A deep dive into data reveals the canine preferences of Monterey County residents.

THE WORD “BELLA” IS VERY MONTEREY COUNTY. It means beautiful in Italian and Spanish. And it’s an apt description of the scenery of the region. So it’s no surprise that Bella tops the list as the most popular dog name in the county.

Out of 12,427 licensed dogs, 175 are named Bella. Next on the list are Daisy, Max, Lucy, Buddie Charlie, Luna, Molly, Jack and Sadie. Not quite as popular, Bixby was the name selected by 12 different dog owners.

Some classic dog names – like Champ, Spot and Tiger – appear almost not at all. In fact, 85 percent of the Monterey County canines have a unique name that doesn’t repeat.

“We are a creative bunch,” says Cindy Burnham, the administrator of Monterey County Animal Services, which maintains the database of licensed dogs. “We think outside the box.”

Sometimes, quite far outside the box, considering some of the more bizarre monikers found on the list of licenses. Examples include 12 Gauge, a labrador; Event Horizon, a pit bull; and a Staffordshire named 10K. (All three of those canines live in North County.)

The influence of pop culture on name choice also comes across, with selections like Khaleesi, Coco Chanel, Willie Nelson, Nora Ephron and Marlon Brando.

There aren’t many dogs named after politicians, but one is a border collie named Trump.

The Weekly filed a Public Records Act request for licenses, and with the help of Monterey County Animal Services, crunched the numbers on the database of licensed dogs, analyzing pet names, breeds and how many are spayed or neutered. The data is made up mostly of dogs that were adopted from the county shelter and does not include the countless pooches whose owners got them elsewhere and never filed for licenses.

Getting a dog spayed or neutered is not required by law. But the county incentivizes dog owners to do so by offering a discount of $30-$45, depending on the length of the license. Seventy-two percent of male dogs are neutered and 81 percent of female dogs are spayed.

The data also shows what the most common breeds are among licensed dogs. Labradors lead the pack, making up 11 percent of the total. They are followed by short-haired chihuahuas, the breed that gets picked up the most by Animal Services. Then come terriers, German shepherds, pit bulls, Australian shepherds and border collies. The top ten list is rounded out by golden retrievers, miniature poodles and dachshunds.

Monterey County is also home to some rare and exotic breeds. The data shows two pulis, small black hounds who look like their coats are made of dreadlocks; three borzois, also known as Russian wolfhounds; and one Bedlington terrier, which hails from the northeastern corner of England.

On average, there are 1.4 dogs for every dog owner in the data. Seventy-eight people have five dogs or more, and six people have 10 dogs are more.