Move over Fido, Rocky, and Duke, enter Gronk, Brady, and Julian.
Diehard fans are known to do some strange things for their teams when it comes to the love of the game, but naming their pets after their favorite players? That takes superstition to a whole new level.
According to an annual survey conducted by PetFirst Pet Insurance, entitled the "Super Bowl of Pet Names," loyal New England Patriots fans are nearly twice as likely to name their pets after their favorite players compared to Rams fans.
"Rooting for a team is fun, but when you name your beloved dog or cat after them it’s a true commitment," said Katie Blakeley, CEO of PetFirst. "Every year, we like to measure fan devotion by comparing names."
The company conducted a test based on registered pet names in a nationwide database of dog and cat owners, and discovered that there are 115 pet names in the United States currently named after Patriots players. By comparison, there are only 61 pets named after Rams players in the country.
Among the more popular names were five-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady, who had 73 different pets named after him. There's even a few dogs and cats named "Gronk."
On the Rams side, the company found that the most popular pet name in the database was "Dante," the same first name as Rams linebacker Dante Fowler Jr,, although its doubtful that pet owners intentionally named their loved one after the player who was only acquired a few months ago at the NFL trade deadline.
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Thus far, there is no "Goffs," Gurleys," or "McVays," but there is a few pets named "Greg," and we have a funny feeling there will be even more named "Greg the Leg," after Rams' kicker Greg Zuerlein converted a 57-yard field goal to send his team to overtime during the NFC Championship game.
Time will tell what names will come after Super Bowl Sunday, but depending on which team is crowned champion, we anticipate a few more pet names to come within the months following the game.
