Monday, June 10, 2013

SociaBulls: On the Most Popular Dog Names

As our group has been growing, we've been noticing that we now have several members with the same names. Which can become confusing when they're on the same walk and we're reading the pack order.
It's a little different than Kindergarten where you could just add your last initial, because most of us don't know one another's last name, and oftentimes even the people's first name because we all know dogpeople only remember the dogs' names, not the person's, when we meet.
So we had to become a little "creative".
See, I used to have a job in a restaurant where the owner did not know the names of the guys who worked in the back. She would put together the schedules, and she would list it by: New Guy, New Guy #2, Guy in Hat, Mustache Guy #1, etc. Which is kind of mean, but the guys said it was ok because it worked.
So now that we have two Stanley's on our walks, we can all out the order for Black Stanley and Brindle Stanley. Much like our Lily's are Little Black Lily and Brindle Lily. We have Pitbull Jack and Shepherd Jack. 
Though we're a little stumped with our Luna's. We have two Luna's that are both petite, gray, pit bull-type dogs with tall ears. They look nearly identical. 
Our most popular dog name so far has been Bruno. We currently have 3 Bruno's in the group. Though when I'd already given away the name Brown Bruno, when we had another Bruno join who is also brown. 
At the same time, it also helps that we have some dogs that are multi-named. We doubt we'll be getting duplicates of:  Bruce Wayne, Jack Bo Didley, Detective Munch, Zelda Fitzgerald, and Questifer P. Doggins.
Though it's funny to see how things changed from the Benji's and Gizmo's of my youth. I found this list of most popular dog names of 2013. (I'm shocked Gizmo is still on that list!)

Does your pooch have one of the more popular names? Or were you able to create a really unique name? 

Join our Chicago SociaBulls  Facebook page for more photos and information about group walks. And check out the Hikabulls page where we first learned about the benefits of group walking.   
Please Note: As the weather has warmed up, bikers, runners, dogs, and kids have come out in full force in many of the areas that we walk. While we had previously been introducing new members a few at a time to each walk, we've decided that in order to continue to keep our group safe and make our walks a positive experience for everyone, we are putting new members "on hold" for the summer. You can still submit an application, and it will go on our wait list in the order it is received. Once things quiet down a bit more in the fall, we will resume introducing new members a few at a time to each walk, and will be contacting people on the wait list in a first-come, first-served manner. 

Also:

18 comments:

Debra@Peaceabull said...

Well, I never would have thought "Ray" was an unusual name, it is not on the list of top names. He is often called Peaceabull Ray or Ray-Ray when people meet him "in person."

Katie said...

Yup, my pup's name is Lily. We had no idea how popular a name it is for dogs when we chose it (she's our first dog)! She got her name because her foster mom has two big dogs, a German Shepherd and a Greyhound, and Lily is a 25 pound beagle mix. So, her foster mama started calling her "Lil" (like "little"). We liked it, so it stuck :)

Anonymous said...

I named Melvin (his rescue name was Riley) and he is the only Melvin we know (and the only one at our vet)!. Jake came as Jake - his name for five years. And it's a popular name for dogs and kids! Everywhere we go, someone is calling for a Jake!

Anonymous said...

We've yet to meet another Gambit, but there are lots of Bandits! Half the time people think his name is Bandit, and the other half of the time they say it's a great dog name or asked if he was named after the X-Man (nope).

Jordann said...

We didn't even think to consult the "most popular dog names" list when we named our recently adopted dog "Molly", only to find out it's the #2 most popular female dog name! Good thing she has a ton of nick names.

Hannah@Eriesistibull said...

No surprise that Tesla and Edison don't make the "most popular" list. Although, Nikola himself never really made the popular list either...

I love the creativity in coming up with descriptive dog names! Even with a list of the human names (from their applications), I don't remember many on them from our group!!

Kirsten (peacefuldog) said...

That's pretty funny. Someone at the shelter where I volunteer was saying that they've started changing the names of dogs who have been there too long. One dog who had been there for months had her name changed to Bella, and was adopted in a day!

For our part, I think we're pretty safe with Fozzie Bear and Lamar Latrell. Lady the foster was not named by me :)

Swimflyaway said...

I think Remus is pretty unique, having never met another one. And yes, he is named after Professor Lupin. ;-)

Riley is not so different, but she mostly goes by Riley Jane in public/at the vet.

Great post!

My Two Pitties said...

That's interesting! I think I've only come across one other Kaya and maybe a Norman which is nice. I've had a lot of friends with the same names and we get pretty creative with nicknames:)

Unknown said...

I have one named Juice, he was already named when I adopted him. My other one is name Ocho, I found him the 8th so it just kind of stuck. I always hear a lot of "Rocky's" and other common names while I'm at the dog park, but never another Juice or Ocho!

Unknown said...

I have one named Juice, he was already named when I adopted him. My other one is name Ocho, I found him the 8th so it just kind of stuck. I always hear a lot of "Rocky's" and other common names while I'm at the dog park, but never another Juice or Ocho!

Unknown said...

I have Tank and Kilo. Luckily Tank will answer to Tankers, Fluffy Butt, and Snuggle Bunny, while Kilo will answer to Kilo Boy, Wiggle Butt, and Snuggle Bug. :)

Two French Bulldogs said...

The two name kids are cute names
Benny & Lily

Tannia G. said...

I think I can offer some help with the Luna and Luna issue. My Luna has a middle name so I often call her Luna J. Also if it makes it easier I can start putting a purple bandana on her as an identifier.

Anonymous said...

I didn't know how many Boomers and Dotties were out there until I started working at a vet clinic!

Unknown said...

I'm hoping mine is a bit more original. I am names after Big Guy's second Boxer, Dina.

Rebelwerewolf said...

I really, really thought more people would have named their dog Badger. But we've yet to meet another Badger, and people often think his name is Dodger.

Abdul bari said...

Best dog names for your dog or puppy, including male dog names, female dog names, cool dog names, and popular dog names. dog names

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