Spot No More

If you are struggling with naming a new dog or cat, your brain racking days are over. Dull, traditional dog names like Spot, Rover and Patches are out and more creative names with special meaning are in.

One way to select a pet name is to think of something that has unique meaning to you like a favorite TV show, book, movie, childhood friend or favorite place to visit. Pull a name from one of the characters, author, best friend's nickname or town. My dog, Serina, is named after a character from my favorite childhood TV show, "Bewitched." Serina was Samantha's pesky cousin (actually Elizabeth Montgomery in a black wig and go-go boots).

Next, there are the pups and kits named after the "the divas" like Bette, Madge (short for Madonna), Liza, Judy, Diana, Patti, Cher, Babs, Whitney, Tina, Chaka and Bee (short for Beyonce). Fashion houses have also reared their heads in the pet name world; Dolce & Gabanna (for a pair of pouches), Prada, Armani, Chanel and Valley (short for Valentino) are all very popular among fashionistas.