Desert Inspired Dog Names

Introduction

The wide-open spaces of the desert are appealing to many; particularly those who prefer to avoid the rain. A desert will usually have little vegetation and will often be dry and sandy. Despite the barren landscape of the desert or perhaps because of it, many people find it beautiful and welcome the opportunity to explore its terrain. For desert lovers, upon welcoming a canine friend into your life, a desert inspired name may be just right for your new pal, who you will surely be embarking on many adventures with, both in and out of the desert.

Desert Inspired Dog Names in Pop Culture

Featured Famous Dog with a Desert Inspired Name

Spike

Many dogs have been a presence in our lives for years, introduced to us by the media. It turns out that while we may not have noticed, some of these dogs were desert dwellers.

A long-term desert dweller is the dog Spike, a main character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. Spike is Snoopy’s brother and he lives by himself in the California desert. Spike’s whiskers look like a mustache and he is always seen wearing his hat. Spike is a skinny dog who initially lived with coyotes who would not share their food with him and who mistreated him. As a result, Spike moved out and began living on his own near the city of Needles in California. Spike spends his time with a cactus and will sometimes leave his home to visit his brother Snoopy. At first a minor character, Spike eventually became seen more and more regularly.

A real-life desert dog has earned movie and book deals after adopting her human during a 155-mile race across desert dunes and mountains in a remote area of Northwest China. The dog, who is the color of sand, came across ultra- runner Dion Leonard and kept pace with him for almost 80 miles in 100-degree plus heat; the pair ultimately came in second place in the race. Named Gobi after the desert where they ran, the dog’s companionship earned a place in Leonard’s heart and Leonard sought to bring his new friend home to Scotland. While working to figure out how to get Gobi home, Gobi stayed with an acquaintance of Leonard’s in the race community. Unfortunately, Gobi then went missing though was eventually found injured. Reunited, the pair made it through a quarantine period together and their story has been sold to 21^st Century Fox.

In Desert Dog, a riveting book by Jim Kjelgaard, a dog named Tawny, a Greyhound, walked away from racing to revel in his freedom in the desert. Tawny faced the heat and danger of the environment’s tough conditions, surviving by using his speed and courage. This book, written in 1956, tells the tale of Tawny, his survival and his search for a partner when at some point, he needed help.

Desert Inspired Dog Name Considerations

A desert-themed dog name may be just what you are looking for when bringing home a new friend. Perhaps the newest addition to your household reminds you of Spike, Gobi or Tawny, whether due to his appearance, breed or personality. Your new friend may be the color of sand of a desert that means a lot to you, perhaps evoking a special memory. As you begin getting to know your new pal, you may observe personality traits that make you think of a popular desert dog or that bring to mind the toughness needed to survive in challenging terrain. A dog with minimal fur may seem well equipped to thrive in the desert. While giving your thick-furred friend a desert-themed name may seem strange, it can be fun to do so in honor of how ill-equipped he would be to survive in such conditions. A common sight in desert landscapes are cactus. Should your dog appear to take a liking to cactus, perhaps getting a needle or two (or more) stuck in his skin or his paws, a desert-themed name may be just the right fit. When bringing a new canine pal home, if you are a fan of the desert and intend on embarking on some desert adventures with your new pal, a name that brings these adventures to mind can be ideal.

Male Dog Desert Inspired Names

Votes	Name	Vote
7	Phoenix A city in Arizona with a desert landscape
6	Dingo An Australian animal that lives on the dry plains
4	Yuma Meaning “son of a chief”, Yuma is also a city in the southern part of the Arizona desert
3	Spike These are often found on a cactus; also the name of Snoopy's desert-dwelling brother
3	Rocky Many desert landscapes are rocky
3	Sunny Many desert landscapes receive a lot of sun and as vegetation is lacking, it is hard to find shade
3	Thistle Flowering plants often seen in the desert
2	Hildago A movie about a race across the desert
2	Coyote Animals that are seen frequently in the desert
2	Arctic For the Arctic Desert; located in the North Pole, this desert receives less than 10 inches of precipitation annually
1	Desert A dry, arid place, often with minimal vegetation
1	Dune Sand dunes are loose hills of sand that are commonly seen in desert landscapes
1	Sandy Conditions in the desert are usually very sandy
1	Tuscon A city in the Southern Arizona desert
1	Mojave The Mojave Desert is in Southern California, Utah, Nevada and Arizona
1	Succulent Plants that have the ability to retain water in order to survive in arid climates
0	Reno Means “ruler with counsel” and is a city in Nevada with desert landscape
0	Avalos The name of a sand dune on Mars
-2	Pear After the prickly pear cactus
-2	Armadillo Means “little armored one” in Spanish; an armadillo is a small mammal with a shell of armored plates
-2	Azote Hopi name for “restless one”; perfect for the high energy pup
-2	Roadrunner Commonly seen in the southwestern United States and Mexico, the bird is known for its long legs and tail
-3	Papago Means “desert people”
-3	Addax For the addax antelope, who is found in pockets of the Sahara Desert
-3	Rattle For the rattlesnake, a type of snake frequently found in the desert
-3	Turpentine For a type of bush found in hot, dry deserts
-4	Joshua After the Joshua tree; the largest of the yuccas that only grows in the Mojave Desert
-5	Needles This California city lies within the Mojave Desert
-5	Tumbleweed An above ground part of a plant that upon being mature and dry, will detach from its root and tumble away
-6	Saguaro The large cactus that appears to have arms; native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, the Mexican State of Sonora and the Whipple Mountains and Imperial County in California

Female Dog Desert Inspired Names

Votes	Name	Vote
7	Coral A pretty color seen in the desert
6	Sage Sagebrush is commonly seen in the deserts of the southwest United States
5	Acacia Means “thorny”; brings to mind the spikes of a cactus
5	Willow A bush or small tree that grows in the desert
5	Sahara The largest hot desert which makes up most of North Africa
4	Bloom For the flowers that bloom from cactus
3	Mariposa Means “butterfly” in Spanish and is common to deserts in the southwestern United States
3	Atacama The name of a desert in South America
3	Gila The gila monster is a venomous lizard that is native to the Southwestern United States and Northwestern part of Mexico
3	Cholla A name for various shrubby cactus
3	Victoria For the Great Victoria Desert, located in Australia
2	Yucca A plant commonly seen in the desert
2	Oasis While exploring a desert, an oasis is an exciting site to observe as it usually has shade and water
2	Coachella A town that is located near Palm Springs
2	Camel A large animal that lives in the desert
2	Kalahari For the Kalahari Desert, located in Africa
2	Jerboa Rodents that are seen in the drylands of Asia and Africa
1	Sedona A town in central Arizona with desert landscapes featuring large rock formations
1	Baja A Mexican state with desert landscape
1	Hesperia An ancient Greek name that means “land of the setting sun”
1	Gobi For the Gobi Desert, located in parts of China and Mongolia
1	Llama A desert animal that is similar to a camel
1	Spoon The desert spoon is a plant that typically does well in arid environments like the southwestern United States
-1	Nevada The state of Nevada offers a large amount of desert
-1	Sonora The Sonoran Desert covers 120,000 square miles and is the hottest desert in North America
-1	Iguana The desert iguana is found in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts and can grow up to 16 inches in length
-2	Phoenix A city in the Arizona desert; the capital and largest city in the state
-3	Pila Europe’s largest sand dune
-4	Pica Located in western North America, these animals can meet their water needs by taking moisture from food; found in deserts and mountain slopes