Turkey Gets a Sister Named Goblet

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 A continuation of interesting dog names

By Ida Williams


When Turkey’s owner contacted me about scheduling training for their new puppy, Goblet, all I could think was: Are they setting the Thanksgiving table?

Three years ago, I wrote an article titled Gus from Accounting and Other Interesting Dog Names. Since then, we've seen over 300 more dogs come through training, and with the return of Turkey—now joined by Goblet—I thought it was time for another round of name highlights.

Animal and Plant Names

In addition to Turkey, we’ve welcomed dogs with names like Bear, Bee, Birdie, Cricket, Foxy, Gazelle, and Wren. Plant-inspired names are equally popular, including Aspen, Buttercup, Cedar, Daisy, Holly, Iris, Ivy, and Juniper.

Food-Inspired Names

Food names remain a trend, though perhaps not as strong as before. We've met dogs named Apple, Babka, Ginger, Honey, Pepper (aka Pepsi), Spaghetti, Sugar, Taco (aka Taco Lion), Tuna, and Waffles. Tuna and Waffles—sounds like a meal best left uneaten.

Places

Some names appear to be inspired by favorite destinations or travel dreams. These include Augusta, Brigadoon (mythical places count!), Brooklyn, Cairo, Denali, Dixie, Dublin, Fenway, Georgia, Hudson, Journey, and River.

Same Sound, Different Spelling

Pronunciation might be the same, but the spellings vary: Abbey and Abby, Angus and Aonghus, Blu and Blue, Bo and Beau, Boon and Boone.

Names That Need a Pronunciation Guide

Some names just require a little explanation: Arya (a-rye-a), Chuy (Chewy), Fionn (Finn), Gioia (Joy-a), Grainne (Graa-nyuh), Konig (Cone-ig), Kratos (Kray-towz), Mauna Kea (Mah-na kay-a), Ruairí (Roar-ee), and SamSaint (Sam-san).
The most confusing pair: Lelia (Lay-la) and Leila (Lee-la).

Here at New Skete, we’re no strangers to names that challenge pronunciation. Some dogs arrive from Germany with names in tow. The latest is Fiby—still awaiting pronunciation confirmation. She starts training in a few weeks, so I’ll find out then. Others include Habibah (ha-bee-ba), Iso (ee-so), Shive (she-va), Monay (moe-nay), Pyrena (I call her “Pyrena Ballerina”), and—much to my chagrin—I’ll leave you to imagine how I first mispronounced Uran (oo-ron).

Oxymoron Names

We’ve had three dogs named Minnie. One was a petite Australian Labradoodle. The other two? Not so mini—one’s a Newfoundland, the other a Saint Bernard.

When One Name Isn’t Enough

Some pups need two names to match their big personalities. These are not registered names, just what we hear around the training center: Colt Draco, Freddie Bacon, Hazel May Louie, Miss Nairobi, Phoebe Judge, Sadie Blue, Scout Finch, and Stella Blue.

Nicknames, Please

Thankfully, many dogs go by nicknames—especially helpful when names are long. A few examples:
Calliope – Callie
Brownie Cobear – Cobear
Archie – Archie Bear
Cleopatra – Cleo
Ezekiel – Zeke
Abbie vom Mittelwest – Freddie
Gertrude Hawk – Gertie
Hubert – Hubie
King Blue – Blue
Lady Leo – Leo
Louisa Vuitton – Loo Loo
Magnolia – Maggie
Minerva – Minnie
Oniche – Nick
Talullah – Lulu
Tiberius – Ty
Theodosia – Teddy
Zela – ZZ

People Names

The list of people names is too long to print, but I’ll highlight one: Ella. It’s my mother’s name, and we’ve had several Ellas (plus one Ellabella) in training. There’s nothing quite like taking your mother for a walk—or telling her to sit and stay.

Honorable Mentions

Some names stick with me because of the images they conjure:

  • Summer, Sunny, and Sunshine – clearly optimistic owners
  • Astro – just like the Jetsons’ dog
  • Baloo – from The Jungle Book
  • Bo Diddley – the legendary blues guitarist
  • Brix – a measure of sugar in maple syrup
  • Bravo – owned by a retired military officer
  • Fiona – makes me think of Shrek
  • Lennie Brisco – I hear the Law & Order bells
  • Roo – a perfect name for a bouncy Mini Aussie
  • Shaggy Dog – need I say more?
  • Torben – means Thunder Bear
  • Wally! – yes, with an exclamation mark

And my personal favorite? Spot.
Because sometimes, you just need to name your dog Spot.

To see photos of the dogs trained by the Monks of New Skete visit our Facebook page.

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