23 December 2022

Luna romps home as top dog name of the year, we Shih Tzu not

| Sally Hopman
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Couple with dog

Juliana Reischak and Victor Hideki show their love for Luna, the staffy cross they rescued from Sydney. Photo: Supplied.

When it comes to being top dog, canines called Luna seem to fall obediently on their paws.

Take the staffy cross rescue dog from Sydney who has found her ‘furever’ love with Gungahlin couple Juliana Reischak and Victor Hideki.

When they adopted Luna, Juliana and Victor chose the moniker because they wanted a short name that was easy to pronounce in English and Portuguese. Now over a year old, Luna even boasts her own Instagram page lazy.luna21.

Then there’s Luna the Silky Spoodlier, whose hobbies include welcoming visitors, charming strangers, warming human feet, cuddles, more cuddles and even more cuddles. Her nickname is Velcro because everything sticks to her, especially cut grass and burrs.

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They are just two of the pooches with the ACT’s top pet name for both dogs and cats in 2022 – Luna.

And if your Luna is a Cavoodle, or a short-hair cat, you’ve got the pet with the most popular breed and name in the nation’s capital.

Announcing the top pet names and favourite breeds for 2022, ACT Minister for Transport and City Services Chris Steel said the trends were revealed following the ACT Government’s introduction of compulsory cat and dog registration.

“Annual registration provides Domestic Animal Services with access to up-to-date information so they can contact owners should the need arise and return lost or roaming pets to their families where they belong,” he said.

Dog in jacket

Luna’s humans even take her on holidays to the snow – a great excuse to wear her smart jacket. Photo: Supplied.

“One bonus is that the annual registration process also provides us with information about popular dog and cat names and breeds in the ACT and alerts us to changing trends.”

The top 10 names for all dogs registered in the ACT are, in order: Luna, Charlie, Ruby, Molly, Bella, Daisy, Frankie, Archie, Coco and Buddy.

The 10 most popular breeds are: Cavoodle, Border Collie, Australian Kelpie, Labrador Retriever, Dachshund, Jack Russell Terrier, Golden Retriever, American Staffordshire Terrier, Maltese and German Shepherd.

The most popular cat names in the ACT are: Luna, Charlie, Bella, Lily, Coco, Loki, Leo, George, Missy and Cleo.

The most popular cat breeds are: Domestic Short Hair, Domestic Medium Hair, Ragdoll, Domestic Long Hair, Burmese, British Short Hair, Bengal, Russian Blue, Birman and Siberian Forest Cat.

Black dog

Luna the Silky Spoodlier, who barks from Wagga, proves that the popularity of the name knows no borders. Photo: Supplied.

Canberrans’ pet names also tell us a lot about their favourite things – like food. Some of the tasty names people have given their pets include: Halloumi, Jellybean, Noodle, Taco, Schnitzel, Crumpet, Pumpkin, Wasabi, Lamington, Lambchop and Cinnamon.

Pet owners were also inspired by their favourite books, TV and film heroes and heroines when it came to naming their pets, including Maverick, Loki, Bruce Wayne, James Bond, Xena, Cinderella, Woody, Simba, Buzz Lightyear, Princess Leia, Frodo, Homer, Skeletor, Rocky, Romeo, Gatsby, Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley.

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Mr Steel said owning a pet was rewarding but it did come with responsibilities.

“It is your responsibility to ensure your pet is happy and healthy and not negatively impacting the community,” he said.

Keeping registration details up to date is just part of being a responsible pet owner.

“With the weather heating up over summer, and many Canberrans enjoying a well-deserved holiday, your pet’s health needs and wellbeing needs to be taken into account when making holiday plans.”

He reminded Canberrans not to leave their pets unattended while going on holidays.

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