According to a new poll, Boris is one of the fastest growing names for puppies. Its popularity has almost tripled in the past year.
The Prime Minister’s nickname is a particular favorite among Labradors, cocker spaniels and pugs, according to results from UK pet insurance company More Than.
Research shows the name’s popularity has increased since Mr Johnson moved to 10 Downing Street last year.
Boris is now the 74th most common title for a puppy in the UK, jumping up from 128th. The name is also the 48th most popular for a kitten, rising from 123, reported The Times .
Faye Archer, 41, who lives in Richmond, North Yorkshire with her husband Steve, named their fox Labrador puppy Boris because of his frown.
She bred a litter of five pups and named them all after characters who made the news that year.
“Boris Johnson always looks like he’s very worried,” she told the publication. “Boris the puppy isn’t too worried, but he’s probably the quieter one of the group.
“That’s why we called him Boris – because he looks like he’s been cornered.”
One of her other pups, all five weeks old this weekend, was named Hancock after Health Secretary Matt Hancock because he’s “more boisterous” and has a bit more brag about him.
The other three female pups are named Gigi, after model Gigi Hadid, Jenner, after Kylie Jenner and Babs, after actress Dame Barbara Windsor, who died last week at the age of 83.
Meanwhile, Matt Frost, 43, admitted he renamed his seven-year-old cat Gordon, Boris, because he didn’t feel the pet suited the ‘serious’ original title.
Katy Conway, 40, revealed to the publication that she named her 12-year-old Yorkshire springer spaniel Boris before the moniker increased in popularity.
She said this was because she found Boris to be a cute name you wouldn’t necessarily call your child.
The name Luna came out top in the findings for both puppies and kittens this year, while Snoopy, the beagle in the Peanuts comic strip, was less popular, dropping from sixth most common last year to 347th.
Pet ownership has increased this year, with a recent Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association (PFMA) study finding two million young Britons have recently bought pets.
Another 16 percent of all 24 to 35 year olds – a total of 1.8 million people – have announced that they will soon have a pet. The PFMA believes this is due to millennials feeling lonely at home during the lockdown.
More than Graham Nicholls said, “Dogs and cats have brought comfort to millions of Britons in this troubled year, and for many new pet owners this is much-needed society and a boost to our spirits.
“For those who already have pets, more time at home means we are closer to them.”
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