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Name Help Needed!

1K views 15 replies 10 participants last post by  Kahrg4 
#1 ·
So my friend just finished the paperwork for adopting a shepherd mix from the local animal control. He's 6 months old, a bit shy at first but a super snuggle once warmed up. He plays fetch and loves ear scratchies.

She's caught between the following names:

Rafiki (ra-fee-key)
Amico (uh-mee-ko)
Ilo (ee-low)

It's not the greatest photo but here's what he looks like.
Selfie Dog breed
 
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#3 ·
Suggestion for name

I thought for such a regal dog like a GSD; a name should fit the manner and personality of your dog.

From the short description: I thought Abraham or "Abe" would be a nice name. Or, for those owners that prefer a more complex name for their dog: Maybe Ramses - (Ram-zeez) might fit him too. Just depends on the personality. :smile2: Or maybe just plain old "Ted" or Theodore? :laugh2:
 
#5 · (Edited)
Amico is 3 syllables.

Ilo would be 2. And that would be my choice.

I mean, Amico would be pronounced like the gas station, Amaco.
Rafiki sounds kind of like the Bean character's name in the Ender series. Julian Delfiki, I think. Rafiki. It would be ok. But I just couldn't picture myself calling out my back door: RAh-- Fee-- Key!!! And, Rafiki, SIT. I dunno. Guess, I can do Ilo, SIT, better.

But who am I to talk? I took a perfectly good name, Eli, and decided to use a call name Kojak, and am calling the boy Kojie. And Cujo is Cuji-poojie-puddin'-n-pie. Don't ask me why. Kojak is supposed to be, Kojak-who-loves-you-baby. It's kind of amazing how we massacre names.
 
#14 ·
Eventually, she will open her mouth, and the right name will come out. At least, that's usually how it works for me. The only animal who's name I've really had to think about was Ilka. When I first picked her up and not intending to keep her, I was calling her "Blaze" due to her markings. When nobody claimed her, and we decided to keep her, I decided I wanted either a German or Celtic name for her. After going through three different baby name books, I had a list of roughly a dozen German and Celtic names, along with one, lone Hungarian name..... Of course she wound up with the Hungarian name.
 
#15 ·
I once named a mutt puppy Zoro because I loved the old Zoro movies, and this little guy was black with a splash of white on his neck in kind of a z-shape. Well it just did not fit at all. He ended up Scrappy and even he liked that name better.

Names are funny. I prefer boy-names to end in an O or IE/Y, like Frodo or MahaRushie. 2 syllables generally much better and MahaRushie was generally referred to as Rush or Rushie. But it doesn't always work out that way. Dubya, Oscar, Nder, Kojak, and Mufasa were all exceptions to that rule.

Girl names I like to end in A or the IE/Y sound and be 2 syllables, like Jenna and Heidi. But lots of exceptions work as well, though Babs became Babsy. Odessa, Odie. Quinn, Quinnie. Ramona works even though it is 3 syllables. I just add "The Pest" after it. Hepzibah became Hepsi, Nakita became Nikki. And then there was Arwen. My folks Hated that name, yep with a capital H. But she grew into it with her ears, and she too became a legend. I guess the rule, "Keep them short, so you don't have to cut them down before using them" makes sense.

Names are interesting. I think sometimes they reflect what we want in a dog, and sometimes they can even effect how we and others perceive a dog, and perhaps there is a self-fulfilling prophesy to a certain extent. I cringe at names like Viper and Malice. I wonder why someone wants to put a dark name on a puppy. Chaos -- yeah I can see that or Havoc, but those people are just brave, not dark.
 
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