Lockdown inspires new era of dog names – including ‘Zoom’, ‘Boris’ and ‘Big Mac’
Dog owners have also started to name their new pooches after defining components of quarantine: Including technology, fast food and the Prime Minister...
Lockdown has given birth to a new wave of dog names in Britain – with pet owners taking inspiration from the most prevalent features and characters of quarantine.
According to personalised dog shop Yappy.com, there has been an astonishing 325% rise in the number of pets named ‘Boris’ over the past six months – although it’s unclear whether that news would please or disappoint our current Prime Minister.
Dog owners have also started to name their new pooches after defining components of quarantine: namely Technology and fast food.
The number of pooches named ‘Zoom’ has risen 75% in 2020, whereas we’re also beginning to see a lot more canines called ‘Big Mac’.
‘Nugget’ also ranked high.
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Yappy.com
The ‘Top 10 Lockdown-Inspired Dog Names’ were ranked in their percentage rise by Yappy.com, and the results were as follows:
Boris +325%
Zoom +75%
Big Mac +56%
Whopper +48%
Nugget +42%
Bubbles +35%
Rainbow +29%
Hope +25%
Costa +22%
Waffles +16%
A little further down the list were names like ‘Oreo’, ‘Cookie’ and ‘Guinness’.
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‘Dumpling’ also made it into the top twenty.
Yappy.com
Yappy.com’s Head of the pack John Smith says: “We saw a record number of new registrations to our personalised dog gift shop during lockdown and it’s apparent that the nation’s dog owners are being more creative than ever when naming their dogs, with current world events, TV shows and even favourite food and drink influencing their choices.
“Judging by the quirky names profiled on our online shop during lockdown, we predict there will be some really quirky names signed at the bottom of Christmas cards this year.”
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New pet registrations have soared since COVID-19 sent the country into quarantine in March – with many people desiring a companion during isolation.
A ‘puppy boom’ has also occurred as a result of lockdown, with the likes of local charity Dogs4Rescue aiming to open a second site to cater for demand.
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‘Seriously injured’ man rescued from reservoir dam at popular Bolton country park
Emily Sergeant
A significant emergency service response descended on a popular country park in Bolton early yesterday evening.
After reports of a person in the water at Jumbles Reservoir, in the Bromley Cross / Bradshaw area of Bolton, came in just before 6:30pm yesterday (Monday 18 May), teams from North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), Lancashire Constabulary, and Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service all attended the scene in droves.
Specialist support was also provided from NWAS’s Hazardous Area Response Team, North West Air Ambulance, Bolton Mountain Rescue Team, National Police Air Service, and United Utilities – which looks after the reservoir.
It was also confirmed that a HM Coastguard helicopter was requested to attend the scene.
At this time, no formal statement has been made by the police, but Bolton Mountain Rescue Team has taken to social media to update the concerned public on the situation as it unfolds.
Their statement reads: “At 18:28 this evening, the team was contacted by North West Ambulance Service with the report of a person in the water at Jumbles Reservoir, Bolton.
“We worked alongside colleagues from NWAS and their Hazardous Area Response Team, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, North West Air Ambulance, National Police Air Service, Lancashire Constabulary, and United Utilities. A HM Coastguard helicopter was also requested.
“A seriously injured male was rescued from within the overflow structure on the reservoir dam and was conveyed to hospital for further treatment.”
According to reports in the MEN, pictures and videos posted on social media showed rope rescue teams along with water rescue units also in attendance, and the emergency response was seen in the main car park off Bradshaw Road.
Further statements and updates on the situation are expected in due course.
Featured Image – David Dixon (Wikimedia Commons / Geograph)
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Bury primary school teaching assistant jailed after pleading guilty to child sex offences
Emily Sergeant
A teaching assistant from Bury has been sentenced after pleading guilty to multiple sex offences against a ‘vulnerable’ young boy.
Terri Cook, of Masefield Avenue in Radcliffe, appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week, where she was sentenced after pleading guilty to eight charges of sexual offences.
The sentencing came after officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Child Protection Investigation Unit (CPIU) began in ‘intense’ investigation into Cook back in September of last year after a member of the public reported seeing her out with a young boy.
The subsequent investigation showed that she had been grooming and manipulating the young boy into engaging in a sexual relationship with her.
Police found numerous messages on Cook’s phone where she had been inciting sexual communications with the boy and holding indecent images of him, and she was also found to have been buying him expensive items, like jewellery and clothing, for a period of more than nine months.
During a powerful statement read out in court, the young boy was described as being ‘extremely kind and caring’, with his mum adding: “Despite experiencing traumatic events earlier in his life, he continued to be positive and compassionate. He smiled every day and made us all laugh.”
Cook was sentenced four-and-a-half years in prison for eight charges of sexual offences.
Speaking following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Adam Stanfield, from GMP’s Bury CPIU, said: “This case was a horrific example of calculated abuse of power, and Cook targeted a vulnerable child who put his trust in her.
“Grooming is a form of manipulation that can leave lasting emotional and psychological damage, and our priority remains protecting young people and supporting victims as they recover.
“This sentencing also emphasises our unwavering commitment to protecting male victims. They can be victims too and I urge anyone who believes they may have been through anything similar to please report to us.”
The Manc -
24th September 2020 
