Paris and Nicole were strays, found wandering the streets of Fresno, California, before being brought in to Pets in Need, an animal shelter in the San Francisco Bay Area, in February. Chihuahuas, along with pit bulls, are two of the most common types of dogs at shelters, and they’re often handicapped by negative preconceptions about their breeds. Finding homes for them can be challenging; finding a home for two can be even more difficult.

However, Paris and Nicole were at the Bay Area shelter for no more than a month before their new owner scooped them up. Marsa Hollander, the Programs Manager at Pets In Need, is pretty sure their names had something to do with this. “You can’t split up an iconic duo like that,” she told OK Whatever.

If this sounds gimmicky, it’s not. Each year, 3.9 million dogs enter animal shelters nationwide, according to the ASPCA. A little over half of them get adopted and find “furever homes.” The other half are euthanized. If something as simple as naming a Rottweiler “Justin Bieber” or dubbing a pregnant beagle mix “Beyonce” will help get them adopted, it’s no wonder so many shelters have jumped on this bandwagon.

KC Pet Project, the city shelter in Kansas City, Missouri, has had great success finding homes for rescue dogs using celebrity or historical names. They care for over 10,000 animals a year and receive about 30 new ones each day, so helping each pet to stand out is vital. Currently, KC Pet Project has canine residents named after the gangster Al Capone, the actor Danny Devito, the ‘80s cartoon She-Ra, and Van Halen lead singer David Lee Roth.

“Over the years, we’ve had a lot of Kansas City Royals players, Friends characters, as well as other popular TV shows or movies at the time, like Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, and Harry Potter,” said Tori Fugate, the shelter’s Chief Communications Officer.

Fugate has noticed that pets named after local Kansas City heroes, especially professional athletes, tend to have the most luck when getting adopted.

“We had a sweet feline leukemia virus (FeLV) positive cat that we named Catrick Mahomes [after the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes]. People loved his name. It really helped him get a lot of attention since FeLV+ cats can often be harder to place for shelters. He ended up finding a new home shortly after we initially posted about him on Instagram.”