Squarely built and carefully clipped, Deborah Donovan's 45-pound black standard poodle has been known to turn a few heads on the sidewalk.
So many that Donovan and her husband, Joe, could not help but name their pet Radar.
"He's our Romeo," Deborah Donovan said. "He's a magnet for human beings."
The Ellicott City couple, who did not want a typical name for their dog, chose a moniker shared only by two other registered pooches in Howard County: a mixed-breed and a sheep dog.
But had they chosen to call their poodle Max, they might have been disappointed to hear that 115 other owners had the same name in mind.
A database analysis of Howard's 8,629 registered dogs with current licenses shows Max at the top of the list, followed by Molly, Maggie and Buddy (which tied for third) and Shadow.
Labrador retrievers and mixed-breed dogs tend to be most popular, followed by German shepherds and beagles.
Of the county's 2,354 licensed cats, Shadow and Tiger are on top, followed closely by Tigger, Smokey and Molly.
Howard's name bank of registered pets, a mix of the popular - and most unusual - dog and cat names, shows many people are leaving behind old standbys such as Spot, Rover and Socks.
Mamacita, Motor Boat and Zamboni are a few inexplicable county pet names. Experts say dog and cat owners are increasingly searching for names with meaning, or else for those they would give to human members of their families as well.
"People often name pets after people who are important to them, [and] after places," said George Greenfield, author of The Complete Book of Pet Names. "But I think the most important thing to finding a name is when it resonates with you."
Elkridge resident David Cunningham, who owns three cats and a beagle-Doberman mix named Jasmine, said he makes sure the names he chooses properly suit his animals.
He said he calls one cat D'Artagnan, after the character in The Three Musketeers, because the feline is bold and fearless.
"My wife and I let our pets' personalities name themselves," Cunningham said. "I just like to have the name fit the being. It's more aesthetic that way."
Often, pet names are reflective of elements of popular culture, like movies, artists, brand names and alcoholic beverages.
Starbuck and Sinbad
Some Howard County dogs, for example, are called Starbuck, Cosmo Kramer, Corona and Puff Daddy. Cats share names like Sinbad, Pearl Jam and Orphan Annie.
Even before Mike Irwin picked up his stout English bulldog from the breeder, Irwin said his wife had the perfect name in mind: Rocky.
"In the [Sylvester Stallone] movie, Rocky had a bulldog. So we just called him Rocky," said Irwin, an Ellicott City resident. "Actually, he's getting a sister" in a few weeks.
What will Irwin call the family's new white bulldog?
"Adrian," he said, smiling, after Rocky's girlfriend and wife.
Sometimes, pet owners cannot seem to put their fingers on it: The name just sounds right.
Paul Guillet of Ellicott City cannot explain why his wife chose Abby for the couple's 18-month-old golden retriever mix. But 23 other dog owners in Howard County had the same idea.
"We went to the computer" for suggestions, Guillet said. "As soon as she saw 'Abby,' she said, 'That will be it.'"
Nor can Ellicott City resident Carol Johnson say why she chose to call her 15-month-old Akita-Labrador mix Sadie.
"Just popped into my head," Johnson said, "And it worked."
Some believe the move toward more "human" names - such as Abby and Sadie - suggests that people are thinking of their pets as family.
California-based Veterinary Pet Insurance recently analyzed a database of more than 220,000 names for dogs, cats, hamsters, birds and other pets to find the most common names.
VPI's list of top male names includes Max, Buddy, Jake, Rocky and Bailey, and for females, Molly, Maggie, Daisy, Lucy and Sadie.
'Part of the family'
"You still have Spot, Sparky and Spunky," said VPI spokeswoman Michelle Desai. But "we feel as though people are treating their pets as part of the family."
Greenfield, who compiled a database of 302,277 pet names for his book, lists the top monikers as: Max, Sam, Lady, Bear, Smokey and Shadow.
Greenfield's list of the top 25 picks includes at least 11 names typically chosen for people, including Missy, Samantha, Jake and Sam.
But who can say that some names are for pets and others are for people?
According to Greenfield, "Names come from everywhere."
He said he turned to his book recently when searching for a middle name for his newborn, Spencer Nash.
"I got the idea first from the pet name book," Greenfield said, laughing. And he vowed never to tell his son.
Top names
Here are the top 10 names among Howard County's 8,629 registered dogs:
1 Max ............. 6 Jake
2 Molly ........... 7 Bailey
3* Maggie ...... 8 Casey
3* Buddy ........9 Daisy
5 Shadow ....... 10 Lucy
*Tied
Here are the top 10 names among Howard County's 2,354 registered cats :
1 Shadow .......... 6 Max
2 Tiger ............... 6 Pumpkin
3* Tigger ............ 8* Kitty
3* Smokey .......... 8* Buddy
3* Molly ...............8* Misty
*Tied
Note: The numbers reflect animals that have been registered with Howard County's Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits. All pets must be licensed on an annual or three-year basis. Cats and dogs whose licenses expired within the past year were eliminated from the totals.