Calling Sargent Sausage

From the Culpepper (Va.) Star Exponent (great name for a newspaper, don't you think?), comes the most popular pet names for 2009.

The list was prepared by Veterinary Pet Insurance.

Topping the dog names is Bella, with Max in second place. For cats, Max is tops, but Bella is at third place.

I love some of the unusual names. But I can't ever imagine going to a dog park and having to call for Bam-Bam Noodle Butt to stop whatever he is doing.

In Jan. 2008, I did a story about popular dog names in the mid-Hudson Valley. The database, while a little out of date, is still accessible and fun to try. Find it here.

And the name in the title isn't a typo. I'm assuming the person named his dog after John Singer Sargent (the famous painter) and his favorite meal.

Yes, her name is Kate

An Associated Press article found that almost half of pet owners have given their companion animal a human name.

The most popular? Max got more mentions than other names in the AP Poll, but not enough to give it any broad claim of popularity (less than 2 percent of all mentions). One database of pet names, maintained by Veterinary Pet Insurance, also finds that Max pops up more frequently than any other name.

There has been a move away from classic dog names such as Spot and Lassie, according to VPI spokesman Curtis Steinhoff. There were 13 Fidos in VPI's database in 2008, placing the name at No. 2,866. Rover was No. 2,534, behind names like Grendel, Ginger Snap and Munchie.

Steinhoff said that means there is a stronger bond between humans and their pets.

Pet owners who give their pets human names are more likely to see them as full members of the family, said Wayne Eldridge, veterinarian and author of "The Best Pet Name Book Ever!"

But he cautions against reading too much into pet names. Many people choose names based on the animal's appearance, he said. One of the most unusual names in the VPI database was Snag L. Tooth for a cat with a "snaggle tooth" that protrudes.

Last year, I did an article on names of dogs in the mid-Hudson area. It contains a database (though now a year old) of names that can be searched.

Here's an excerpt:

There's a poodle in Poughkeepsie named Poo Poo.

There are 53 dogs named Dutchess in Dutchess County. And while there is only one Mr. Nixon, there are 19 Nikitas. None of the Nikitas are akitas.

One can choose from Oatmeal, Pickles, Jello and Linguini, to be chased by Tequilla, Bourbon, Bacardi and Brandy.

Yes, there is even a Stinky in Dutchess County, two in Ulster and 39 in the state.

Look up your dog's name in our database

Here is the article in today's Poughkeepsie Journal about dog names in New York State as well as Dutchess and Ulster counties.

I had some fun picking out strange names.

Enjoy.

Coming to the Poughkeepsie Journal

Be sure and check out my "expose" of dog names on the front page of tomorrow's Poughkeepsie Journal. There will even be an interactive database where you see how popular your dog's name is.