Lovey appears 64 times at rank 1611 on female pets. It's one of those names that sits right at the boundary between endearment and actual name — the kind of thing owners call a puppy for two weeks before it sticks permanently to the paperwork, which is exactly how a lot of these registry entries happen.
The Endearment-as-Name Phenomenon
Lovey belongs in the same registry category as Sweetie and Babe: terms of affection that owners used so consistently they became official. The name skews toward small breeds — Cavaliers, Maltese, Shih Tzus — and toward owners who are unabashedly sentimental about their pets. There's no irony in Lovey, and that's the point.
Sound and Fit
LUV-ee is two bright syllables, easy to extend into a call ("Lovey, come!"), and immediately communicates warmth. Dogs respond well to the soft "v" and the bright final vowel. It's a strong fit for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, where the name matches the breed's famously affectionate temperament. The human-name comparison is at /names/lovey.
The Counter-Reading
The name's only limitation is that it blends with baby-talk, which means strangers at the dog park occasionally don't register it as an actual name. For owners who care about that, the answer is Lovey-with-a-surname. For most owners who choose Lovey, the blurring is the entire appeal.