Ryan Protasowicki, owner of an 11-month-old cockapoo named Bella, said he knew Bella was a popular name, but he was shocked to learn there were 17 others in Lynnfield since it’s a small community.
Out of more than 950 dogs registered in the Town of Lynnfield, 18 are named Bella. These good girls range in size from a little ol’ terrier mix with soft, curly fur to a fluffy Siberian husky with the brightest, bluest eyes — and their ages range from under 1 to over 16.
According to Rover, Bella was the second most popular female dog name in 2024 across the U.S. According to a U.S. News study, Bella is the second most popular dog name across the U.S. overall, as of this past May. Chewy’s list of the top 400 dog names in 2025 lists Bella at No. 1.
All 18 of Lynnfield’s Bellas were invited to a Bella meet-and-greet, and four were able to attend.
Betsy Egan has had her 14-year-old dachshund Bella since she was 3. Bella’s previous owner raised her as an only dog, but she found herself with two older siblings when Egan adopted her, both also dachshunds named Sophie and Douglas.
Sophie and Douglas, who have now passed, took Bella under their paws and trained her on how to be a dog, but Egan still said that of all the dogs she’s had over the years, Bella is “the one that’s most like a human.”
And although Bella the Dachshund wasn’t used to other dogs or the downtown Lynnfield area, as three dogs approached her at the Meeting House, her nose twitched with excitement and her eyes eagerly looked to her potential new friends, who just so happened to share her name.
Shari Sarnevitz brought her 13-year-old terrier mix to the Bella meet-and-greet, and Bella the Terrier Mix became fast friends with Bella the Dachshund. Bella the Terrier Mix was originally from California, and Sarnevitz said a recent DNA test showed her Bella was actually a shih tzu, poodle and chihuahua mix.
When Egan and Sarnevitz were asked if their beloved Bellas were getting along, they both gave an enthusiastic ‘yes!’ They agreed that since their Bellas were about the same size and age, they got along really well.
The two played and shared kisses as they received some love and pets from the various humans.
Kim Vetere brought her 6-year-old Siberian husky Bella who was full of love and energy. Vetere described her girl as beautiful, of course, and very stubborn.
“If she’s laying on the floor, and I sit down to pet her, she gets up, and she runs away. She plays hard to get 100% all the time,” Vetere said.
She added that “she’s very vocal. I can get her going whenever I want. I can make her howl. But she’s not loud. She just howls. She says ‘hi.’ She’s a very sweet dog.
“She wants to play. She wants to love everybody. She’s just a happy, sweet dog.”
As Bella the Siberian husky mingled among the smaller dogs, she sniffed, smiled and wagged her thick tail. Her energy level matched well with Bella the cockapoo.
“It’s kind of cool to meet other town people who have something in common with you but you would have never known,” Protasowicki said.
Coming very close to Bella’s count of 18 dogs in Lynnfield was the name Daisy with 15, and rounding out the top three with 13 was Lucy. The top five includes dogs named Teddy with 12 and variations of Frank and Frankie with 11.
Some honorable mentions from the Town’s registry of dogs include a shih tzu named Chocolito, a German shepherd named Fiddle, a boarder collie named Freckles, a catahoula mix named Gumbo, a mixed breed dog named Sea Biscuit, a lab named Waffles, and one retriever named Belle, who was just one letter away from the gold.
