Some of the most popular dog names in St. Paul? Bella, Lucy, Luna, Max and Charlie — those are the top five names, according to the city’s license database.

“It’s delightful to see what people call their best friends,” said Suzanne Donovan, marketing and public relations manager for Animal Control as well as city dog licenses for the city’s Department of Safety and Inspections.

This year, 1,023 dog licenses were renewed and issued.

A dog license in St. Paul costs $58 per year or $68 for the dog’s lifetime, if they receive an embedded microchip. Discounted prices are given to spayed and neutered canines. Prices drop to $12 per year or $35 for life.

One goal is to enforce the rabies vaccinations, as the city requires for all dogs. Most dog licenses are received annually in the form of metal tags. Life-long licenses can be embedded into the dog’s skin, but are more expensive.

Licensed dogs are three times more likely to return home, according to the city of St. Paul. Animal Control staff may return them directly to their home.

ST. PAUL DOG OWNER

A total of 6,863 dog licenses have been issued by the city in the past five years. Of that number, around 1,300 went to dogs that are purebred or include a mix of Labrador retriever, pit bull, German shepherd or chihuahua.

St. Paul resident Kelly Guzman owns two of those five breeds. And one of them has a top five name.

Max, a 4-year-old Labrador retriever and German shepherd mix, was adopted from the pound. Her son picked him out and the kids were determined to name him after the movie “Max,” where a German shepherd played the lead role.

Jackie, a 2-year-old purebred German shepherd, was purchased from a house breeder. Guzman and her husband, Erick Minero, both grew up with dogs named Jackie, so they wanted to continue the tradition.

Guzman was unaware of the need for dog licenses until she received a complaint about Jackie’s barking. Animal Control visited her house and informed her of this system.

“Not even the rescue place told me that I should have a license at the time,” Guzman said. “It was an eye opener.”

When she asked why she had to pay for it and found out they would bring her lost dogs straight home, Guzman was sold.

“I thought that (licensing) was a great perk,” she said. “They have run away before. My husband has looked all over the place for them. Plus, the frustration of not being able to find them was kind of scary.”

Meanwhile, St. Paul’s Animal Control’s goal is to reunite dogs with their families.

When a new canine is found, staff scan the dog three times and check for collar tags to try locating the identification chip.

If nothing is found, they take a picture of the dog and post its information on various lost-and-found websites.

Animal Control staff also watch lost-and-found discussion boards closely, so they may already have an idea of how to identify the dog.

Animal Control staff prefer owners to retrieve their canines in person to avoid mismatches. They also require proof of ownership. This could include the bill of sale, a recent photograph, microchip records or veterinary records.

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If a dog goes from shaking in the kennel to running up to the kennel bars to greet the owner, Animal Control supervisor Molly Lunaris said she considered that a good sign.

St. Paul Animal Control kennels are open to the public Monday through Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. to view and claim animals.