Dog Names

Question
Charlotte,

My name is Steve Highfield and I am a journalism student at Michigan State. I am doing a story on dog names in Lansing, Mich. I saw you are somewhat of an "expert" in this field and was hoping to talk to you a littl about dog names - like what thought process goes into picking a name or what would make one name more popular than another. Talking to you over the phone would be great, but even e-mail communication would be super helpful! Thanks very much!

Answer
Hi Steve;
My method of picking a dog's name is very simple.
I pick a name that fits their personality or a distinctive detail about them.
Some of my dogs' names were, My English setter, Silky.
We got her when she was 7 weeks old. Holding her was like holding a satin heating pad. she was so warm, and her coat was like rubbing silk or satin. Silky HAD to be her name.
It was part of her registered name, but silky was what we called her. She dies 2 weeks ago, and 15 years old, and her coat was still like feeling silk.
Rowdy, our australian shepherd/mix rescue. His name is self explanitory.
Max is short for Maximillian, the Conqueror of Mexico.
He was a little Lhasa/mix rescue, and he moved in at 6 weeks of age, and took over!
We got my son a pound puppy once. Actually i went to get him a puppy, after some&##&&* stole his little mixed breed that wandered up to out house when Gary was 4, and when he was almost 9 years old, it was stolen over our back fence.
He was heartbroken, and it was over 6 months before we could convince him to take another dog. He was waiting for George to come back. I have NO ides where he got the name George for that little dog, but it fit. George means "tiller of the soil", and that little dig holes all over the place, all the time. DEEP ones.LOl
The little puppy we got her named Kissy, he called her the fastest tongue in the west.
Actually, I went to the pound to get him a puppy, and there was a litter some people who had the mother had dropped off. They were going to be euthenazed that night, and it was 15 minutes before the pound closed, so i brought to whole box of puppies home. Turmned out there were 8 puppies in that box.
So we found good homes for all of them but one, and he named her kissy.
She never came into season, and our Vet was saying she needed to be spayed anyway,m for her health sake. she was 7 years old, and she came up pregnant. We gave all but 2 of the puppies away. Our 8 year old grand daughter was living with us, and she wanted one, so, since they were 6 weeks old on christmas eve, the one she was so crazy about was one of her christmas presents.
After we gave her the puppy, she cared nothing about all her other presents for the next week. she was constantly with that puppy, abd named her rosie, because she just liked that name.
One of the little males and i bonded, so naturally i had to keep him.
He was white with black spots and he had a black spot oround his tail, and black about halfway down his tail. the spot on his behind was shaped like the little flowers little kids draw, so I kidded my husband that i had to keep him, because it wasn't every dog that had a flower on his butt.
My husband started calling him Rosebud, and it stuck.
A Fabulous German shepherd I had many years ago, was called Lady.
Her registered name was Kolb's Lady of distinction, and I called her Lady because even when she was a baby, she was every inch the distinguished, regal lady.
My Irish Setter was Brunmill's Bonny Lassie, and i called heronny.
The name muct fit the personality, or something about their looks, or attitude.
I named a puppy little britches, because he was a little short legged mixed bred, that acted like he thought he could whip up n the world, and he acted too big for his britches, and he was just little britches.
Hope that helps.
As to why a name will become more popular, I haven't a clue.
I guess, no imagination. LOl
Charlotte