Bella is, by far and away, the most popular dog’s name in Ipswich. Bella (600) is almost twice as popular as Molly (363), Max (352) and Charlie (348).
Health, Security and Community Safety Committee Chairperson Cr Sheila Ireland said latest council data showed 28,742 dogs are registered across the region.
Funnily enough, Bella and Max are currently the most popular female and male names for all pets across Australia, and for dogs and cats in the USA.
Bella became extremely popular after the Twilight series, the vampire-themed fantasy romance novels and films from American author Stephenie Meyer.
Cr Ireland said the top 10 names were rounded out by Buddy (293), Ruby (290), Lucy (260), Roxy (228), Jack (214) and Missy (204).
“One off names include Charze, Billie Joe, Alcapalca, Asa, Chaser, Diggory, Chata and Digi. There are also two dogs in Ipswich called Bilbo, from The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fame,” she said.
“Maltese Cross (1861) and Staffordshire Bull Terrier (1746) are clearly the most popular breeds.”
The top 10 included Labrador Retriever (1287), Border Collie (1210), Staffordshire Bull Terrier Cross (1076), Australian Cattle Dog (960), German Shepherd (953), Fox Terrier (796), Maltese (747) and the Australian Kelpie Cross (686).
Council data showed that roaming dogs (1573) was the most raised customer request with Health, Security and Regulatory Services in 2017. But there was good news too as, significantly, council reunited 1169 impounded dogs with their owners.
“Everyone knows that a dog is our best friend, so reuniting them after they go off wandering is very important to us. Council will continue to promote its lost-and-found portal so dogs can be reunited quickly with their owners, and there will be a continuation of free and low-cost micro-chipping events in Ipswich for dogs,” Cr Ireland said.
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