War Dog Names

Introduction

History buffs aside, there are many people who simply like the sound of names that are associated with wartime or evoke memories of a distant era. Masculine names seem to top the list, however those with female dogs should not despair! There are plenty of fun and interesting names that inspire thoughts of war; or maybe memories of a specific era with good memories. While this is a large list, there are plenty more war inspired names that did not make the list. Take your time and have fun when trying to decide on a war inspired name for your new puppy.

War Dog Names In Pop Culture

Featured Famous War Dog

Kaiser

While there have been, and still are, numerous dogs serving around the world in a military capacity, there have been some that have made their way into the history books. There are three such dogs that fought valiantly during wartime; some gave their life for the cause and others were able to retire with honors. Kaiser was unfortunately one of those dogs that never made it home from Vietnam. Kaiser was a German Shepherd Dog that worked with his handler, Marine Lance Corporal Alfredo Salazar. The duo completed over 30 combat patrols and was part of 12 major operations. Salazar and Kaiser joined the search-and-destroy mission for Company “D”. During one mission in 1966 they were ambushed. Kaiser was hit and died in the field with Salazar cradling his body. Kaiser has the unpleasant distinction of being the first war dog killed in action during the Vietnam War.

Another Vietnam war dog, Nemo the German Shepherd Dog, worked with his handler, Airman 2^nd Class Bob Thomeburg. During a patrol on December 4, 1966, the duo was patrolling a cemetery near the airbase in Vietnam when they came under enemy fire. Nemo took a hit to the eye and Thomeburg was shot in the shoulder. Nemo continued fighting despite his injury and gave Thomeburg the time he needed to regroup and kill the two enemy guerillas that attacked them and call for reinforcements. Thomeburg fell unconscious while waiting for help and Nemo crawled on top of him to protect him. Both recovered from their wounds and Nemo was permanently retired. He died at age 11 in December of 1972.

Arguably the most famous war dog in history is Stubby, the American Pit Bull Terrier. Stubby is the only dog to earn the rank of Sergeant. In 1917 Stubby was found as a stray roaming the Yale campus. He was smuggled into France during World War I by his new owner, Corporal John Robert Conroy. Stubby is credited with participating in 17 battles and four offenses. He is also credited with boosting troop morale. Stubby was able to warn the soldiers of attacks using poison gas and could hear incoming artillery fire before any person could. Stubby was used to locate downed soldiers on the battlefield and he even could sniff out German spies sneaking around the trenches. Stubby died in 1926 but is still remembered today. The Stubby Award for Canine Heroism is awarded each year to a dog that has demonstrated courage in the face of adversity.

War Dog Name Considerations

Some people have a tendency to shy from war inspired names because of the bad memories these names may evoke. However, there are also names that may help keep a good memory alive. Specific war dogs that have made it into the history books have fun names and this may be a good place for your name search to begin. There was Kaiser, the first war dog killed in Vietnam or there is the famous Chesty, the mascot of the Marines. Specific locations of wars can also be considered, such as calling your new pup Nam which is short for Vietnam. When people think of war inspired names, generally visions of German Shepherd Dogs or other larger dogs come to mind. However, many small dogs can have names that are inspired by war. Torpedo is a great name for a small dog with a big heart and fast legs. Chopper is also another good name for a smaller dog. It may even be fun to name a smaller dog after Bamse the Saint Bernard that became a naval officer in the Royal Norwegian Navy. Girl dogs can also carry names that are inspired by war. There were numerous women that made a difference in all of the wars that have been fought. There is no better way to honor those women than to name your newest pooch after one of them.

Male War Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
2	Kaiser First war dog killed in action during the Vietnam War
1	Nemo Vietnam war dog
1	Tank Sometimes called “land battleship”, almost indestructible weapon
1	Chips The most decorated war dog in WWII
0	Torpedo Self-propelled missile shot from submarines or planes
0	Stonewall After General TJ “Stonewall” Jackson of the Confederate Army
0	Megiddo The Battle of Megiddo in 1918
0	Washington Famous general of the Revolutionary War; 1st President of the U.S.
0	Beret After the Green Berets a special operatives force
0	Grenade Small bomb
0	Treaty Documents signed to prevent or stop wars
0	Camo As in camouflage used to hide in the desert or jungle
0	Lincoln President credited with starting the Civil War
0	Apache Operation Apache Snow thwarted North Vietnamese forces from attacking the coast
0	Chopper Nickname for helicopters
0	Admiral The highest ranking officer in the Navy
0	Thompson The submachine gun that was popular during WWII
0	Bomber Medium sized airplanes used starting in WWII
0	Luger The German’s prized sidearm was the Luger P08
0	Stubby Pit Bull that became the most decorated war dog in U.S. history
0	Lee The Lee-Enfield .303 was the standard rifle of the British Army in WWI
0	Gander Newfoundland that served in the Canadian Army during WWII
0	Hero Numerous people during wars become selfless to save lives
0	Huey The Bell UH-1 helicopter used in the Vietnam War
0	Ragnar Ragnar Borsum smuggled Jews out of Nazi occupied countries
0	Chesty The Bulldog official mascot of the Marine Barracks in Washington D.C.
0	Gunner The Kelpie that warned soldiers of Japanese approach during WWII
0	Sniper Sharp shooter used in special operations
0	Bamse Royal Norwegian Navy official member; Saint Bernard in WWII
0	Nam Short for Vietnam

Female War Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
0	Opha The first woman to enlist in the Marine Corps in 1918; Opha M. Johnson
0	Saigon The Fall of Saigon during the Vietnam War
0	Ally As in Allied Forces
0	Somme Battle of the Somme in 1916 during WWI
0	Loretta The first woman to enlist in the U.S. Navy in 1917; Loretta Walsh
0	Snow Operation Apache Snow during the Vietnam War in 1969
0	Clara Famous Civil War nurse; Clara Barton
0	Adela Flight nurse Adela Lutz
0	Lorraine The French invaded Lorraine in 1914 resulting in the Battle of Lorraine
0	Rose Russian Lydia Litvyak was known as the White Rose of Stalingrad
0	Zoya Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya was first woman named a hero of the Soviet Union in WWII
0	Violette British spy during WWII; Violette Szabo
0	Oveta First woman awarded the U.S. Army Distinguished Service Medal
0	Natalia Natalia Peshkova was a combat medic for the Russians
0	Kara The Karabiner 98K rifle was designed during WWII and used by the Germans
0	Cathay Freed slave Cathay Williams served in the Union army
0	Susie After Susan Travers a General in the French Foreign Legionnaire
0	Pistol Handgun that was mainly used by officers in WWI
0	Whiskey For the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794
0	Leigh After Leigh Ann Hester a National Guard reservist that received the Silver Star
0	Annie First woman to receive the Purple Heart
0	Navy A branch of the military
0	Amazon Large group of female warriors known as the Dahomey Amazons
0	Lise Lise Borsum smuggled Jews out of Nazi occupied countries
0	Bayonet The bracketed dagger that is on the end of a rifle barrel
0	Marne WWI battle called Battle of the Marne
0	Lydia For Soviet fighter pilot Lydia Litvyak
0	Barb For barbed wire was used to slow military advances
0	Smoky Yorkshire Terrier in WWII that carried cables through war zones
0	Judy The only dog to ever be considered a prisoner of war