Brea, Calif. (Mar. 12, 2012) – The fanatic frenzy of March Madness is upon us. While the road to the Final Four is daunting, Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI), the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI), the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, analyzed its database of more than 485,000 insured pets to find which March Madness teams have the pet power it takes to cut down the nets on April 2 in New Orleans. After all, last year’s championship game featured the Huskies (Connecticut) vs. Bulldogs (Butler).
Below is a list of the most popular pet names based on the teams in the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and VPI’s database of 485,000 insured pets (total number of pets sharing that name in parenthesis):
# Duke (1,311)
# Bear (1,282) - Baylor
# George (548) - Georgetown
# Tiger (509) – Missouri, Memphis
# Bonnie (339) – St. Bonaventure
# Titan (206) - Detroit
# Louis (190) – St. Louis
# Murray (180) – Murray State
# Rebel (101) - UNLV
# Gator (67) - Florida
# Bruin (59) - Belmont
# Lobo (47) – New Mexico
# Aggie (43) – New Mexico State
# Buckeye (38) – Ohio State
# Jay (34) – Creighton
# Badger (31) – Wisconsin
# Carolina (24) – North Carolina, NC State
# Cougar (24) – BYU
# Sparty/Spartan (18) – Mich. St., Norfolk St.
# Irish (18) – Notre Dame
# Hoosier (13) – Indiana
# Bull (12) – South Florida
# Kansas (10)
# Crimson (10) – Alabama, Harvard
There are also two pets named Izzo (Michigan State head coach); one named Dean Smith (former North Carolina head coach); and six each named Hoops and Rebound.
Best of Breed
The 2012 tourney field is partial to a variety of pets, with several breeds filling out the field.
Cats litter the March Madness brackets in force, including:
# Wildcats – (3) Kentucky, Kansas State and Davidson)
# Bearcats – Cincinnati
# Bobcats – Ohio
# Catamounts - Vermont
It will be a dog day afternoon at many tournament sites, featuring these pooch inspired mascots:
# Bulldogs – (2) Gonzaga, UNC-Asheville
# Huskies – Connecticut
# Greyhounds – Loyola (MD)
# Cavaliers (King Charles Spaniel) - Virginia
Which team will cut down the nets April 2 in New Orleans?
Based on the data above, the 2012 pet inspired March Madness winner will be the Duke Blue Devils! In fact, the name “Duke” ranks 38th on VPI’s list of most popular pet names, which encompasses more than 65,000 pet monikers.
About Veterinary Pet Insurance
With more than 485,000 pets insured nationwide, Veterinary Pet Insurance Co./DVM Insurance Agency is the No. 1 veterinarian-recommended pet health insurance company and is a member of the Nationwide Insurance family of companies. Providing pet owners with peace of mind since 1982, the company is committed to being the trusted choice of America’s pet lovers and an advocate of pet health education. VPI Pet Insurance plans cover dogs, cats, birds and exotic pets for multiple medical problems and conditions relating to accidents, illnesses and injuries. Optional CareGuard® coverage is available for routine care (Premier Plan includes dental cleaning benefit).
Medical plans are available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. More than 2,700 companies nationwide offer VPI Pet Insurance as an employee benefit. Policies are underwritten by Veterinary Pet Insurance Company in California and in all other states by National Casualty Company, an A+15 rated company in Madison, Wisconsin. Pet owners can find VPI Pet Insurance on Facebook or follow @VPI on Twitter. For more information about VPI Pet Insurance, visit
http://www.petinsurance.com/affiliates/nat...
Posted By: How May I Help You NC
Monday, March 19th 2012 at 3:43PM
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