Labradors voted top dogs in quirky council survey

Labradors were voted as the "top dog", followed by Cavalier King Charles spaniels and border collies. Photo / 123rf

Bella and Charlie were voted the top two dog names for 2020.

An informal survey conducted by Wellington City Council asked respondants to vote on their 2020 favourites on everything from best audiobooks to favourite dog names.

Labradors were voted as the "top dog", followed by Cavalier King Charles spaniels and border collies.

Wellington Labrador and Retriever club secretary Trudy Warmerdam said labradors had long been a popular pet choice.

"Labradors are great family dogs but they're also easy to train ... they're great for anything really, guide dogs, hunting, duck shooting, guard dogs," she said.

"They're the most popular family dog because they're so good with kids."

Although Wellington was a dense city, Warmerdam said the access to beaches and hiking trails made it an ideal home for labradors.

A council spokesperson said Wellington City Council was full of dog-lovers, making them the perfect target for the informal survey.

They also voted "Captain Nana Spider-Pig Wolfenstein the Second" and "Snoop Dogg" as favourite dog names.

Titles such as Becoming by Michelle Obama, The Testaments by Margaret Atwood and Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook Simple topped the lists of favourite books.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was also listed as the top audio book.

The council also revealed some of the quirkiest questions they had received over the last 60 years, including queries about a Siamese cat dealer in Wellington, the "groaning noise" at the end of Lambton Quay and where someone could leave their baby for "a couple of nights".