TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

By SHERRY DAVIS

Contributing columnist

I love coming up with names for my dogs.

It's something I put a lot of thought into, and by the time a new puppy arrives I will have collected half a dozen names in constant revision of preference hoping that there is one that captures his essence.

I have a new favorite name for a male Newfoundland saved up, but currently no plans for upping the productivity level of slime and hair at my house.

Inevitably, a name not on the list will pop into my head and I just know it's the one.

So what can turn this fairly simple process of naming a dog into something akin to a mind-bending game of trivial pursuit?

Well, if you show dogs, you have to come up with two names. Their registered, and their call name.

Registered names will usually have the breeder's kennel name or prefix in it.

Just seeing that prefix in a name will indicate to many a dog show aficionado the physical type, temperament and win records consistent with dogs from a breeder's kennel.

People often pick registered names based on a theme or hobby, which can range from the powerful or elegant to tongue-twisting hilarity.

Song titles, models of foreign cars, rare wines, famous racehorses and flavors of ice cream have all been widely used in registered dog names.

While the point of this name, which must be unique, is to identify the dog for the purposes of American Kennel Club (or other) registration, owners not only seek to come up with a name that is catchy and memorable, but one that surrounds the potential show dog with an aura befitting that of a great champion.

Owners never call the dog by its registered name, though.

Dogs have shorter "nick" or call names. like the ones all dog owners give their dogs -- an affectionate or descriptive name identifying color, size, habits or personality, and there are also the dogs who are given human names.

By far, the most popular male and female names given to dogs that come to me for training are Max and Bella.

Not a surprise. Those names have topped the popularity lists for years.

But just for fun, I thought I'd list some of the less common names owners come up with.

Jerry and Judy Tonnelli rescued a border collie mix that had been abandoned in a melon field. They named her Melloncollie.

Judy recently went to herculean lengths to rescue and spay a small white pit bull who is now looking for a forever home.

She named the little girl "Bubbles" to describe her effervescent personality.

Linda Sullenger's "Bucky" is a spunky little affenpinscher who I named as a pup because his disheveled hair stuck out in all directions like Buckwheat from the "Little Rascals," my childhood favorites.

Linda previously owned a white German shepherd named Malibu after the white rum.

Kelly and Alec Slykerman rescued a lost German shepherd mix and gave him the name Pilgrim.

They also own a speedy Boykin spaniel appropriately named Dash.

Heidi Nicol, owner of Bella at the Marketplace, has a little yorkie named Wilhelmina after the famous supermodel.

You've probably seen Willy's larger-than-life presence on billboards around town or greeting guests at the store.

Greg and Mary Bynum have a chocolate lab named Shafer after a favorite winery.

Cindy Holloway from Coffee Road Pet Resort, and her husband, Ken, have a dogue de Bordeaux named Barbossa after Jack Sparrow's nemesis in "Pirates of the Caribbean."

Biscuit owner Bonnie Tomlinson has Cavalier King Charles spaniels named after English royalty: Fergie, Andy and Eddie.

Gene Bonas saw a little cocker, an owner turn-in, at the shelter whose soulful eyes cried out to him from behind bars.

He couldn't get that picture out of his head and came back the next day and adopted her. He named her Lady.

OK, it's not unusual, but it is sweetly appropriate. As you will probably remember in the Disney movie "Lady and the Tramp," after Lady got kicked out of the house she ended up in the dog pound.

Gayle and John Ulman have named their new Russian-bred, harlequin Great Dane puppy Alexa.

Joanne Rowles has a young boxer named Skywalker. I assume the Force is with him.

Her sister Margarite has a chocolate lab named Believe. No explanation needed.

Hands down, one of my favorite names belongs to Gwen Klingenberg's English Bulldog who is named Dirt after the grandkids' love for the old Bakersfield Raceway track.

Does your dog have a funny or unique name? A catchy registered name?

Does it have a sentimental or special meaning behind it?

Send it, tell me the dog's breed and why you gave it that name, and I'll include the best ones in an upcoming column.

Frank, my best friend and "burglar alarm with a heart," was already named when he arrived from the Slovak Republic, and his registered name, Mississippi-Missouri Daily Life, comes straight out of our U.S. history books.

He was named after the route made famous during the 1803-1806 expedition of Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery.

Accompanying them on this epic journey was Captain Lewis' heroic Newfoundland, Seaman, the first dog to cross the continent.

Couldn't have come up with a better name myself.

Sherry Davis is a dog trainer/owner of CSI 4 K9s. E-mail her at doglady@bakersfield.com. These are her opinions and not necessarily The Californian's.