You’re standing in your local dog park calling for Bella. There’s a good chance several will come running towards you, and an even greater chance it’s likely to be one of about 10 beloved dog breeds.
It’s the same for dog names like Charlie, Coco, Molly, Max, Ruby, Luna and Buddy.
The Kiwi love-affair with our four-legged friends has only grown and Aotearoa is now home to more than 605,000 dogs.
However, some of our dog names are less than original, according to data sourced from city councils across New Zealand.
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The pandemic saw the number of dogs registered in Wellington jump from about 12,000 to about 14,000. (File photo)
Such results shouldn’t come as a surprise.
The New Zealand Companion Animal Register, which has registered 1.13 million names since 2007, found the country’s favourite dog names for 2022 were: Luna (1), Bella (2), Charlie (3), Poppy (4) and Coco (5).
Such names were also popular with cat owners.
Wellington
The capital’s coolest dogs (in order) were Charlie, Bella, Poppy, Coco/Cocoa, Molly, Max, Ruby, Archie, Millie, Milly who were among the top 10 most popular dog names registered with Wellington City Council.
Notable and interesting dog names submitted by the council’s LGOIMA response team included Margaret Wigglesworth, Pinot Noir, Pablo Escobark and Miss Dolly Pawton.
Wellington has seen a massive increase in its canine population in recent yearsjumping from about 12,000 pups pre-pandemic close to 14,000 (registered) dogs.
The most common of which included labrador retrievers, cavalier king charles spaniels, border collies, mini schnauzers, and staffordshire bull terriers, shih tzu, jack russell terriers, bichon frise, fox terrier and huntaways.
KEVIN STENT/STUFF
Phil Krieg of Loose Leash shows how he leads a 14 dog pack on a walk around Wellington’s South Coast (video published July 2021).
Auckland
The number of dogs that call Auckland home has also increased 5.5%, up from 118,552 registered dogs to 125,016 – that’s almost the four-legged equivalent of the number of two-legged dwellers in Hastings and Napier combined.
A rise in numbers was attributed to more Aucklanders welcoming dogs into their whānau during lockdowns, and the reduced veterinary capacity for desexing caused significant strain on council’s field officer teams, a council spokesperson said.
The most popular names again included Charlie (of which there were 1035), Bella (1539), Max, Molly and Poppy, Luna, Coco, Ruby, Buddy and Toby.
A selection of interesting dog names included Edgar Alan Pug, Gnochhi, Pepperoni (the sausage dog), and several dogs named Richie McPaw.
Labrador retrievers topped the list, followed by staffordshire bull terriers, border collies, mini schnauzers, shih tzu, german shepherds, jack russell terriers, golden retrievers, cavalier king charles spaniels and malteses.
Rare breeds, of which there was only one each registered with Auckland City Councilincluded a beaucerona bergamasco shepherdan icelandic sheepdog and an otter hound.
Kelly Hodel/Waikato Times
Andrew Brosnan walking his dog Poppy at the Hamilton Lake. (File photo)
Hamilton
Hamilton, home to 13,135 registered dogs, also claimed Bella, Charlie, Luna, Molly Poppy, Max, Coco, Buddy, Ruby and Toby as some of its top dog names.
The most common breeds included labrador retrievers, mini schnauzers, labrador retriever crosses, staffordshire bull terriers, border collies, german shepherds, staffordshire bull terrier crosses, fox terriers, golden retrievers and rottweilers.
Christchurch
There are more than 32,529 dogs in the South Island’s largest city of Christchurchmaking it the second most populous canine city after Auckland.
Further south there was not much change when it came to favourite dog breeds: labrador retrievers, staffordshire bull terriers, border collies, bichon frises, jack russell terriers, mini schnauzers, cocker spaniels, golden retrievers, huntaways and shih tzu.
MONIQUE FORD/Stuff
Wellingtonian Will Spencer with his dog Cooper – not featured- taking in the breeze. (File photo)
A few new names were introduced though.
Bella and Charlie again topped the list, followed by Poppy, Molly, Ruby, Max, and Luna. New names included Archie, Daisy and Rosie.
Dunedin
The 19,342 dogs currently registered with the Dunedin City Council includes familiar favourites.
Bella, Charlie, Poppy, Molly, Max, Millie, Luna, Lucy, Daisy and Buddy all make the top 10.
When it comes to favourite dog breeds, the list includes several they liked so much they decided to cross them: labrador retriever, border collie, labrador retriever cross, jack russell terrier, mini schnauzer, staffordshire bull terrier, golden retriever, staffordshire bull terrier cross, border collie cross, and huntaway.
