Dogs of South Lyon: A Look at Popular Breeds and Names
(Kurt Metzger, June 9, 2023)
South Lyon, MI – The South Lyon/Lyon Township community has been one of the fastest growth areas in Oakland County over the last two decades. The 2020 Census recorded a combined population of 35,017 residents occupying 13,348 households. Households averaged 2.93 persons in the township, but only 2.32 persons in the city. The 1,384 registered dogs equate to one dog per ten households. While this seems to be a rather small ratio, I will leave that to the county dog census takers to determine registration rates.
Retrievers are far and way the favorite dogs in the community, with the Labrador Retriever (190) and Golden Retriever (98) coming in 1st and 2nd, respectively. Only 3 other “breeds” number 40 or more – the Shih Tzu (73), German Shepherd (56), and the Mixed, or Mutt (47). In the naming department, community residents tended to follow the patterns seen in other communities. Bella led all other names with 22, followed by Lucy, Max, Daisy, Charlie and Sadie.
The unique nature of names is illustrated by the fact that 693 dogs have received unique names, shared with no one in town. My favorites are Bartlebee, Cloudy, Espresso, Flapjack, Frostbite, Keeper, Mistake, Q, Rhombus, Riot and Vanilla.
As a side note, I used to have 2 dogs – a terrier mix named Sunny and a Maltese named Rocky. While Sunny mirrored his name in attitude (similar to my beautiful, outgoing wife), Rocky tended to be more stand offish (like me). It was this personality trait that led to one of our neighborhood children renaming Rocky, and calling him Cloudy.
Oakland County requires dogs to be licensed. Residents can do so through Oakland County Animal Shelter and Pet Adoption Center.
Visit the Data-Based Stories Archives on Oakland County Times for stories on voter turnout, population shifts, Dogs of Oakland County, and other statistics-related stories, thanks to Data Expert Kurt Metzger.
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