Mila, in Russian, means "sweet" or "precious." That sums up my lab-sharpei-husky mix princess.

I wanted to honor the memory of Harriett Tubman so I named my dog Harriett.

Buster is a mixed breed dog, part coonhound and part Aussie cattle dog. Mixed breeds make the best all-around dogs, especially when adopted from a local shelter, and not purchased from a pet store or breeder.

I named him Buster because he's full of spunk, loves all people, other dogs, and even cats, and is super smart. Sounds like a Buster to me.

We are the proud owners of a white miniature poodle named Chenille. In French, the word means *catepillar* and in Latin cancula, it is the diminutive of *dog.*

Chenille reminded us of a fuzzy catepillar when she was a puppy, hence the name.

I didn't choose the name...he was given to me at age 1 and it's what had already been given to him. However, he has a 'Herculean' personality, thinks he is a really big dog. I have 2 other dogs, much bigger than he is and he totally rules the group. He is 4 pounds of ferocity.

I have a beagle named Stevie. I named her that for three reasons: 1) After Steve Nash, 2) After my brother and, 3) I loved the name for a girl. I like that it is so unusual.

I picked the name Sophie because of the opening line in the Rhoald Dahl children's book, The BFG: "Sophie couldn't sleep."

I originally wanted to call my German Shepherd "Susy Q" but my sons vetoed me. To them "Xena" sounded more regal and warrior-like - and it was a name well chosen. My small puppy wasn't small for long, and Xena is now a lean muscular and regal-looking 90 pound German Shepherd who is tall for her breed. She is loyal and loving, and very protective of her family. She is Xena, a Warrior-Princess.

My Border Collie/ACD started out as Jake, named after Robert Urich's character in Lonesome Dove ... then I got a roommate with a Springer named Moxie, which led to the evolution of the dogs' names to Jacoby & Myers. After a move, Jacob became Kobe ... he now lives in Southeast Louisiana (after a 6-year stint in Maine) with my German Shepherd, Bear (aka Otis), and my yellow lab Daisy (aka Fifi).

We got a bishon named Romeo from a rescue. Although it is not a name we would have chosen, we added onto it to personalize it to us. His formal name is now Romeo Montague Bear but his tags just show Romeo MB. Lately, we have taken to calling him Alfie, as in Alfa Romeo. He quickly seems to have taken to his new nickname.