Bourjaily: Name My Dog

The dog my son Gordon is holding in the picture is a 13-week old German shorthair that came home with us Saturday. This hunting dog needs a name. The one he came with, “Fritz,” seems, at best, unimaginative for a German dog and at worst, so stereotypical as to be borderline insulting – kind of like naming him “Kraut” or “Jerry.”

So, I’m holding a “name Phil’s dog” contest. The prize is a fine rubber handled folding knife from Marlin with a skinning/gutting blade and an interchangeable saw blade. It will be awarded to someone whether we use the winning name or not.

Anything goes, but as a guideline, the dog names should be easy to yell and not so precious that it can’t hold up to thousands of repetitions over the course of the dog’s life.

“Fritz” actually is a pretty good dog name by those standards. My 12-year English setter came with what I consider to be one of the finest dog names ever – “Ike” – distinctive without being precious, and extremely user-friendly at top volume.

This contest won’t last long, as the puppy needs a name. I’m eager to see what you come up with.