Help me name my dog =)

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Help me name my dog =)

We adopted a dog last week - a male black lab that's about 3-1/2 years old. Really sweetie. We're his 3rd owners, which is sad (the last owner only had him since this past Thanksgiving) - I have no idea why the previous owners didn't keep him because he's great (knows & obeys basic commands, affectionate, good with kids & cats). The only downside is his name - none of us are very fond of it, so we're looking to change it. Thought it might be fun if you girls could help me come up a new name...

None of the names I've come up with have "stood out" to any of us, and my hubby & boys have given me no ideas whatsoever (despite my asking). Personality-wise he's a big mush, a gentle giant. He's very strong, pulls & likes to push you out of the way so he can get out the door first...lol. He loves going outside, for walks & for rides (what lab doesn't though?!). Some of the names I've come up with are: Moose, Duncan (like Duncan MacLeod, the Highlander), Buddy, Seamus, Murphy, Jet & Sailor. Maybe ya'll can come up with something better...

Hey Lizanne can you post a photo of the big guy - that would help I think!

A photo would definitely help along with his current name.

I have 2 female black labs and they are just great! Perfect for families and so good natured.
Both are rescue dogs and they are very sensitive to being 'gotten rid' of. One of mine is so
afraid of being abandoned that when I have to remove her collar to put a new tag on it, she just
goes nuts crying and whining and doing everything she can to get me to put that collar back on her.

I'm so glad Lizanne that you are giving that lovable lab a good home and family! smiley

from my experience in adopting previously owned pets and working at vet clinics for about 4 years ...a little tip I might suggest if you could keep it to a similar first syllable sound as his current name it will go a loooooong way in teaching him a new name to follow.
Ex: Say his name was Buster... Buddy, Bubba, Buckaroo would be better options than changing it completely to something like Chance, Rowdy, Bones. HTH! smiley

Good tip Shawna. When Meggy (a three-colored cat the kind that the Japanese say that bring good luck) came to my mother´s house I changed her name to Megumi - so we can still call Meggy for short - and it works, she´s starting to understand that she´s Megumi too! She can´t neither stay Meggy nor be Mé-Mé for short because of my Messy, if she ends up staying at my house (we are not sure if she will stay in my mothers, be given to someone else or stay at my house).

I have a friend who has two lab-mixes called Uriens and Lars - maybe you like these names because you like irish/celtic things?

You mentioned Jet .... how about Ebony ?
or maybe Luke ?

My sister had a black lab when their kids were very young and he sure was a wonderful pet

@Patricia: great idea. I should take a photo & post it. smiley

@Kathie: Thanks. smiley I'm hoping in time he'll feel confident & secure, like the rescue siameses we took in. The area where he gets all nervous is car rides - I think he associates it with being abandoned - so we've been trying to make a point of taking him with us when we go out (not only to desensitize him, but to socialize him - I don't think he got much socialization w/people & other dogs) & coming home afterward so that he recognizes he's not going away. smiley

@Shawna: His puppy name was Thor. We weren't able to come up with any "T" names that we felt comfortable with. And every time I looked at him I couldn't get his name right (I'd say Tor, Thorn, etc.) - besides, he just didn't LOOK like a "Thor" to me.

@Lórien: Thanks! I'll run those names by my boys & see what they think... We have been leaning toward Irish/Scottish names, I admit. In fact, we were going to name him "Mac" - we all liked it - but the name was too close to one of our other pets, my sealpoint siamese "Max." We were afraid that every time we'd call Max, the dog would come & scare Max off. LOL

@Susan: It's funny that you mentioned those names - they did come up when we were tossing names about (as well as Midnight, Blackie & Darth...short for Darth Vader), but the majority spoke & said no.

I have a list of 11 names. I'm thisclose to making a ballot & having everyone rate things on a scale of 1 to 3. My personal favorites are Duncan & Sailor...

@Lizanne: That IS a tough one to find a similar one to... hmmm...
Here's a couple I thought of... but you guys may already thought of them and not like them???
Thatch or Thurstan

I like your idea about a ballot... That would be the best way if y'all can't come up with one that everyone in the house loves.

Here's the doggie:

Awww, he really looks like my friend´s Lars! It´s a very cute dog!

When you say a "gentle giant", I think of André the Giant. He was a very successful wrestler, but I remember him the most from his part in The Princess Bride - his character has always been my favourite. I have read that he was one of the sweetest, kindest men who has ever lived. smiley

Lizanne ... I love sailor .... very unique and fitting name and he is a beautiful dog.

Awww...he looks just like the male version of my Maggie! WOW!

I like both of the names you have, but I'm liking Duncan just because I tend to lean towards
real names when naming my pets. It might be because I feel like they are part of the family and
should have a 'real' name or it could be because the first dog I was raised with from when I was
a baby was named Cindy, which is a regular name....LOL! smiley

I love that you're taking him along for car rides with you. Soon he should realize that he gets to come
home with you every single time. Then he will just be excited to go with you. It does take a lot of time and
patience to help them thru their fears when they have gone thru so much before we get them. But it is
soooo worth the time it takes. It will just warm your heart one day when you realize that he is no longer afraid.
And that will be because of all the love you and your family are giving him and he will give it back to you 100 times over!

What a nice doggie! He is so black and shines so nicely! How about Morey! It sounds like Thor (his puppy name) but doesn't start with a T. No matter what name you decide on, he's gonna love living with your family!!

what a beautiful dog! I hope you all have great times together ahead of you

Ha! We adopted a black lab mix...and he came named "Hank"! Not fond of it, either, but we kept it because he KNEW it already! LOL!

Cute dog, though!

What a cute dog! I never knew I was a dog person until we got our little rescue chihuahua, Mitzy. Her name was Boo when we got her and I thought it was not a fitting name for her so I changed it. I think your guy looks like his name should be "Rolly" to me. smiley

Thanks for the name ideas everyone! smiley Hoping to do a ballot this weekend, so if you have anymore names let me know. I'm pretty excited to give him a real name.... For now I've just been calling him "boy" and "buddy" (because he IS my buddy).

What about "Fezzik" from The Princess Bride? (when you said gentle giant, he came to mind immediately!) You could call him Fez for short. (I see that Mollie suggested something similar! Andre was the other name I thought of! lol)

Oh, Tina, for some reason I love the name Hank for that dog! He has kind eyes, which is what I think of with the name "Hank" - someone kind, relateable, & down-to-earth.

My neighbor has a black lab named Murphy, he's a great dog!

When we adopted our first dog, also a black lab, her name was Orion... uh, yeah... no. So we changed it to Lucy, but she was still a puppy. However I do think it would be a great name for a boy black lab! And it has that OR sound from his first name that Shawna mentioned. smiley

Good luck and let us know what you choose!

@Lizanne I couldn't see your doggy.

I just want to call him Henry... or Herman hahaha Which is a whole lot more plain that what my dog will be called when we get him... Eduardo... hehehehe Eddie for short though!

@Cat Armstrong... my cat was called Boo when I got him too... so we made it Bob! Bobcat... worked well!

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my cat was called Boo when I got him too... so we made it Bob! Bobcat... worked well!

I think Boo is more appropriate for a cat and I think its really a cute name for a cat. smiley It didn't suit our little chihuahua. She seemed more like a Mitzy, so that's what her name is. smiley

When we got our MinPin, she was named "Madison". My husband didn't like it, so he changed it to "Madeline". She was already a year or so old, but it sounded close enough so she accepted it (or maybe she just liked it better, too - I never quite know with that dog; she's ridiculously clever, for better or worse. lol).

Cute dog!! I love Labs, maybe we will have one someday. Have no name ideas, but love lots of the ones suggested. smiley

Mollie: We have two dogs... and our female miniature poodle is the exact way you describe yours. Our male Malti-Poo is very intelligent but not in a manipulative way as the female. She plays dumb to get what she wants. LoL

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I never quite know with that dog; she's ridiculously clever, for better or worse

Well, we finally put it to ballot & Duncan it is! Sailor came in at close second (we liked both names a lot). Thank you all so much for helping -- it was nice having some ideas other than my own! smiley

Congrats on choosing a name! Isn't it amazing how difficult it is sometimes to come up with just the
perfect name for a new furry family member? Yet other times a name just pops up that is an easy choice
and seems to fit them so well.

I'm so happy that you have a new family member to love and he no longer has to worry if he will have a family
that isn't going to send him away again. smiley smiley smiley

Congrats on choosing his name - its a good one!!

Aww, what does Duncan look like, again?

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