Everybody's got a method; read and learn.

WE HAVE A FRENCH FRIEND who told us that “Medor” is the stereotypical French dog’s name—sort of like Spot. So we named our dog Medor. Since we live in America, it seems unusual and exotic, and only the occasional French person we encounter gets the joke.
—A.L.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
MEDOR, MIXED BREED, 3

I THOUGHT IT WAS SO CUTE AND INNOVATIVE when my parents got a Golden Lab and named her Maggie. Then one day, I was home visiting them, and I took Maggie to the park. Somebody next to me started calling “Maggie,” and her own Golden Lab ran to her. I swear there were half a dozen Golden Labs named Maggie. Next time my parents should visit the park first.
—SUSAN
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
MAGGIE, GOLDEN LABRADOR, 13

IF YOU LET YOUR YOUNG CHILDREN CHOOSE your pet’s name, be prepared for names like “Dipsy-Dipsy Doo-Doo.” We call her Dippy for short.
—HEIDI
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
DIPSY-DIPSY DOO-DOO, MIXED BREED, 7

WHEN I WAS FIRST MARRIED, my wife and I bought a total mutt. He was so many breeds mixed together that you couldn’t begin to guess at his ancestry. So we called him Alboe: A Little Bit Of Everything.
—COLIN MCDOUGLE
CANFIELD, OHIO
ALBOE, MIXED BREED, 10

THINK ABOUT WHAT IT WILL BE LIKE to scream your dog’s name out loud. You might even want to practice first. I was all set to name my dog Bean, which I thought was cute, because she was shaped like a little Jelly Bean. But I live in an area with a lot of Latinos, and my friend pointed out that screaming that word might come across as something sort of derogatory. So I named her Jelly instead, and I can scream out, “Jelly, Jell-Jell!” to my heart’s content.
—K.B.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
MIXED BREED, 6