How important is a dog name? Well let's think about this.

How often do you call your dog? Who will hear your dog's name? Will you be writing to anyone about this dog?

Now that you think about the times you'll use the name, maybe you should put some thought into what that dog name is.

I mean, if you have a Great Dane who weighs 120 lbs, you might not want to call him something like Baby or Tiny. Or you might... it's a personal thing. Personally, Tiny would be hilarious to me.

I can just imagine calling, "Tiny, come here boy!" While a neighbor is watching and for the first time sees this "Tiny." Now that could be an interesting look to receive!

Maybe you have a dog that has a bit of a fiesty side nd you think it's a good idea to call him "Killer." Maybe you weren't thinking about the little old lady that lives by herself next door... waiting for "Killer" to go home so she can get to the grocery store.

Are these extremes? Of course! But, haven't you heard some dog names that just didn't seem... right?

My dogs have some sort of silly names. Actually, my Black Lab, Sadie, had a carefully chosen name. I was pregnant with my first child when we got Sadie. She was six weeks old and clever as they come.

Sadie was very majestic in all her movements and attitudes. So, we decided to look at our baby name book and see what we could come up with to suit her.

Sadie is actually a pet form of Sarah, which means "lady" or "princess" in Hebrew.

It totally fit her and is the best suited dog name I think we could have given her.

Two of her sons, however, were not so fortunate. See, two years ago Sadie had a litter of 7 pups, which we did not intend to keep. We already had four dogs and didn't need any more.

We cared for the pups though and watched them grow each day. My husband and I would swap stories about the cute little things they did.

The dogs all looked so much alike that we found it confusing to talk about them without names. Eventually, names started emerging on their own.

For example, there was one brown dog in the mix. (How he got this color and look is a mystery.) So we called him Brownie. Not the cleverest of names, but it helped us identify him.

Next there was Tipper and Bubba, who we ended up keeping. Tipper has a tiny patch of white on the tips of his front paws... hence the name "Tipper."

Bubba, as his name might suggest, is a big brute. He's the biggest and the meanest of the litter.

But, if we knew we were going to keep these guys, we might have gone a different route in choosing a dog name. Bubba doesn't exactly say, "Son of a princess," but his attitude definitely does.

So here are some examples of the different ways a dog name can make a difference.

My advice? Think about all the times you'll use the name. Find out a little about who your dog is before giving him a name. And, think of yourself 10 years older than you are now... will you still like to say that name and think... I chose that?

About the author:

Tina Spriggs is an expert dog lover whose lifelong interest in canines provides the motivation for her site. To learn more about dogs or to find gifts and toys for them visit her site at Dog Gifts and Toys for Dog Lovers.

Copyright 2004. All rights reserved.