Name salutes canine survivor

WHAT'S in a name? Plenty, if you ask Jasmin Canuel.
Miss Canuel named her dog Buoy three months ago.
It was a reflection of what he almost became.
Miss Canuel's partner Kris Vindriis  was walking along the beach  when he heard what he thought was a pheasant in the sand dunes.
When he went to check it out, he discovered a black rubbish bag with a 5-month-old puppy inside.
The bitser dog had been hog-tied and duct tape was holding its mouth shut.
"When we undid everything and stood him up, he even couldn't stand."
The couple originally tried to find him a home but Mr Vindriis gave Miss Canuel the dog instead. After a trip to the vet a friend suggested the name.
"Our friend said Buoy because he just about ended up as a buoy. So we thought that would suit."
Mr Vindriis said it was obvious at the time that Buoy had been abused.
"Whenever we would put our arms up he would duck down and he lost teeth from where he had been kicked," he said.
However, Buoy is now "an energy ball", visibly happy with his second chance at life.
Ironically, Buoy enjoys trips to the beach every day where he sometimes plays a game called "boing" - involving running along, jumping and twisting around.
 

 
Meanwhile, what does Snoop Dogg have in common with Mr T and Spongebob? They are all registered at Tauranga City Council.
The council is calling for dog registrations  and according to the 8538 dogs listed with them, there is no shortage of names for them.
Many had obvious namesakes such as Muldoon, Macy Gray, Fonzi, Spongebob, Zsa Zsa, Starsky, Snoop Dogg and Abba to name a few.
Movie fans could be responsible for dogs called Griffindor, Frodo, Cullen, Bridget Jones, Mufasa and Zorro. Alcoholic favourites like Tequila, Kahula, Bailey and Whiskey were also listed.
But it was the simple, standard names that reigned the most popular, with Max and Bella the most popular names of all.
Jack, Molly, Sam, Toby and Ted were also popular.
Dog names are registered at the council every year, animal services team leader Brent Lincoln encouraged people to register their dogs early this year.
"If they register before July, that will cost them $70. After then it will cost $100," Mr Lincoln said.
Any dogs caught unregistered will cost their owner an automatic $300 fine plus registration.

 This year was the first where registration could be paid at New Zealand Post outlets, he said.
Registration  meant it was easy to find a dog's owner if they were lost and picked up by council staff.
"Microchipping is a great tool."
The cut-off date for registration is July 31.