Revealed! Gowanus' Most Uniquely Popular Dog Name

This local beagle is not named Mabel. Photo by Christopher Reid

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — While the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene cannot seem to find time to compile a comprehensive database of lead levels in public-housing tap water (or even an incomprehensive one), it did find time, this week, to draw up an interactive map of New York City's most uniquely popular dog names, neighborhood by neighborhood, based on the city's database of licensed dogs.

And because of this noble, taxpayer-funded effort, we now know that the most uniquely popular dog name in Gowanus is Mabel.

There are 60 dogs in NYC with the name Mabel, according to the database. While the name is ranked 288th in popularity citywide, it's the 29th most common dog name in the area encompassing Gowanus and Park Slope — making it the most "uniquely popular" in the neighborhood.

Mabel. Because apparently Gowanus dogs are just curmudgeonly, funny-smelling grandmothers in training.