Unfortunately my family recently lost an important member of our family- our 15 year old golden retriever. We’ve been talking for a while about getting another dog and now is definitely not the time, but we’re thinking the time might be right this spring. We’re 83.3333% sure we’re settled on getting a Newfoundland, because five out of the six members have agreed so far. We will also most likely be getting a girl.
We are open to both human and nonhuman names, as we have used both. Some names that have been brought up include [name]Sally[/name], [name]Willow[/name], [name]Claire[/name], [name]Natalie[/name], [name]Lola[/name] (my favorite), [name]Flora[/name], [name]Verna[/name]…
Any suggestions?
Ooohhh! I like the ideao f [name]Lola[/name] for a Newf! [name]Flora[/name] is also adorable. I like the irony of this delicate name for such a big lunk of a dog. (And I love Newfs. I mean that affectionately.) I don’t know about [name]Sally[/name]. It is just not a favorite name of mine, and I like it even less on a dog, and less still for a Newf. [name]How[/name] about [name]Polly[/name], [name]Nelly[/name], or [name]Sarah[/name] instead? I like [name]Clara[/name] better than [name]Claire[/name] for dog or human child. I think [name]Willow[/name] is a great dog name, but can’t picture it on a Newf. In that case, the irony isn’t working for me. I just think – hmm – she won’t be willowy at all. [name]How[/name] about [name]Meadow[/name]?
But really – you had me at [name]Lola[/name]. As long as everyone (or most everyone?) is on board…
[name]Pansy[/name], [name]Posy[/name], [name]Phoebe[/name], and [name]Fifer[/name] might also be fun.
[name]Josephine[/name], call name [name]Posy[/name], could be adorable for a Newf.
Hmm. If you’re planning on using a good breeder (the kind that breeds from genetically tested, temperamentally sound, healthy championship stock - all other breeders are crap), you best get on a waiting list now, since good breeders don’t breed unless they have homes for all the pups beforehand. Check the Newfoundland club in your state/province/whatever for referrals.
I love Newfies, but do beware that drooly giant breeds don’t respect stylish and tasteful home decor. My house looked a lot spiffier before our Mastiff. Oh, and Newfies need a lot of grooming, too.
I’m not a fan of (highly usable, in the English-speaking world) human names on animals. These are some of my pets’ names or names that were on my lists for them, for both genders. OK, you can tell I’m kind of a dork from this list:
[name]Aiko[/name]
Anansi
Beowulf
[name]Boudicca[/name]
[name]Caesar[/name] [name]Augustus[/name] (this was for a tiny dog but my family outvoted me and he became Patriot sigh)
Charlemagne
[name]Chaucer[/name]
[name]El[/name]-[name]Ray[/name]
[name]Gatsby[/name]
[name]Hera[/name]
[name]Livy[/name]
Mishka (Russian for “teddy bear” - my lab’s name)
[name]Perseus[/name]
[name]Phoenix[/name]
[name]Roxy[/name]
Scheherazade
Yamato
Zerbie
@bonnie1107 : You picked out the two names that I offered in discussion with my family, and so far the only two I like that are in the running. Although Newfs are huge, they have such a gentle temperament, I feel like these sorts of names are both ironic and fitting at the same time, as you said. Unfortunately, the names you suggested won’t work. [name]Polly[/name] is too close to [name]Molly[/name], my grandfather’s dog, [name]Nelly[/name] is too close to my name, and [name]Sarah[/name] has bad associations for my entire family (though I wish I could like the name!). [name]Clara[/name]/[name]Claire[/name] I’ve thrown out because it will most likely be my future daughter’s name. I included it in the post just to give people a feel for what names have been thrown around by my family. I agree that [name]Willow[/name] is lovely, but it just doesn’t feel right to me. I like the idea of [name]Meadow[/name], but my family has a tendency to shorten names. Our past dog, Cuddles, often went by Cuds. Would [name]Meadow[/name] end up as Meds? Probably.
@whistlinggirl :
Thanks for the advice. We aren’t in too much of a rush, so once we decide for sure we’ll put ourselves on a waiting list. My mother has already been looking into potential breeders for when by father finally gives the OK. We’re okay with the drooling and grooming needs. We talked about getting a clean, hypoallergenic breed, but the fact is we’d rather have a dog we’re absolutely in love with than a cleaner dog we’re just okay with. We’re prepared to take our Newf to a professional for major grooming, plus doing upkeep ourselves.
If we were getting a boy, I would absolutely love your suggestions. Beowulf, Charlemagne, [name]Chaucer[/name], [name]Gatsby[/name], [name]Perseus[/name], [name]Phoenix[/name]…love them! Mishka, especially with its meaning is adorable, nice choice!
I guess what I am looking for is a feminine name that’s not too frilly, that just has a warm feel to it. A name that makes you think of the color scarlett (hm…maybe [name]Scarlett[/name] could be nice).
Still thinking about Charlemagne, that’d be it if it were a boy!
[name]Bonnie[/name] - well, good deal! [name]Just[/name] be aware that you will spend some time cleaning off the amalgam of drool and dog hair that’s dried on the wall because your dog shook her head and flung it all over the place. And, simply due to their size and most human adults’ inability to physically control them, many giant breeds require more training work than breeds that are simply kinda large. It’s the little joys of owning a giant breed, you know? Newfs and Great Pyrs are my favorite breeds, but I just don’t know if we can ever do this again, lol.
It’s so much easier to come up with cool boy dog names than girl dog names! Let’s see, names that mean red:
[name]Cerise[/name]
[name]Crimson[/name]
[name]Garnet[/name]
La Rousse
[name]Suri[/name]