Ear: Names

OK, so you got a new puppy for Christmas but haven’t named it yet because you don’t want just any old typical name. You want something with a little pizzazz. Something dazzlingly different.

Well, The Animal Rescue Site mentions that professor David Scott-Macnab, at North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa, found a 368-page manuscript, “The Names of All Manner of Hounds,” which claims to feature 1,065 medieval names (it’s actually 1,126) for hunting dogs, which will work just as well for any dog. To see just the Tolkein-sounding list, go to bit.ly/1065hounds.

A few examples are: Fyndewell, Hardye, Merymowthe, Quester, Sable, Argente, Amatiste, Besaunte, Dolfyn, Dyamound, Trefoile, Wodewale, Ladon, Theron and Penyboy.

Don’t like medieval monikers? There’s always 215 Rare and Unusual Dog Names and several other name generators out there in cyberspace.

Whatever you decide to call your dog, the number of syllables is important, according to All Pets Avisor: “ … The ideal number of syllables for a dog’s name is one or two … because dogs respond better to short, simple and easy-to-pronounce names that are easy to distinguish from other sounds and commands.” (Painting: Alexandre-François Desportes)