by Hunter Davis

A lot of thought is required when it comes to choosing the perfect name for your dog. You’ll want to choose a name that fits the dog’s personality and appearance. To help you with this decision, every year the Veterinary Pet Insurance Company combs through its list of policyholders’ pet names and publishes the most popular dog names (and other pets’ names) online. People that can afford pet insurance will probably name their dogs the same popular names as pet owner’s who do not have insurance.

While comparing the list from 2005 with lists from previous years, there hasn’t been a lot of change to the most popular dog name list. You won’t hear names like “Fido” or “Spot” anymore. Instead, names like “Max”, “Buddy”, “Molly” and “Lucy” are more likely to be shouted out at the dog park these days. Animal experts warn not to name your pet a name that sounds too closely to a command you will use. This could potentially lead to a lot of confusion. You might also want to save your favorite name for your baby so it won’t seem like you named your kid after your pet.

The 2005 list probably includes your dog’s name, or at least the dog of someone you know. For male dogs the top ten most popular names are as follows: Max, Buddy, Jake, Rocky, Bailey, Buster, Cody, Charlie, Bear, and Jack. The top ten most popular female dog names in 2005 are: Molly, Maggie, Daisy, Lucy, Sadie, Ginger, Chloe, Bailey, Sophie, and Zoe.

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Most Popular Dog Breeds

The Golden Retriever and German Sheppard come in as the second and third most popular dog breeds. The most popular breeds are highly intelligent medium to large sized dogs.

The Labrador Retriever is believed to have come from Newfoundland where fishermen recognized the breed’s quick retrieving and swimming skills.

As much as we love this popular dog breed, if you are looking to pick up your own pet, think twice about a purebred and remember that between six and eight million dogs and cats enter U.S. shelters every year, and three to four million of these animals are euthanized because there are not enough homes for them.

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