Top 10 Puppy Bowl 2015 Dog Names

 

This year's 11th (!) annual Pedigree Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet boasts an adorable -- and adoptable -- field of 57 young dogs from rescues all across the nation.

 

These gridiron growlers compete for glory against the Super Bowl broadcast, the most-watched show of the year. And with the usual plethora of dog-themed commericials featured during the game, the first Sunday in February's become a dog lover's TV paradise.

 

DoggieNames.com conducted exhaustive research into this large group and have come up with the Top 10 most interesting monikers associated with the 2015 contest.

 

1. Smudge -- Little Smudge is listed as a Havanese mix from Florida. We love this name for a small black or grey-coated pup.

 

2. Boomer -- Boomer rocks for a big dog, and also works for football fans, since ESPN's gridiron expert Chris Berman goes by this nickname.

 

3. Faulkner -- We're suckers for literary names, especially when they honor great American authors like William Faulkner. 

 

4. Starlight -- This pretty moniker could reference any number of different favorites, from the famed Amtrak train, the Coast Starlight, and the rock musical Starlight Express, to the song of that name by artists as varied as Taylor Swift, ELO and Muse and the British fairy-tale rhyme "Star Light, Star Bright."

 

5. Keno -- We couldn't think of a cuter name for a little terrier mix from the Nevada SPCA, except maybe Roulette, Blackjack or Slots. 

 

6. Bowser – Instead of going with the usual "Most Popular" trend of human names like Bella or Max for your pooch, DoggieNames.com likes this more canine-themed moniker. It fits just about any size or breed, too.

 

7. Miss Martian – No earthly idea how the rescue group came up with this out-of-this-world name for the 12-week-old coonhound mix from Williamson County, Tennessee, but it sure is cute. It actually might work better for a red or rust-coated pup, though.

 

8. Mr. Fantastic -- This little terrier mix is from the same Tennessee rescue as Miss Martian, and would be a fine name for any male pet. I'd make the nickname either Mister or Fanta.

 

9. Sniffles -- Though this particular pup is listed as a Shih Tzu mix, Sniffles would work really well for any sort of scent hound or a dog with a prominent or interesting nose.

 

10. Titan – A good, strong, solid name for a dog, especially one who's competing in this famed contest.

 

Which one of these names is your fave? Tell us about it!