Help me name our new dog

October 3, 2005 4:02 PM

I'd like to have a name for the arrival of our new dog tomorrow. She's a rescue dog, take a look here. At the shelter, they've been calling her "Sweetie," which is far too sugary for my taste. Plus, "Sweetie" is a very tough girl, quite growly until she decides you're okay (which is just as well in our neighborhood). For those who don't care to follow the link above, she looks like a shepherd-pit bull mix, with a brindle (brown and black) coat.
posted by Lizzle to Pets & Animals (53 answers total)

She looks like a Stella to me.
posted by Specklet at 4:23 PM on October 3, 2005

Sweet, but tough. Sounds like a "Lola" to me.

"Now I’m not the world’s most physical guy,
But when she squeezed me tight, she nearly broke my spine, Oh my Lola.
La-la-la-la-Lola.

Now I’m not dumb, but I can’t understand
Why she walks like a woman but talks like a man.
Oh my Lola.
La-la-la-la-looooooola-ha.

L-O-L-A Lola. La-la-la-la-Lola."

-The Kinks

Plus - her tongue was really lolling.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:30 PM on October 3, 2005

I have always preferred names descriptive of behaviors. Our first cat was "Fang" and our current cat is named "Lump." Both of these, appropriate and descriptive to their demeanors and lent themselves to nicknames. The same would work for dogs too.
posted by shagoth at 4:31 PM on October 3, 2005

I'm gonna say Lucy or Madeleine.

(I wish I had as good of a backstory as It's Raining Flo Henderson...)
posted by 27 at 4:35 PM on October 3, 2005

A Take off from sweetie
Sax (short for saccharine)
hey, its better than calling her Equal (the other sugar substitute)
posted by forforf at 4:42 PM on October 3, 2005

Splenda!
posted by kindall at 4:49 PM on October 3, 2005

... or Splenda, for the modern consumer of sugar substitutes (isomers, whatever)...

I agree that she needs a better name than the shelter gives her. My cat was named "gizmo" while she was in the shelter - not sure if that was a name given to her by her old owner or by the staff - but I still thought it sucked. I thought it over for a night, and when I went to go pick her up in the morning, I knew she was Frida - she's got a fricking unibrow, after all.

My vote is for Lola. It's a cool-sounding name with enough street cred for a pit mix. Plus you will almost certainly never tire of telling her to Run, Lola, Run!
posted by salad spork at 4:53 PM on October 3, 2005

Lola's a pretty name, but I agree with Specklet - I think she's more a Stella than a Lola. (Plus it's a very audible name if you need to call her loudly.)
posted by tangerine at 4:58 PM on October 3, 2005

I think she looks like a Roxy.
posted by netsirk at 4:59 PM on October 3, 2005

Patience
posted by iconomy at 5:00 PM on October 3, 2005

Zadie, Zara, Zinni...something like that. She's definitely got some "Z" in her.
posted by Miko at 5:14 PM on October 3, 2005

Linda
posted by thirteenkiller at 5:15 PM on October 3, 2005

How about Mrs. Brain?
posted by AgentRocket at 5:15 PM on October 3, 2005

I second Roxy.
posted by footnote at 5:16 PM on October 3, 2005

Ozzie. Or Roxy.
posted by fionab at 5:18 PM on October 3, 2005

Roxy! That's a pretty tough name. The toughest, yet sweetest lady I ever knew was named Mona. Flo might also work, as in "Kiss my grits!"

She's an excellent looking dog. Congratulations!
posted by jennyb at 5:19 PM on October 3, 2005

Griselda. Grriselda, even.

Martha.

Divine.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 5:20 PM on October 3, 2005

The golden rule of naming a dog is not to name it anything you would feel stupid yelling across a public park.

With that out of the way, how about

Sluggo
Marx
Kritz
Bernie
Rags
Quonsar
posted by Rumple at 5:24 PM on October 3, 2005

Now see, I think she's a B dog and the first name that popped into my head was Bo, short for Bodacious. I've no idea where that came from but who cares, she's a beautiful dog, hope you have a long and happy friendship!
posted by ceri richard at 5:26 PM on October 3, 2005

I don't know how long "Sweetie" has been at the shelter, but it's possible that it will take a lot of work to change her name. When my parents adopted a dog dubbed "Spot" by the pound, the year-old dog refused to answer to anything else. My parents tried "Scott", thinking it at least sounded similar. No dice. So you may find you (or the dog) are stuck with the name. But it probably depends on the length of time in care.
posted by acoutu at 5:50 PM on October 3, 2005

Ooh, didn't see Roxy. I know you're not going for popular vote, but I think that's a great name for a tough girl.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 6:03 PM on October 3, 2005

Dr. Bones
posted by Juliet Banana at 6:17 PM on October 3, 2005

Roxy and Stella both seem really apt, judging from the photos.

Following Rumple's rule however, I've always been tempted to name a dog "Jesus Christ!"
posted by ambrosia at 6:26 PM on October 3, 2005

Grignr, of "Eye of Argon" fame.
Farty McBumBum
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:32 PM on October 3, 2005

That is my favourite name *evar*, ROU_Xenophobe. It still has me cracking up and has since migrated into a joke with my sister. I'd forgotten the origin...
posted by fionab at 6:37 PM on October 3, 2005

Pinzer.
posted by orange swan at 6:46 PM on October 3, 2005

Is it a hurricane dog? How about Abita or Turbodog after the Louisiana brewery?
posted by Frank Grimes at 7:20 PM on October 3, 2005

Tuffy, Tough Girl, Smiley, Big Dawg with emphasis on the southern drawl, Red, Big Red, Copper. She's a beauty and has a big smile, congrats to you.
posted by snsranch at 7:59 PM on October 3, 2005

Spawn
posted by trondant at 8:43 PM on October 3, 2005

Rififi. Which means, of course, trouble.
posted by soiled cowboy at 8:46 PM on October 3, 2005

My sisters dog is named precious, I would strongly recommend not using this name as it is quite embarrasing when the fedex guy arrives.
posted by pwally at 9:04 PM on October 3, 2005

Donner, Tammy, Bambi, Dakota, Abby, Laney, Daphne
posted by Mroz at 9:56 PM on October 3, 2005

Those sound like a reindeer and six strippers, mroz. The dog is clearly a Helga.
posted by horsewithnoname at 10:36 PM on October 3, 2005 [1 favorite]

Erika--I don't think changing the name will matter if she understands "Come here". My mother's dark brindle racing greyhound was originally called Sage, which chupahija changed to Scribble. I think she looks like a crocodile, hence Crockydog--also Fishbreath (these only when I'm fussing over her). She does respond to the changed name.
posted by brujita at 10:48 PM on October 3, 2005

Linda, definitely Linda
posted by lois1950 at 11:22 PM on October 3, 2005

Maggie
posted by availablelight at 11:36 PM on October 3, 2005

Waaay too many dogs are called Stella, anything but Stella. Actually, exclude Bailey for the same reason.

I favour people names for my animal friends. How about the same name as a disliked neighbour? Now everytime you shout at your doggie, your neighbour will be distracted from what they were doing. Perfect.
posted by The Monkey at 11:47 PM on October 3, 2005

Really? I've never met a dog called Stella. Nor a Bailey for that matter. Maggie, now, and Molly, those are another story altogether. Packs of them out there.
posted by tangerine at 11:54 PM on October 3, 2005

I had an imaginary girlfriend called roxy when I was 14 and thus I must concur its excellence. I named her after a character in Alan Moore's 'Skizz' but that's probably TMI.
posted by Sparx at 2:33 AM on October 4, 2005

tangerine, there are 3 or 4 Stella's semi-regularly at the local dog park here, and I know 2 or 3 Bailey's.

Lizzle, since posting my answer I've read Sweetie's bio - I'd only looked at the photo previously - and it turns out that Sweetie is actually 5 years old which suggests to me that 'Sweetie' isn't just a handy nom de dog the shelter attached to her, and that you actually don't get any choice in the matter: Sweetie is just her name.
posted by The Monkey at 3:29 AM on October 4, 2005

As I said in another dog-naming thread some time back, just PLEASE do not name the dog after any type of artist, such as Marley or Hemingway
posted by poppo at 4:36 AM on October 4, 2005

If I ever get a dog, I'm naming it 'Shithead', after Steve Martin's dog in The Jerk. Not that you should, necessarily, but it's an idea.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:50 AM on October 4, 2005

Wench
posted by Tarrama at 5:16 AM on October 4, 2005

Occupant.
posted by futility closet at 6:16 AM on October 4, 2005

Don't worry about changing her name. Dogs are highly adaptable and they're pack animals. They'll respond to whatever you call her if you implement the name with some smarts: call the name when you're laying down the food bowl, pet and indulge her while saying her name repeatedly, and use her name with every command. My family adopted an adult dog and had no idea what his original name was; he answered to ours after a very short time.

Some dogs may never accept a new name, true; I'd argue that then they probably don't accept their role in the new pack, either.

w/r/t Stella: every third bulldog and pug is named Stella as far as I can tell.
posted by Miko at 6:34 AM on October 4, 2005

Killer.
posted by schustafa at 6:42 AM on October 4, 2005

How anyone can name a dog or child "Stella" and then resist the urge to constantly yell and draw it out a la Brando is beyond me.

Those long ears remind me of that pet-thing that Jabba had in the 3rd Star Wars movie. Hmm, Jabba would likely be a good dog name - strong syllabants, easy to yell.
posted by phearlez at 8:39 AM on October 4, 2005

Not Daisy either. For some reason every pitbull seems to be named Daisy.
posted by small_ruminant at 9:37 AM on October 4, 2005

Wow, I had no idea Stella was such a popular dog name; I've never met one. I thought I was being all inventive an' stuff.

I still think she looks like a Stella, though...
posted by Specklet at 10:21 AM on October 4, 2005

Here's a database of popular names. It'll make it easier to avoid/choose a popular name.

I like Lola.
posted by deborah at 11:36 AM on October 4, 2005

The way to change a dog's name is to use both names together for a while - "SweetieStella! Come here!" Then start dropping the "Sweetie."
posted by clh at 1:23 PM on October 4, 2005

Phearlez-my boyfriend said the exact same thing, about resembling Jabba's pet. I thought naming a dog Salacious Crumb was a bit mean, however.
posted by Juliet Banana at 9:12 AM on October 5, 2005

Gertie?
posted by srah at 9:00 PM on October 5, 2005