Posted: January 31, 2009, 5 a.m. EST
A strategic marketing firm responsible for helping companies like Bayer come up with brand names has some dog-naming advice for President Barack Obama and his family.
“This dog will be famous and the name will live in perpetuity, so it’s important that they find a name fitting for a first dog,” Strategic Name Development chief linguistics officer Diane Prange said in a statement.
With that in mind, the company offered the following advice for the Obama family:
Pick a politically optimistic name. Gerald Ford’s dog Liberty, Richard Nixon’s Vicky (which stands for victory), and Jimmy Carter’s Grits were on the right scent. Conversely, Rutherford B. Hayes and Calvin Coolidge may have sent the wrong signals with pets named Grim and Calamity Jane.
Make the name easy to pronounce — and spell. Lincoln’s dog was named Jip, which was often misspelled Gyp.
Tell a story with the name. The name should say something about character, history, or pedigree. Kennedy’s dog Shannon was a gift from the president of Ireland.
Keep the name unusual. Avoid the obvious dog names — Max, Sam, Lady, Bear, Buddy, Smokey, Shadow.
Give the name a “made in America” feel. Avoid foreign-sounding names like Manchu (Theodore Roosevelt), Caruso (Taft), and Pushinka (Kennedy).
End with a vowel sound. Dog names ending in vowels like Fido (Lincoln) and Barney (George W. Bush) are easier for your pets to recognize. This is good insurance for a president who wants to make sure that no matter what he does, there will still be one living being who will listen to him.
- Read more about the search for the Obama dog -