- Location
- Monmouthshire, Wales
I'm having difficulty sleeping so I've come downstairs so I don't disturb OH. As I got out of bed Holly took over my side so I might not be able to get back into bed!
How did you choose your dogs name?
- Thread starter Leanne
- Start date
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
It's amazing how many people you realise you dislike when you try to name your baby
Atemas
UK Tour Guide
- Location
- North Cambridgeshire
Sky was named Paige by her first owners who couldn’t keep her. We didn’t want her called Paige so for a week she had no name. We took her for a walk one dark gloomy day - the sky was very black - so she became Sky.
Red had a red collar on her when we picked her at 4 weeks. We couldn’t decide on a name and the breeders needed to register her chip so we said Red - it just sort of suited her - she was quite yellow when tiny but her red colour has come through especially on the back of her hind legs. We then discovered her dad has the name Red in his pedigree name. He is a deep red Labrador - mum is black.
Red had a red collar on her when we picked her at 4 weeks. We couldn’t decide on a name and the breeders needed to register her chip so we said Red - it just sort of suited her - she was quite yellow when tiny but her red colour has come through especially on the back of her hind legs. We then discovered her dad has the name Red in his pedigree name. He is a deep red Labrador - mum is black.
- Location
- Vlaardingen, the Netherlands
When we got our first lab we let the children decide what name to pick. It became the Dutch Doerak stands for naughty. Our second we wanted to be more in control and choose together. As the children were older it had to be a ‘mature’ name. As we liked Irish and Scottish names and wanted to name our second dog that way. So Euan....Our third we wanted them to match, it became Finn. We didn’t know it was also a very popular boys name in Holland!
When we were looking for a chocolate lab puppy my youngest son said she had to be called Wispa, after the chocolate bar. Out with his friends one evening, they had decided this would be funny, as my OH had a loud voice and it would be great to hear him calling “Wispa” out in the garden. Eventually the puppy we chose was yellow, not chocolate, but the name Wispa stuck (and there is a ‘Wispa Gold’ chocolate bar).
Tuppence is our second black lab. Our first lab was called Penny (already named by the breeder, as they lived near Spare Penny Lane and she was the last of the litter of ten to find a home) so, although we considered other names like Ebony, we settled on Tuppence because she is our second black lab.
Tuppence is our second black lab. Our first lab was called Penny (already named by the breeder, as they lived near Spare Penny Lane and she was the last of the litter of ten to find a home) so, although we considered other names like Ebony, we settled on Tuppence because she is our second black lab.
Boogie
Moderator
- Location
- Manchester UK
My eldest son lives in Heidelberg, Germany. He is a nurse. While he was learning German he took lots of jobs like waiter, chambermaid and carer. One of the people he cared for was blind and had a Guide Dog called Tatze (it means ‘paw’ in German - the paw of a big beast lol)
When we went to pick her up he was home and came with me. I had two names in mind - Rosie and Pepper. But, feeling pleased to have him with me I let him choose her name. Now I am stuck with explaining it every time we meet someone new
But, of course, it suits her. All dogs grow into their names.
Guide dogs have some crazy names due to the litter letter system - there are some weird Qs and Zs!
Spencer was sponsored my Marks and Spencer, the York branch. We went a and visited last month for his photo shoot. They donated £5000 to name him and GDs phone me for regular ‘pupdates’ to keep them up to date.
When we went to pick her up he was home and came with me. I had two names in mind - Rosie and Pepper. But, feeling pleased to have him with me I let him choose her name. Now I am stuck with explaining it every time we meet someone new
But, of course, it suits her. All dogs grow into their names.
Guide dogs have some crazy names due to the litter letter system - there are some weird Qs and Zs!
Spencer was sponsored my Marks and Spencer, the York branch. We went a and visited last month for his photo shoot. They donated £5000 to name him and GDs phone me for regular ‘pupdates’ to keep them up to date.
Emily_Babbelhund
Mama Red HOT Pepper
- Location
- Regensburg, Germany
Hey, way to strike up a conversation, right? The only places "Brogan" didn't cause quite the conversation for me were Ireland (of course) and the UK (which we only visited once together for 3 days so not much of a test). Otherwise it completely baffled people and was impossible to remember. Not for me, for them.Now I am stuck with explaining it every time we meet someone new
The most common comment was from people who knew at least a little English and thought I was saying "Broken". I got chastised numerous times for having been so cruel - or just dumb - as to have named my dog Broken. Side note: Brogan's orthopaedic surgeon nicknamed him "Broken Brogan". As he did two TPLOs on Brogan, I guess he wasn't entirely wrong, but I didn't REALY appreciate the joke, especially after the 100th time.
- Location
- Andorra and Spain
I once knew someone who had a dog (a Rottie, no less) called "Brain Dead".
- Location
- South Manchester England
I have a list of 23 puppy names on my phone, near the top is Stanley ( my late Dad’s name) and the name we wish we had stuck with. (Of course now I know there is only one Stanley!!) Ruben is on the list as is Duncan. Fergus is second from bottom, we had a eureka moment en route for a puppy visit and plumped for that as the breeder wanted to know for the chip. Our Scottish neighbour calls him Hamish initially because she kept forgetting, now in jest. I think it suits him. I’d much rather have had time with him at home before settling on a name.
initially because she kept forgetting, now in jest. I think it suits him. I’d much rather have had time with him at home before settling on a name.- Location
- Close to Devon/Somerset border
Molly's name just came to me the moment I saw her - no idea why.
Our previous lab was BJ which worked for several reasons, including the fact that his registered name ended with Black Jack, so BJ he became. There have been questions occasionally about the origins of it ..... and once a very rude suggestion as to what it stands for
Our previous lab was BJ which worked for several reasons, including the fact that his registered name ended with Black Jack, so BJ he became. There have been questions occasionally about the origins of it ..... and once a very rude suggestion as to what it stands for
- Location
- Malvern Worcestershire
I was driving the car when a programme came on about "Rourke's Drift" and I thought Drift was a good name for my new pup. When I had my second Lab 6 years later, I was going to call him Flute but my friend said, he has to be Rourke, so Rourke he is! However, his nickname is "Porkie" as it is easier to say than Rourke, but he isn't the slightest bit fat!
- Location
- Cornwall , UK
Nelly came to us with a different name which we didn't want to keep , she just looked like a right little Nelly , so that's what it was x
Reuben , well when we went to see him the first time , it was a fair old drive and whilst we kept telling one another that this was just a look , we began to think of names, as you do ! We had decided on Asher but then just before we got to our destination , a play came on the radio , one of the characters being called Reuben . We both said immediately that this would be his name x
Reuben , well when we went to see him the first time , it was a fair old drive and whilst we kept telling one another that this was just a look , we began to think of names, as you do ! We had decided on Asher but then just before we got to our destination , a play came on the radio , one of the characters being called Reuben . We both said immediately that this would be his name x
Emily_Babbelhund
Mama Red HOT Pepper
- Location
- Regensburg, Germany
Out of curiosity, what was Nelly's Life Before the Good Life name? I always think it's interesting what names dogs shed when the go to their forever home and why.
One of my fosters came to me as Crystal. It was her previous foster home who named her that and she wasn't there long enough to learn it so I renamed her Emma. Thought "Crystal" sounded like a 19 year old bleach blonde stripper from Alabama.
Her adopters renamed her Winnie, which was cute too. Then I had a Molly - don't even remember what her previous fosterer had named her...Erika or something, but I really liked "Molly" so that's what she became... and then went on to be named Minnie by her forever family. I also had a mini pom as a foster who was surrendered to the pound with the name of "Princess". Ugh. No. Way. Poor little girl was a bundle of nerves and got so upset when she ate that she's throw everything up. She needed a better name than Princess. She was a wiz at leaping between sofas, so I named her "Grace". A kind of homage to her original name, but more of 'this is where we're going in the future' vs. 'this is what our stinky owners who abandoned me in the past wanted'. She kept her name - her adopters loved it - AND lived up to it: pampered, but with smarts and class.
I thought I was super original when I picked Stanley and would never hear of another dog with the name.
There’s 3 on the forum atm
- Location
- Cornwall , UK
Nelly was called Bella , its the name of Sams Mummy , so we wanted to change it xOut of curiosity, what was Nelly's Life Before the Good Life name? I always think it's interesting what names dogs shed when the go to their forever home and why.
One of my fosters came to me as Crystal. It was her previous foster home who named her that and she wasn't there long enough to learn it so I renamed her Emma. Thought "Crystal" sounded like a 19 year old bleach blonde stripper from Alabama.
I also had a mini pom as a foster who was surrendered to the pound with the name of "Princess". Ugh. No. Way. Poor little girl was a bundle of nerves and got so upset when she ate that she's throw everything up. She needed a better name than Princess. She was a wiz at leaping between sofas, so I named her "Grace". A kind of homage to her original name, but more of 'this is where we're going in the future' vs. 'this is what our stinky owners who abandoned me in the past wanted'. She kept her name - her adopters loved it - AND lived up to it: pampered, but with smarts and class.
Boogie
Moderator
- Location
- Manchester UK
- Location
- Andorra and Spain
Originally we wanted a yellow and chocolate at the same time, so we wanted 2 names that sounded easy to say together. We did not want human sounding names.
We came up with 'Vanilla and Coco', but they also had to be able to be shortened. But most importantly they had to go with 'Baby', so we now sometimes call Vanilla 'Baby V'. But teh name had to go with the color too, so if Vanilla had been a bit darker we would have named her Fudge or Latte. But because she was light in color we settled on Vanilla.
We never did get a chocolate one as no one had one available at the time. So now it is time for Honey, and because she is light too, Honey came to mind for her. Plus it goes with Vanilla and 'Baby H'
We came up with 'Vanilla and Coco', but they also had to be able to be shortened. But most importantly they had to go with 'Baby', so we now sometimes call Vanilla 'Baby V'. But teh name had to go with the color too, so if Vanilla had been a bit darker we would have named her Fudge or Latte. But because she was light in color we settled on Vanilla.
We never did get a chocolate one as no one had one available at the time. So now it is time for Honey, and because she is light too, Honey came to mind for her. Plus it goes with Vanilla and 'Baby H'
Indie was given to her by her previous family, but as you know she gradually became the Pig! But it’s strange, when l give her a command, I use Indie... “Indie, sit” etc. But we would always say “I’ll take the Pig out”, “have you fed the Pig” etc, and when I chat to her I always call her the Pig or some piggy variant! I wouldn’t ever say “hello Indie” when she comes up to me, always “hello Pig-Pig!” It’s strange how names evolve.