Last year, 113,000 dogs in Flanders were registered in the dog database DogID (a 4.5% rise compared to 2020), with Luna and Max as the most popular dog names, announced Flemish Animal Welfare Ben Weyts.
For female dogs, Luna was the most frequently given name (557 times) last year, followed by Mila (361) and Nala (357). For males, Max takes the crown (420 times), followed by Jack (298) and Milo (266).
In 2021, the highest number of dogs was registered since the start-up of the database in 1998, reports Weyts. The total number of registered dogs now stands at 1,378,400.
The most-registered breed was the so-called 'canis vulgaris' (9,842) which means it concerns a street dog or a dog whose breed is unknown. In second place was the chihuahua (7,016), followed by the border collie (5,896).
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Since 1998, dogs have had to be identified and registered in Flanders, and all dogs must be microchipped and registered before they are traded. That registration happens via the official platform DogID.
In theory, all those newly-registered dogs are still alive and living in Flanders, because normally owners also have to report the death of their dog, although this does not always happen.
According to DogID, owners had to say goodbye to almost 15,000 dogs. Additionally, 169 dogs were reported as stolen and 381 dogs were lost. That figure is going down year after year: since 2015, the number of lost dogs has decreased by 55%.
According to Weyts, that is one of the advantages of registration. "This way it is easier to find your dog when it has run away or been stolen, but the Government can also better control the dog trade," he said.
