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On DogTime.com Are Dogs the New Kids

Hear the words "Good girl, Molly!" or "Jake, don't eat that!" and without visual context, it's difficult to say for certain whether you've stumbled onto a children's playground or into the local dog park.

As VPI's list of 2007's top ten dog names confirms, we're christening our dogs with names fit for human identification -- and cementing the notion that more than ever, Americans consider pets part of the family.

What's more, the trend has been gaining momentum. Max and Molly have been topping (or nearly topping) the list for the last four years, while Sam, Sasha, and Zoe float in and out of the top ten.

"It's no coincidence that as we spend more on our nation's pet, the dog names we're choosing are also more precious." said Clare Ellis, Editor of DogTime.com. "We lavish our dogs with gifts, clothing, and bakery items rivaling any you may find from a Paris caf."

The move away from Spot, Sparky, and Rover toward Chloe, Lucy, and Max suggests, in essence, that we now perceive our pets in much the same way we do our own children.

According to Ellis, there is even some overlap between the year's most popular baby names and the most common dog names. While Jack is the only one that appears unaltered (excuse the pun) on both dog and children's name lists, variations on the same name pop up frequently. Bella is the number one name for female dogs, and Isabella ranks second among girls' names for children. In the number one slot for girl names for children, it's Sophia, and Sophie appears at number six for female dogs. Finally, Jacob -- number three on the boys list -- shows up as Jake on the dog list at number five.

Top Ten dog male names

1. Max

2. Buddy

3. Rocky

4. Bailey

5. Jake

6. Charlie

7. Jack

8. Toby

9. Cody

10. Buster

Top Ten dog female names

1. Bella

2. Molly

3. Lucy

4. Maggie

5. Daisy

6. Sophie

7. Sadie

8. Chloe

9. Bailey

10. Lola

Please attribute this story to DogTime.com.

About DogTime:

DogTimeMedia is a pet media network exclusively focused on pets,

reaching more than 10 million pet lovers through 50 pet sites,

including Dogtime.com the new and best site for dog people. Trevor Wright is President and Clare Ellis is Editor and SVP for Content.

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