max is top dog.

in dog news, max was the most popular dog name in new york city (it's not nearly as catchy as maximillian the valiant, max-the-v to friends, i have to say). and mutts the most popular dog. the names wally and ethel were not on the list for some reason. perhaps because, like madonna or cher, once a name is attached to an icon it's really not fair to make another dog live up to the standard set.

NEW YORK (AP) — Max has collared the title of top dog name in New York City again.

Lucky fetched second spot. Princess took third, and hot on her tail were Rocky and Buddy, leaving the Top 5 names unchanged from 2004.

Mixed breeds, with 7,374 new licenses, outnumbered other varieties in 2005. They were followed by Labrador retrievers. Pit bulls and Shih Tzus captured the third and fourth places, clawing their way up from fourth and fifth the year before. German shepherds were the fifth most popular breed, down from third place.