If you follow me on Twitter you know that we are getting a puppy (If you don’t follow me, why not? Am I not cool enough for you? Wait. Don’t answer that.)
I have a little history for those who did not know me before I started doing this whole “exposing myself on the Internet” thing. Um. By “exposing myself” I mean with WORDS. Ahem.
In the winter of 1999 Matthew and I got a puppy. We bought a Golden Retriever and named him Cody. We brought him over to my In-Laws and in the midst of their squeeing over the puppy-ness we told them that we were also growing a human baby. That baby did not make it, but Cody remained. Cody curled with me on the couch while I worked through my grief. I can still remember the colour of his fur, the chocolate of his eyes, the smell of his nasty dog breath.
The problem with Cody was inherent to the nature of Golden Retrievers. They are smart, yet stupid. They are social creatures, almost to a fault.
Cody followed a neighbor one day while he took his own dogs on a walk. This idiot guy did not think to send Cody home but instead took him on a long jaunt down by the creek. After that first instance, Cody would follow anyone that walked past our property, especially if they had dogs. When Graham was a newborn I would get phone calls from neighbors who wanted to let me know that Cody was at their house, but they had given him a snack (AWESOME. WAY TO REWARD HIM FOR RUNNING AWAY.)
This is where I point out that we have THREE ACRES of land, which back onto Crown (Government) land. It is not as though Cody did not have space to run. We also took him on daily walks. However. Retrievers are a social breed. We live on a hill. Cody would see people and their dogs walk by and would bolt down the driveway to join the party.
We tried to remedy the situation. Matthew installed an “electric” fence. It is basically a wire in a ground that shocks the dog if they cross it. Lest you thing we are evil, we trained Cody. We showed him where the perimeter was. His collar also started to beep if he was near it. This worked for a number of months.
Then, one day, he was enticed by some fine looking Lady Retrievers. He jumped through the “fence.” He realized that after getting through the initial shock, he was FREE. All of our training had gone to pot. Our only option was to build a wood fence (and a gate) an three acres. SO NOT HAPPENING.
We were tired of chasing him, of getting calls from those in our neighborhood and from having our first baby. We went looking and found a couple that had a large (and fenced!) yard, who were avid outdoors-folks that wanted a dog to walk with. We handed him over with nary a tear as we knew he (and we) would be happier. We see him every once in awhile while in our small town and he is living the good life.
Now that we have the history, let’s move to the present.
My kids love dogs. LOVE dogs. When we go to pick up Graham from school, the three of them maul whatever canine is in the vicinity. They do this everywhere that we go. They see a dog and they go a little crazy.
Matthew has been telling me for the past six months or so that we should get a dog already. Based on our past experience, I know that puppies are like newborns. I am so DONE with the newborn stage that it isn’t even funny. I suggested that we adopt from a shelter.
He has been looking ever since and every single dog for adoption comes with the warning, “Not good with children.” Yeah. That’s a deal-breaker.
Then, last Monday while I was working, my husband emailed me. The title was, “Pretty Cute.” I opened the email, clicked on the link and MELTED INTO A PUDDLE OF GOO.
(The listing showed photos of the last batch of puppies when they were eight weeks old but the ad came down before I could swipe borrow them to share with everyone. They are a German Shepherd/Retriever cross. All black with brown paws.)
Within the hour we had sent a deposit and told the kids that WE WERE GETTING A PUPPY. Well, Matthew told them, but IT WAS STILL NEWS when I got home. We’re getting a puppy! A BOY puppy!
He asked the kids what we should name the puppy and got the responses that you would fully expect from our three: Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and The Little Mermaid. Of course.
My only criteria for naming a dog (Apart from the name just being cool) is that you have to be able to walk down the road/through a park and be able to yell the name loudly without looking like an idiot. Based on that criteria the kids’ suggestions do not qualify; I have no desire to be out in public yelling, “Bumblebee!” People might think I was afraid of being stung or something.
That night after the kids were in bed Matthew and I had dueling laptops going on at the kitchen table. He Googled “top dog names” or something along those lines and came across a “Top 100″ list. Some of the names on the list had me laughing so hard that I had to Twitter them (Be warned; some are curse words). As for the curse words, I would think if you were walking through a park and yelling the same curse word over and over, people would probably think that you were angry. And possibly have some “issues.”
If you were to repeatedly yell, “Sammiches!” the folks at the park might be concerned about your mental stability. I know that I would be raising my eyebrows.
So here is where you guys come in. Throw your best (male) dog names my way.
In exchange I will share the photos of the litter that we have been impatiently waiting for since last week (The family lives two hours from here). BEHOLD THE CUTENESS.
One of those bundles of fur is MAH NEW BABY. He needs a name. Help?
60 Comments
My vote is for Optimus Prime. 
No? Ok… how about Samson or Dakota?
My favorite boy doggie names:
Cooper (named after my Golden Retriever)
Casey
And my all time favorite……Rudy!
The first name that comes to mind when I see the puppies is ‘Tucker’
Whatever name you pick-I have heard that sometimes it is easier to train a dog if they have a hard ‘r’ sound in the name. I can’t remember why-I think it was in one of my dog training books.
I wouldn’t name him Oscar though, Oscars are notorious for finding and ripping open boxes of girl scout cookies while you are gone for 2.5 minutes dropping your eldest daughter off at school & leave him out because he can be such a ‘good boy’
The good boy will be spending the bulk of his morning confined to his crate.
Domestic Extraordinaire’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday- A girl and her mother
Comment by Domestic Extraordinaire on April 3rd, 2009 @ 5:29 amWe adopted a 2 year old Lab/Shepard mix about 7 years ago and he has been the BEST DOG EVER. He came house-broken (cue the chorus of angels), has only once in that time left our (unfenced) yard without us, he’s the most mellow dog ever except when a stranger comes to the door then he sounds like he’s a hound from hell trying to break through the wall to get you (so – a great watchdog, is what I’m saying). Anyway – on to the question. Our dog was named Slick when we got him – eww. We quickly renamed him Mac (because my hubby is an Apple computer freak) which seems to be a good name. But we also call hime Buddy a lot – I’m not sure why.
I also love the names Cooper, Copper (from Fox and the Hound) & Charlie for boy dogs
I know a fantastic dog named Milo. (Like Milo and Otis…except reversed…)
So, um, either Milo or Otis….
DiWriter’s last blog post..One + One = Four
Comment by DiWriter on April 3rd, 2009 @ 5:54 amWhen I saw the pic I immediately thought COLE. So that is my name suggestion! Those pups are soooo cute!
Comment by Jen on April 3rd, 2009 @ 6:33 amWe live out in the country in the South. We name lots of animals…horses, dogs, cats, pigs. We have fully embraced our redneckness as you will see from most of these names. Here are some of my faves:
Mater (after the tow truck from Cars…he’s some kind of mutt and is the sweetest and coolest dog I’ve ever had)
Stetson
Trigger
Skeeter
Earl
Bubba
Cowboy
Pilot
J.D. (for John Deere)
How about Tracker, just throwing it out there….I always liked Charlie too like someone else mentioned. We had a Pody once. When the pup came home we couldn’t get him to stop checking out everyone’s feet so my brother like that he was like a Podiatrist…so Pody it was!
One of our other dogs kept bonking his head against things and not having any problems…he had a “rock” head! So that one became Rocky! That turned out to be our smartest dog ever though, which you might not have expected that with that start.
Have fun with your newborn 
!
Oh. my. gosh. I’m just DYING of the cuteness over here! They are just SO adorable!! If I ever have kids, I’ll definitely be getting a dog. We had one growing up, and he was a gorgeous black lab/blue heeler cross, so he was jet black, with a white neck and chest – so gorgeous! His name was very unique, so most people mispronounced it, especially kids.
I suck at coming up with names for pets, but you’ve got a lot of great suggestions so far. Have fun!!
Sharon’s last blog post..Stress, U2 tickets, my birthday, and a new haircut! All in one post!
Comment by Sharon on April 3rd, 2009 @ 7:04 amGirl, we are in the middle of pet naming ourselves… Not dogs, we have ferrets (no they’re NOT stinky/mean/bitey/horrible/stupid/whatever myth you’ve heard about ferrets). Our criteria are – must not sound stupid when calling for it (they know their names), two syllables is good, and nothing that could be too easily confused with a person.
My dog suggestions:
Sterling
Einstein (it’s a smart mix you have, or it could be ironic…)
Sgt. Pepper (ok, this is one of the ferret’s names…)
Remington
Bongo (I just think this is a cute animal name)
Sara’s last blog post..Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Comment by Sara on April 3rd, 2009 @ 7:10 amSo cute!!
My little guy is named Bauer (partly for 24’s Jack Bauer, partly for Bauer hockey equipment – and both stay true to my Canadian roots!). We always get tons of compliments on his name
Miss Pickle’s last blog post..Re-birth
Comment by Miss Pickle on April 3rd, 2009 @ 7:11 amHow about Norris? As in Chuck? Karate chop!
schmutzie’s last blog post..I’m The Coolest Person You Know
Comment by schmutzie on April 3rd, 2009 @ 7:13 amThe boy and I greatly disagree on dog names – he likes names like Max, Hank and for some reason Dave. (I know, I know).
I on the other hand like cool names – Ridley, Wiley, Rookie. I also had a shepherd/lab cross named Sport.
Hope these help!
Julienne’s last blog post..Holding hands.
Comment by Julienne on April 3rd, 2009 @ 7:17 amOur dog growing up was named Turbo. She was an abused dog that showed up on our farm one day when I was 11. My cousin and I decided on Turbo even though she was a female and I think Turbo was a little masculine, but it ended up suiting her well. She was a collie/lab cross. When playing, she would get excited and run like crazy around the house over and over….like her turbo kicked in!
I also like Bauer like Miss Pickle mentioned….good luck!
Comment by Shelly on April 3rd, 2009 @ 7:25 amI’m kind of liking Optimus Prime. Of course, when we got our first dog I was 3 and wanted to name her Underdog (oddly appropriate too). The Mister & I have decided that when we do get around to getting a dog (years from now, after baby #2 and when we don’t live in a small apartment) we are going to name it Trogdor because we are uber geeks. Anyway – I’m loving these dog names Otis, Copper, Cooper, Milo, Tracker – these all seem like great names for that kind of dog. I like to take into consideration the breed, for example we had a Cairin Terrier (Scottish dog) named Hamish and the name was perfect for him.
I vote for Rufus – the ultimate doggy name.
melanie’s last blog post..Yogurt making
Comment by melanie on April 3rd, 2009 @ 7:54 amour dog’s name is Max…he came from the shelter already named, so it stuck. Boring, though. My favorite dog name that I picked out was Guliver. BIG black Great Dane. So it totally fit, but it is also just a really cool name.
Kami’s last blog post..Parkin’
Comment by Kami on April 3rd, 2009 @ 8:33 amWe have a lab named Baxter… my husband wanted to name a dog Mr. Bojangles. Can you imagine shouting that at the park?
How about Reilly?
Friends of ours had a dog named Barkus… your pup looks like Barkus did… it was a goofy name but I always liked it
How about Leg Lifter? That’s a boy dog name.
witchypoo’s last blog post..Giant Cocktails
Comment by witchypoo on April 3rd, 2009 @ 8:49 amFor some reason I am completely immune to the cuteness. I love other people’s dogs but to have my own, meh. Same with newborns. meh. LOOK what the menopause is doing to me.
Upon first thought, those little black pups look like there is a Duke in there somewhere. Why? I don’t know.
Also Bo.
Maybe I am in the Dukes of Hazzard alternate reality. It’s spring here. Don’t pinch me.
Kami’s last blog post..A Man (boy) of Few Words
Comment by Kami on April 3rd, 2009 @ 9:01 amMy puppy training books say that a 2-syllable name is best for training purposes (most commands are 1-syllable and you want your dog to be able to differentiate between his name and a command.) I don’t know how true it is but I figured we’d need all the help we could get with training so we did go with 2-syllable names.
Stella and Wolfgang are both named afters beers. Pick something you enjoy and go from there. You like photography – how about Pixel?
My parents’ black lab german shephard cross (black with brown toes!) is named Toby – it’s always suited him well. Other boy dog names I love (that Shawn vetoed while we were naming Wolfgang) are: Oscar, Riley, Finley, Rocco, Bruno and Barnie.
Good luck!!
hillary’s last blog post..Wild Awesome Friends They Face A Plain Red Sober Wind And Know The Pain
Comment by hillary on April 3rd, 2009 @ 9:15 amSo freakin’ cute!
We ended up with a female, so my oldest daughter named her Pearl. However, if we had ended up with a male dog (especially if it was a black lab type of dog) I was determined to call him Sirius, but I may be a bit of a Harry Potter fanatic. 
Sherry’s last blog post..Being a mom
Comment by Sherry on April 3rd, 2009 @ 9:26 amReuben? Rory? Dyson? Coleman? Mac?
Congratulations on your “4th child”…I’m not so brave, although you do have a much bigger yard!
SarahD’s last blog post..Getting out of the haze
Comment by SarahD on April 3rd, 2009 @ 10:07 amI follow you on Twitter and yet I missed this big news. WTH!? Am very envious of your new baby. I love dogs!
I usually have to meet my pet before I can name it. That’s how I named my cats. When I met Dash he was dashing all around the room and Dot was just a cute little spot frozen on the chair. Hence their names. (Also, named after two writers: Dorothy Parker and Dashiell Hammond.)
The cuteness of those puppies is melting me.
sizzle’s last blog post..I Know How to Keep Busy
Comment by sizzle on April 3rd, 2009 @ 10:26 am“Diogee” (as in sounding-out the letters D-O-G) always makes me laugh!
joyce’s last blog post..Bot Bot
Comment by joyce on April 3rd, 2009 @ 10:43 amI’m totally no help b/c if we ever get a dog in the Trenches (which means I would have officially LOST MY MIND) it would be named Lydia – for the girl’s name I never got to use.
Wait – is that weird?
Trenches of Mommyhood’s last blog post..Passion Unleased
Comment by Trenches of Mommyhood on April 3rd, 2009 @ 11:32 amWe lost our golden retriever in November at the age of 13 1/2. His name was Jasper. We loved him and his name and if you like it too, I’d love for you to use it for your new pup
Laura’s last blog post..Compromises
Comment by Laura on April 3rd, 2009 @ 11:34 amYou need to fence some yard if you are going to have a dog. You don’t have to do all 3 acres – just a small portion. Dogs outside roam, that’s what they do, even if your neighbor never asks them along or gives them treats.
Suebob’s last blog post..What IS this place? What am I doing here?
Comment by Suebob on April 3rd, 2009 @ 11:46 amWe have a huge dog run that Matthew built when we had Cody. The issue of him running away would usually occur if we were outside and I went in to do something for a few minutes. I would think that he would stay in the yard, but no.
OMG, they are so cute and so worth it (after 18 months !
I totally get the calling the dogs name in the park, my Mom named her newest dog “Squirt”….I have a problem saying it and picture a two year old trying to say it
We didn’t end up naming our dog until we got her….for us we needed to see her. Georgie…it’s tough now, as one of the twins has the middle name George!
We had one dog growing up that her name had at least one letter from my Mom’s name, my name and my sisters name. Teeki (T for Pat, ee for Lee and ki for Kim). It was kinda cool.
Other than that I’m out…..Kim just got a dog and I was no help to her either.
My fence suggestion, just fence a part around your house. We have 5 acres and it’s not fenced, but Georgie has a large fenced aread around our house.
BTW, only 27 more day….sigh!
Comment by Lee on April 3rd, 2009 @ 11:52 amOh my!!! Puppy love! How can you not be smitten?!?!
When we picked ours 9 1/2 years ago we actually could not take him home right away as he was still too young but the eight hour drive home gave us enough time to come up with a name. We considered a few:
~Blue
~George
~Murphy (those pups actually look like Murphys if you ask me)
~Henry
~Norman
We finally settled on one we love to this day and a couple of weeks later he came into our lives: http://www.thatgirlruns.com/852/running-buddy/
Chris’s last blog post..Take It and Run(ning Shoes) Thursday
Comment by Chris on April 3rd, 2009 @ 12:48 pmOMG, the cuteness! I’m jealous, but also not because I don’t have enough space for a dog yet.
I am not good with names. I call my cat Kitty Kitty. She won’t answer to her real name, which is Willow.
How about Petey? Or Sassy Kay?
Kristabella’s last blog post..Spring Awakening
Comment by Kristabella on April 3rd, 2009 @ 1:25 pmACK! I want a puppy!!!! We just have a stupid cat. How CUTE are those guys???
Camels & Chocolate’s last blog post..Photo Friday: South Shore, Iceland
Comment by Camels & Chocolate on April 3rd, 2009 @ 2:11 pmOur dog was damn expensive so I named her Saffron (like the spice).
I also used to have a cat that could bark (lived on a farm and this damn cat used to heard the cattle with the dogs) and her name was Sir Basil.
Appears I have a think for dog/spice names.
I also like dogs in my family that are named:
Olive
Chewy
Kilo
Koda
Stitch (like Lilo and Stitch, damn dog even looks like the little momster)
Ebony
Samson
sleepynita’s last blog post..Never Seen a Blue Dog Before
Comment by sleepynita on April 3rd, 2009 @ 2:46 pmOHHH… the cuteness!!
I have a chocolate lab to, and she is the perfect little girl!
Here are some name ideas:
- Teagan
- Harley
- Mac
Ohh the cuteness! We have a chocolate lab is she is amazing!
Here are some name ideas:
- Teagan
- Harley
- Mac
Lisa’s last blog post..MacKay Wedding 2007
Comment by Lisa on April 3rd, 2009 @ 5:10 pmTag
Rufus
James
Rowley
Snoogily Woogily Snuggums (er, maybe not great to yell!)
Victoria’s last blog post..First Mal, Now Castle
Comment by Victoria on April 3rd, 2009 @ 6:53 pmHow about Toro? Zeus? Aries? Goliath? Hugo? or….Megatron?? (haha)
Comment by Tamara on April 3rd, 2009 @ 9:01 pmBeans Baxter! Just Baxter for short or Beans…take your pick. Am I the only one that remember that rockin’ tv show!?! I bet your kids will dig it!
Comment by Melanie on April 3rd, 2009 @ 9:10 pmMy vote is for Dakota..my dog has since passed his name was Dakota and he was the best
I had a friend in elementary school whose cat was named Rambo and I always thought that was pretty much one of the best pet names I had ever heard.
Lots of good suggestions here! Can’t wait to see what you choose.
Amanda Brown’s last blog post..Over the Hump
Comment by Amanda Brown on April 4th, 2009 @ 8:20 amI.Am.Goo.
Hey!! How about that??
Iyemgoo!!
It sounds eccentrically ethnic with a nod to his ability to melt people!!
The Over-Thinker’s last blog post..A Post, the Equivalent of Naugahyde
Comment by The Over-Thinker on April 4th, 2009 @ 8:35 amSo cute!
I’ve always thought if I ever had another dog I might call it Deeogie.
(and found you thru Nanette’s plug on twitter)
Musing’s last blog post..Your spring break
Comment by Musing on April 4th, 2009 @ 8:59 amFirst of all I am a newish reader. I love your writing/pictures
Secondly..AAAWWWWW!
I will second an earlier suggestion of Harley. We has a lab/keeshound mix in college and his name was Logan. Loved the name, but when you were describing Cody’s behavior you could have replaced “Cody” with “Logan” and it would have been the same story. Good luck with your new furboy!
Kathy’s last blog post..Spread the Word to End The Word!
Comment by Kathy on April 4th, 2009 @ 9:26 amSome that others mentioned that I really like: Tucker and Baxter.
I am really bad with names for pets. We have a lizard named Gladys, a cat named Seamus (after my favorite poet) and our dog is Winston (or Winnie as he’s usually called). I always say that for the price we paid for Winston (man, he was expensive!), I actually should have gone with ‘Kenmore’ or ‘Maytag’-after an appliance I probably could have bought instead.
Have fun with you new pup!
Holli’s last blog post..Sick Day
Comment by Holli on April 4th, 2009 @ 9:35 amHow about an ironic name for that cute little pup…”Rambo”?
Comment by Andrew and Lisa Burt on April 4th, 2009 @ 1:25 pmI got a hamster for my class last week and named it Chuckles… you could call him Chuck… or chuckie or…
Hmm – I wonder what else… it’s a male dog, eh? Well – I work with Ojibwe students (so I learn some too!) and dog in Ojibwe is “Animosh”… (ann-e-mush or mosh) maybe there’s a local tribe you can check on their language and name him after…
anji’s last blog post..What’s the point?
Comment by anji on April 4th, 2009 @ 3:24 pmWe have 2 male dogs here. Our small guy is named Daxter and goes by that, Dax or Daxie. Our puppy, who already weighs around 50 pounds is named Titan. If you want to let the kids “help” name the puppy, you could let them give him a middle name. Our 3 year old did that. Dax is Daxter Bambole(Bam-bo-lee) (because her grandma calls her Chloe Bambole and she always says she’s his mom or his Grandma) and Titan is Titan Meat (because she’s 3! What else do you expect!!)
Some other names I like are:
Quake
Tazer
Renegade
I always wanted a Charlie…Funny though, when I got my “baby” Charlie wasn’t even an option!
Comment by Michele on April 5th, 2009 @ 8:38 pmI myself am now a puddle of goo as well and all I can think of is “cutie pie” because they are precious. So, I’m no help.
Elaine’s last blog post..And the Mouse Party… A Success!
Comment by Elaine on April 5th, 2009 @ 9:14 pmI happen to have met this family at my son’s football game last fall and they had named their dog Asker. Supposedly they were from somewhere that name has meaning, but also at the same time it was a double entendre of sorts, because when you asked them the name of the dog, they would reply and say, “Asker” or people would hear, “Ask Her”, to which you would kinda laugh and say “Huh?”….anyways, the husband was quite a joker, he thought it was the best name eva!!
For myself….I like simple one syllable names. Even though I have a Jake for a child, its a cute dog name. My ex also liked the name Oak, but probably not for a dark doggie. Or…how about Romeo?
Good luck, keep us updated on your ideas!!
Heidi’s last blog post..Dessert
Comment by Heidi on April 6th, 2009 @ 10:13 am[...] not make for good blog fodder. If there is extraordinarily awesome news such as a pregnancy/birth/puppy it is easy to expound on it. If someone were to, you know, just be happy and content and in the [...]
Comment by Dutch Blitz » Ridiculously Awesome on April 7th, 2009 @ 12:05 amI wasn’t going to chime in because there have been so many great suggestions but today on the Toronto Breakfast show they had dogs on and there was this gorgeous big guy named Smudge and I automatically thought of your new pup. SO that is my idea Smudge. I am one of those people who usually prefers people names for pets, Patrick aka Paddy, Max, Spencer(Carrie had a wonderful white boxer named this), Albert, that sort of thing. Have fun and enjoy your new family member.
Comment by Cousin Teresa on April 7th, 2009 @ 10:50 amThere are websites for dog names?! Clearly I am out of the dog naming loop.
We named Iggy after Iggy Pop, and that was because Chris said I could get a pug if he could name him. I’m happy with the name, but Atticus (you could call him “Atti/Addy”) was always my top pooch moniker, though it didn’t fit for our bundle of pug, I don’t think.
My favorite names I have heard given to other dogs:
1) Bacon (a pug)
2) Burrito (a bulldog)
3) Potato (a bulldog)
3) Zeke (pronounced “zeek”; a black lab)
Kerri Anne’s last blog post..Weekend Update, Springtastic Edition
Comment by Kerri Anne on April 7th, 2009 @ 2:15 pmoppss I am behind on this. I just read this. Did you decide on a name yet? What is it? Here’s my puppy story to share with you:
http://www.lizas-eyeview.com/2009/02/and-then-i-agreed-to-adopting-italian.html
Comment by Liza's Eyeview on April 10th, 2009 @ 7:59 ammy God, i thought you were going to chip in with some decisive insght at the end there, not leave it with ?we leave it to you to decide?.
Comment by Hamsaaya on April 19th, 2009 @ 2:08 pm
My friend and former co-worker emailed me tonight with photos of his newborn human baby, and his name is Trace (the baby, not my friend). (Let’s just say I’ve been overwhelmed with cute photos of babies tonight – of the human and now canine variety :} )
So yea, my point is … um, Trace? It wouldn’t be so bad to yell. And if you name your dog that, I won’t tell my friend. There’s nothing weirder than knowing that your kid has the same name as someone’s dog, right?! Or, you know, you could always call him Blacky. (I am SO kidding.) (Sorry if I offended anyone whose dog’s name is Blacky.)
Mrs. Wilson’s last blog post..only fools rush in
Comment by Mrs. Wilson on April 3rd, 2009 @ 2:27 am