api_data.breeds_list LIMIT 10;

In a marimo or Jupyter notebook:

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import dlt

data = dlt.pipeline("dog_api_pipeline").dataset()
data.breeds_list.df().head()

See how to explore your data in marimo Notebooks and how to query your data in Python with dataset.

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What destinations can I load Dog API data to?

dlt supports loading into any of these destinations — only the destination parameter changes:

Change the destination in dlt.pipeline(destination="snowflake") and add credentials in .dlt/secrets.toml. See the full destinations list.

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Troubleshooting

Authentication failures

This API is public and does not require authentication. If you receive 401/403 responses, verify your request URL and that no proxy or firewall is injecting auth requirements.

Rate limiting and 429 responses

Dog API does not publish strict rate limits; heavy usage may produce 429 responses or transient errors. On 429, implement exponential backoff and retry.

Invalid breed or sub-breed (404 / error status)

If a breed or sub-breed does not exist, the API returns a JSON response with status "error" or a 404. Verify breed and sub-breed names (use /breeds/list/all to enumerate exact names).

Response selectors and structure

All API responses follow the structure: {"message": , "status": "success"} for successful requests. Use the 'message' JSON key as the data selector for lists or single values.

Ensure that the API key is valid to avoid 401 Unauthorized errors. Also, verify endpoint paths and parameters to avoid 404 Not Found errors.

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Next steps

Continue your data engineering journey with the other toolkits of the dltHub AI Workbench:

• data-exploration — Build custom notebooks, charts, and dashboards for deeper analysis with marimo notebooks.
• dlthub-runtime — Deploy, schedule, and monitor your pipeline in production.

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dlt ai toolkit data-exploration install
dlt ai toolkit dlthub-runtime install

• How to deploy a pipeline
• How to explore your data in marimo Notebooks
• How to query your data in Python with dataset
• Join the dlt community on Slack