ohmidog!

“Lady” and “Bear” top the list of most popular dog names in the U.S., the American Kennel Club announced today.

In the male category, Bear is followed by Blue, Max, Duke and Buddy. For female dogs, the next most popular names are Bella (or Belle), Princess, May and Rose.

The results are based on a survey of 2007 AKC registration statistics.

“Traditionally names based on a puppy’s physical appearance or personality, such as ‘Spot’ or ‘Sassy,’ have been popular with dog owners,” said AKC Spokesperson Lisa Peterson. “Today we are seeing human names, such as ‘Jack’ and ‘Molly,’ and names that reflect a pet’s stature in the home, such as ‘King’ and ‘Princess,’ gain in popularity as more people consider their dog a valued member of the family.”

The AKC says short, sweet and easily recognizable names work best in getting your dog to be responsive. It recommends using a name that is one or two syllables, ending with a vowel, such as “Sadie” or “Rocky.”

They recommend against name that is long or difficult to say, such as “Sir Barks A Lot,” saying it will only confuse your dog. It also says names that sound like commands — Joe, for instance, sounds like no — should be avoided.

Other recommendations from the AKC include, picking a name that will fit your dog regardless of his age, testing the name out for a day or two before making a 10-15-year commitment, using the name often so the dog can learn it quickly, and not raising your voice every time you call your dog by name. “Try to use his name in positive, playful settings, such as when you feed him, play with him or pet him,” the AKC suggests.

Here’s the full AKC list of most popular names.

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A German shepherd used to keep prison inmates in line escaped from his handler’s home Thursday night and ended up at the Beverly Golf and Tennis Club.

The Boston Herald reported that the dog, named Urek was found Friday morning “hanging around the veranda,” according to the club manager. “He was a pretty ominous-looking character,” she said. “I assume he had tags, but no one wanted to get close enough to look.”

Urek, trained employed by the Essex County Sheriff’s Department to attack on command, harmed no one.

A spokesman said Urek and his handler, K-9 officer Sgt. Mark O’Brien, are no longer partners — at least until an investigation into how the dog broke out is completed.

O’Brien notified area police when he discovered the dog missing. The sheriff’s department located him at the golf course less than a mile from his home.

I’m guessing that, alas, poor Urek just wanted a change of scenery.

With thousands of miles behind them, David Sylvester and his mutt Chiva rolled into New York last week after a stop in their home state of Delaware.

Since leaving Seattle in March, Sylvester and Chiva, adopted from the Delaware SPCA, have criss-crossed Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario and New York, visiting animal shelters all along the way.

David does the pedaling; Chiva — a 50-pound husky-shepherd-boxer-chow mix — rides in a carriage he pulls behind.

Sylvester describes the tour’s purpose as “raising awareness about the challenges and problems animals shelters and control facilities face and improving their images and capabilities.”

Sylvester is a biomedical engineer and vaccine scientist who, after two years of working on a Bill and Melinda Gates Grand Challenge Project, shifted gears to follow his true passion in life: animal welfare.

The Tour de Dog — you can follow Sylvester’s travels on his blog — is part of the first phase of a project that hopes to raise funds to support shelters, increase public knowledge about their role and, eventually result in a documentary.

The Tour de Dog visit to New York kicked off at Bideawee, not far from where New York City, amid fears of rabies, once drowned dogs by the hundreds in the East River, submerging them by the cageful.

On Monday, Sylvester, joined forces with the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, in honor of World Animal Day, and visted four animal rescue organizations: Bideawee, Humane Society of New York, ASPCA, Animal Care and Control of New York City.

(Photo: Sylvester rolls down the street he grew up on, in Delaware, from bikingdog.blogspot.com)