Pet Tip: What's in a Dog's Name?

If you are reading this, odds are you are one of the many people who consider dogs to be members of our families. One of the ways we demonstrate this is the careful consideration we give to naming our dogs. There was a time when dog names where typically descriptive of the dog's physical traits, such as Spot, Shadow, Fluffy, or Tiny or a dog specific name such as Fido, Rex, Brownie, Apollo, Patches, Buddy, or Banjo.

But, today's dogs tend to strut around the dog park showing off collars which identify them with a name that could easily be mistaken for that of any other human member of their family. Some of the most popular names we see are Gracie, Norman, Lilly, Oscar, Lucy, George, Ruby, Dylan, Sadie, Jack, Sophie, Stella, Talullah, Zoe and Max.

Some dog names honor a pet paren'ts special interest, hobby or place. There is Jackson (Hole, WY), Fenway (Park), Harley (Davidson), Meatball, Meteor, Yankee, Jeter, Brooklyn, or Bronx.

We all get a giggle when we meet a new dog named after a food. Maybe it is so delightful because it signifies how delicious we think our dog is. Porkchop, Pudding, Peanut, and Noodle are surely names of dogs who are good enough to eat.

Inspiration also seems to come from the animal kingdom. I've met a Border Terrier named Otter (they do look a bit alike), quite a few Chow Chows named Bear, a Brussels Griffon named Monkey, and a Weimeraner named Seal (although this might thave been inspired by the ... Keep Reading