"Scout" is my blonde lab's name. Re: Scout Finch character in "To Kill A Mockingbird". Southern boy like you should appreciate that!

Being a southern boy I too like Belle or Bella as in Southern Belle. The Name should fit the dog. I've got a female that just looked like a Sally the first time I saw here. If you have kids, nieces, or nephews let them get in on the name game as well.

As far as names go, I like names shortened from longer, more regal names.

I've hunted behind a "Rockford von Buckshot" that was shortened to "Rocky," and my current GSP is a "Samantha ReTint GirlGun," but I mostly call her "get the hell off the table, and leave our food alone."

She will answer to Sam, if I put her hunting gear on though.

I think if I were to name a dog these days, it would be "Lucretia Birdlow," and I would surely call her "Lou."

You can use it if you like.

My Brittany is officially Coral Countess of Grinchfoot. She's almost two and I'm still calling her "Puppy".

I always give my dogs people names since I treat them like people and they behave like people should behave (but never do). My three are Pearl, Opal, and Coral and despite the very strong similarity in their names they never get it mixed up. When I'm throwing them treats (like last night's shrimp skins) I can call out the name and they know who's supposed to get what.

Anyway, I always had a preference for Zelda but could never get the family to bite on it. Too many Brandys and Ambers out there. Not original enough for me. I like Hortense too but ... well ... nope! Shortened version might raise a few eyebrows in the city park. My grandmother who died two months after I was born was Stella. No one uses that name anymore. I guess Marlon Brando wrecked it ("STELLA! STELLLLAH!). Marylin would be a good name for a blond but too many syllables. How about Grace (for Grace Kelly)? Or May (for May West). Or Faye (for Faye Dunaway)?

What do you call a blonde with a brain?

A golden retriever

Bimbo

You know, Norma Jean would work very nicely. It's three syllables but flows out quickly and creates a very distinctive sound. Very distinctive. Also Norma Jean Mortenson was Marylin Monroe's real name.

The names I choose usually begin with a consonant - "Tobey", "Tango", "Pepper", "Cass", etc., because when I call them their names carry well for distance. If they're given a soft or sibilant name, it's more difficult to hear at distance or to detect urgency in your voice.

How come the blonde stopped using her birth control pills?
They kept dropping out.

Why did the blonde change her baby's diaper once a month?
The box stated the diaper could hold twenty pounds.

How come blonde jokes are short?
So the brunettes can read them.

I had a all black one and named her Midnight Magic Beatrix and we called her Trixy.

A friend, a retired Marine, named his lab "Private"...and yes, he spent some of his career as a junior and senior drill instructor at Parris Island. It has been decades for me, but my pulse still jumps when he calls that dog. In quiet moments, he calls the dog "Private Snotlocker" or some similarly affectionate name, but when he wants to call the dog or get its attention, his booming voice is enough to be heard some distance away. I ask if the dog will ever be promoted, and that's possible but unlikely in the foreseeable future.

My best lab was named Chip and I always liked that name. Unlike cats, they are plenty smart enough to recognize any name though so make it something you like.