What's in a name?

We have received much advice when figuring out what to name our first dog. Some have said that the name will just come once you get to know the dog. If that was the case, we would've named Ender "Crazy Mofo." The best advice has been to name your dog something you wouldn't be embarrassed shouting at the top of your lungs and to keep it keep it to two syllables.

Ender, named after a character in the 1985 science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card, and Barksdale, named after the one and only Avon Barksdale from the television show The Wire, have been great conversation starters with complete strangers. Somehow, their names actually do reflect a bit of their personalities. Ender is a goofy and socially awkward while Barksdale is so completely street, it is so not funny.

My two cents with names is don't feel pressure to come up with a name. Take your time. For about a week, Barksdale was referred to as "the little one" which was fine with her. Once you have a name, you won't be able to remember a time when you weren't shouting it at the top of your lungs.