Puppy Names: Paws-itively Charming, or Barking Mad?

Chubbs the Bulldog, courtesy of www.dailypuppy.com

The name Luna evokes a shimmery, magical image for me---founded a great deal on the character of Luna Lovegood in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, as well as the name’s lovely lunar meaning. Imagine my surprise, then, when Luna turned out to be an adorable pitbull puppy instead of a whimsical young girl. Lately, I’ve been struck by the increasingly human-like names of the dogs I encounter, especially on websites like the Dailypuppy.com, where members post pictures and stories about their beloved pets, including the aforementioned Luna. Where men’s furry friends once answered to names like “Blackie,” “Spot,” or “Fluffy,”  pet owners, perhaps in lieu of naming children, have begun to name their canines surprisingly chic names; names which one would expect to hear being called out by mothers in a posh playground in Manhattan, rather than printed on a shining collar tag. Many of those I encountered were names on my own list of favorites: Chester, Harvey, Philo, Rory. Nary a one of those names has a whiff of hound; with the line between canine and human names blurring, one has to wonder where the line between the two is drawn. Is it okay to name a child Sassie? What about Spunky?  Both are typical pet names, but the fact is that our pool of possible appellations grows daily wider and wider, and with celebrity babies like Apple and Blue, soon it might not be surprising to meet a dog named Lula and a child named Nutmeg.

So, from the wonderful litter of names I discovered on Daily puppy, I have picked out the most distinctive, human-like monikers for the discerning berries, as well as the names that only the most daring of parents would name their child, names that are still a little bit too “ruff” around the edges:

Human-Like:

Kingston

Wolfgang 

Milrose

Shiloh

Laika

Rory

Milo

Emmitt

Milou

Parker Posey

Cooper 

Chester

Lula

Bodie

Putter

Koa

Rueger

Luna 

Harvey

Murphy

Darcy

Bogart

Cleo

Hemingway “Hemi”

Philo

Winston

Samson

Nigel

Layla

Draco

Shyla

Lucy

Remi

Bridger

Lincoln

Hawk

Clea

Bjorn

Rua

Baxter

Axel

Stella

Tessie Mae

Doggy-Like:

Duke

Bitsy

Sassie

Fury

Spunky

Cowboy

Gonzo

Nutmeg

Phantom

Cricket

Rowdy

Magnum

Pepper

Six

Red

Diesel

Apple

Skippy