Famous Thief Dog Names

Introduction

Chances are, if you’re planning to give your dog a famous thief’s name, you’re either one yourself, an appreciator of epic heists, or your dog steals things often enough for you to give it this kind of serious consideration. Whatever the case may be, giving your dog a famous thief’s name will surely help them stand out and likely help to cement an already mischievous personality. If nothing else, maybe someone will overhear you calling your canine companion and like the name so much they’ll go ahead and steal it for themselves, completing an apt cycle of thievery — you stealing the name from a thief, and someone stealing the name from you!

Famous Thief Dog Names in Pop Culture

Featured Famous Thief Dog

Lava

Ok, so Lava the dog doesn’t have a thief’s name and wasn’t really a thief himself, unless you count the number of hearts he stole, but more importantly, he was smuggled into the United States under some pretty incredible circumstances, ones that make his owner, Lt. Col. Jay Kopelman, the best kind of thief around.

The story begins when Kopelman was stationed in Iraq during the early years of the Iraq War. In November of 2004, shortly before the invasion of Fellujah began, he was positioned in an abandoned house command post, acting as the liaison of another battalion from Hawaii known as “the Lava Dogs”. Fresh off a recent patrol, Kopelman returned to the command post when a white flash raced across the room, taking everyone and their still-shaky nerves by surprise until they realized that it was only a 5-week-old puppy, littered with ticks and in all-around rough shape. Both the Lava Dogs and Kopelman quickly became attached to the dog and vowed to bring him back to the United States, even though having a pet could lead to a court marshall.

The Marines took to him, even going so far as to clean him with kerosene to help rid him of ticks, ridding him of worms with chewing tobacco, feeding him parts of their MREs (meals ready-to-eat) and hiding him to keep him a secret from any other command who could compromise their plan. In the meantime, despite the missiles and rockets, explosions and gunfire, Lava remained, steadfast in his demeanor and acting as the local comfort, spirit-bringer and mascot.

But while taking care of him was a tough enough feat, it was nothing compared to keeping him hidden, let alone the process of getting him out. In total, the massive undertaking took five months, several marines, a few Iraqis, a journalist, a Public Relations director of a California Animal Center, a military dog trainer and numerous others fighting against all odds and a potential court marshall to bring the puppy back to the United States. Lava was nearly turned away once at the border of Jordan, let alone close to discovery on several occasions while housed in the direct vicinity of the General, but those that surrounded him and Kopelman were destined for a mission they could not turn away from.

In the end, Lava was smuggled back with a group of other military dogs in April of 2005, although Kopelman wasn’t convinced he would even make it until the wheels of the dog’s plane finally touched US soil. He immediately adopted the then 6-month-old puppy and brought him home to San Diego, where he continued working to give Lava a normal life, despite the things he had seen and experienced, including regular meals, playtime in the nearby park, and working with a dog trainer.

Famous Thief Dog Name Considerations

There is certainly a lot to consider when giving your dog a famous thief’s name, including what type of thief you want them named after or associated with, criminal or ethical (yes, they exist, see Pepino), violent or non-violent, and more. You should also consider whether or not it is your favorite thief or just a good name for your dog, who may have a penchant for making things disappear, such as food, toys, personal items, and the like. Finally, consider both the thieves’ and the dog’s personality, as that may provide some ideas as to which direction to go.

Of course, certain situations may make for the perfect name based on anecdote alone. For instance, if your dog happens to love sticks so much they’ll pull one from the back yard bonfire and bring it to you, Prometheus, after the Titan Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods and delivered it to humans, would be a spot-on name. If they happen to like stealing or eating jewelry, maybe Payne, Golder, or Remy would be more suitable.

Their looks might help as well. If your dog likes to steal, yet has an adorable face, maybe Babyface or Nelson would be a good way to go. If you adopted them old and they like to do so, well, then Reader or Blagger would be better, after Brian Reader and the Old Blaggers, the men in their 70s who completed an epic heist.

Whatever direction to decide to explore, don’t be afraid to steal some names from our list or at least some ideas to get you going.

Male Famous Thief Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
0	Butch After Butch Cassidy, notorious bank and train robber of the Old American South, leader of the Wild Bunch
0	Donnie After Arizona Donnie Barker, aka Ma Barker, leader of the Barker Gang, during the "public enemy" era
0	Barker After Arizona Donnie Barker, aka Ma Barker, leader of the Barker Gang, during the "public enemy" era
0	Dillinger After gangster John Dillinger who was accused of robbing 24 banks and 4 police stations
0	JJ After Jesse Woodson James, famed American outlaw and bank/train robber
0	Woodson After Jesse Woodson James, famed American outlaw and bank/train robber
0	Clyde After Clyde Barrow, half of famed Bonnie and Clyde who robbed gas stations, stores and banks
0	Colton After Colton Harris-Moore, aka the Barefoot Bandit, teenage residential robber, over 100 thefts including boats and planes
0	Harris After Colton Harris-Moore, aka the Barefoot Bandit, teenage residential robber, over 100 thefts including boats, planes, etc
0	Nelson After Lester Jospeh Gillis, aka Babyface Nelson, famed bank and residential thief/robber
0	Payne After Doris Payne, robbed many high-end jewelry stores and boutiques
0	Mason After Bill Mason, the man who stole Johnny Weissmuller's gold medal, among others
0	Vincenzo After Vincenzo Peruggia, the man who stole the Mona Lisa in broad daylight
0	Peruggia After Vincenzo Peruggia, the man who stole the Mona Lisa in broad daylight
0	Frank After Frank Abagnale Jr., the real storied thief Catch Me If You Can was based on
0	Francois After Francois Villon, French poet and thief who robbed numerous public offices and churches in the 15th century
0	Golder After Alan Golder, thief to the stars, professional jewelry thief who sold on the NYC black market
0	Brankle After David Brankle, aka the Interstate Bank Mart Bandit
0	Turpin After Dick Turpin, famed English highwayman, started with sheep and cattle for his butcher shop, moved up to London upper class robberies
0	Forty After the famed Forty Thieves, 40 female thieves who stole goods from public spaces and homes for nearly a century if not more
0	Sundance After Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, aka the Sundance Kid, helped Butch Cassidy run the Wild Bunch
0	LaMotte After Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Remy, aka Comtesse de la Motte, incredible French woman who stole famous jewelry
0	Golden After Sofia Blyuvshtein, aka Son'ka the Golden Hand, 19th century Russian jewel thief
0	Pipino After Vincenzo Pipino, Venice's true Robin Hood, stole from the rich and gave much to rightful owners, one of history's few ethical thieves
0	Smalls After Derek "Bertie" Smalls, famed British bank robber of the 1960s and 1970s
0	Kumar After Mithilesh Kumar Srivastav, aka Natwarlal, the man who "sold" the Taj Mahal and several other major buildings and was never caught
0	Blagger After the Old Blaggers who broke into one of Hattan Garden's security deposit vaults, most while in their 60s and 70s
0	Blood After Colonel Thomas Blood, stole jewels from the Tower of London
0	Panther After the Pink Panthers, famed French robbers who staged some of the most audacious heists in history, including dressing up as women to rob a jewelry store
0	Prometheus After Prometheus the Titan, who stole fire from the gods and brought it to humanity
0	Bartolo After Leonardo Notarbartolo, stole $100 million in diamonds from the Antwerp Diamond Centre
0	MacLean After Jack MacLean, a burglar and jewel thief who stole over $133 million

Female Famous Thief Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
0	Cassidy After Butch Cassidy, notorious bank and train robber of the Old American South, leader of the Wild Bunch
0	Ma After Arizona Donnie Barker, aka Ma Barker, leader of the Barker Gang, during the "public enemy" era
0	Arizona After Arizona Donnie Barker, aka Ma Barker, leader of the Barker Gang, during the "public enemy" era
0	Barrow After Clyde Barrow, half of famed Bonnie and Clyde who robbed gas stations, stores and banks
0	Bonnie After Bonnie Parker, half of famed Bonnie and Clyde who robbed gas stations, stores and banks
0	Moore After Colton Harris-Moore, aka the Barefoot Bandit, teenage residential robber, over 100 thefts including boats, planes, etc
0	Babyface After Lester Jospeh Gillis, aka Babyface Nelson, famed bank and residential thief/robber
0	Gugasian After Carl Gugasian, net worth of stolen goods totaling $2 million from cars to banks
0	Giari After Albert Spaggiari, mastermind of bank robbery on the Riviera in France, titled "the heist of the century"
0	Veerappan After Veerappan, the most successful thief in Indian history
0	Abagnale After Frank Abagnale Jr., the real storied thief Catch Me If You Can was based on
0	Villon After Francois Villon, French poet and thief who robbed numerous public offices and churches in the 15th century
0	Peace After Charles Peace, who robbed numerous homes and stores in London in the 19th century
0	Blum After Stephen Blumberg, known as the Book Bandit, one of histories most efficient thieves
0	Dinnerset Odd name, yes, but named after the Dinner Set Gang, who would rob the rich and famous during their dinner parties
0	Remy After Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Remy, aka Comtesse de la Motte, incredible French woman who stole famous jewelry
0	Jeanne After Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Remy, aka Comtesse de la Motte, incredible French woman who stole famous jewelry
0	Saint After Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Remy, aka Comtesse de la Motte, incredible French woman who stole famous jewelry
0	Sonka After Sofia Blyuvshtein, aka Son'ka the Golden Hand, 19th century Russian jewel thief
0	Sofia After Sofia Blyuvshtein, aka Son'ka the Golden Hand, 19th century Russian jewel thief
0	Wild After Jonathan Wild, 18th century London thief known as the Thief-Taker General, inspired generations of loopholing
0	Elephant After the Forty Elephants Gang, aka the Forty Thieves
0	Bertie After Derek "Bertie" Smalls, famed British bank robber of the 1960s and 1970s
0	Natwa After Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava, aka Natwarlal, the man who "sold" the Taj Mahal and several other major buildings and was never caught
0	Reader After Brian Reader, leader of the Old Blaggers, broke into one of Hattan Garden's security deposit vaults at 76 years old
0	Pink After the Pink Panthers, famed French robbers who staged some of the most audacious heists in history, including dressing up as women to rob a jewelry store
0	Minuit After Peter Minuit, director-general of the New Amsterdam Company in 1626, wrongfully bought Manhattan Island for the equivalent of $1,100
0	Robin After Robin Hood, who else?