What do Labrador Retrievers and dogs named Charlie and Bella all have in common? They are Tauranga dog owners’ most favoured breed and names.
As we head into the Christmas period, many families choose this as the perfect time to add a four-legged addition to the household. It can be a tough decision picking out a name, but there must be something about the names Charlie and Bella, as not only do they top the lists in Tauranga, but in a report recently released by Auckland City Council, those names topped the list as well.
In Tauranga, there are more than 15,000 known dogs, and they play an important part in many households across the region.
“Every year when dog registration time rolls around, we are always really excited to see what new, popular names are popping up in the community,” says Animal Services Team Leader, Brent Lincoln.
“Of course, there will be the popular ones like Charlie, Max, Teddy, Bella, Molly and Poppy, but the out-of-the-box original names give the team an insight into the household and what type of personality the dog may have.”
Below are the top 10 popular dog names, popular dog breeds and rarest dog breeds in Tauranga.
Top 10 most popular dog names in Tauranga
| Ranking |
Most popular name |
Total |
Ranking |
Most popular name |
Total |
| Male dogs |
Female dogs |
| 1 |
Charlie |
184 |
1 |
Bella |
220 |
| 2 |
Max |
175 |
2 |
Molly |
188 |
| 3 |
Teddy |
133 |
3 |
Poppy |
152 |
| 4 |
Buddy |
97 |
4 |
Ruby |
132 |
| 5 |
Toby |
87 |
5 |
Luna |
129 |
| 6 |
Oscar |
86 |
6 |
Rosie |
129 |
| 7 |
Archie |
76 |
7 |
Coco |
113 |
| 8 |
Monty |
75 |
8 |
Daisey |
111 |
| 9 |
George |
67 |
9 |
Roxy |
97 |
| 10 |
Alfie |
63 |
10 |
Pipi |
91 |
Top 10 most popular dog breeds in Tauranga
| Ranking |
Breed |
Total |
| 1 |
Labrador Retriever |
1,892 |
| 2 |
Staffordshire Bull Terrier |
797 |
| 3 |
Shih Tzu |
754 |
| 4 |
Border Collie |
733 |
| 5 |
Maltese |
673 |
| 6 |
Cavalier King Charles |
596 |
| 7 |
Miniature Schnauzer |
573 |
| 8 |
Jack Russell |
536 |
| 9 |
Bichon Frise |
440 |
| 10 |
German Shepherd |
371 |
Rarest dog breeds in Tauranga
| Breed |
Total |
| American Foxhound |
1 |
| Anatolian Shepherd Dog |
1 |
| Basset Fauve De Bretange |
1 |
| Bedlington Terrier |
1 |
| Canaan |
1 |
| Cesky Terrier |
1 |
| Chesapeake Retriever |
1 |
| Clumber Spaniel |
1 |
| Curly Coated Retriever |
1 |
| Field Spaniel |
1 |
| Finish Lapphund |
1 |
| Giant Schnauzer |
1 |
| Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen |
1 |
| Irish Water Spaniel |
1 |
| Italian Corso Dog |
1 |
| Kerry Blue Terrier |
1 |
| Laekenois Belgian Shepherd |
1 |
| Munsterlander |
1 |
| Nova Scotia Duck Trolling Retriever |
1 |
| Sealyham Terrier |
1 |
| Tenterfield Terrier |
1 |