Search and rescue needs help naming new furry member

Saber, Hunter, Tracker ... the list of potential names for Kamloops Search and Rescues' newest search dog is more than 200 entries long. 

The souther Interior city's search team put a call out on Facebook Sunday asking for help naming a young Belgian Malinois puppy that one of their members got last week, and the response has been overwhelming.

"[The owner] is now faced with the hard task of trying to narrow that down to the one that seems to suit him best," said Jennifer Stahn, a spokesperson with Kamloops Search and Rescue.

The public has until Wednesday night until the male puppy's owner will decide.

"This gorgeous little Belgian Malinois  is ready to join our team as soon as he can," said Stahn. "He's a typical shepherd puppy in the way that he's not sure if he wants his ears to be pointy or floppy just yet. So, you get a mix of that, as well, which is absolutely adorable."

The breed is known for having a lot of energy and being very task-oriented. So far, the puppy seems to be well behaved, cautious and doesn't bite, said Stahn.

"He still has a lot of energy and he's very alert. So, he seems to be a really great mix so far."

Name contenders

There's a lot of names in the hat, but some of the most frequently mentioned ones include, Bandit, Orion, Bear, Tracker and even some human-sounding ones like Mike. 

However, Tracker, a popular character on the children's show Paw Patrol, likely won't make the cut, said Stahn. Mike won't either, because they already have a group member with that name.

"One that has come up several times, but I can say honestly probably won't make the cut is Yoda. I'm not sure [the owner] is a huge Star Wars fan," she said. 

Stahn's favourite so far is the name Google, because it's the best search engine.

"That one I figured was quite clever. So I am quite happy with that," she said.

Choosing a name

One of the main things being considered when choosing a name, is whether or not it can be confused with any commands or potential dangers, she added.

For example, one popular name that has been recommended is Bear.

"I'm sure you can understand that if you're out in the bush on a search and you're yelling for "Bear" it may not be the best situation," said Stahn. 

"There's been a couple that have come through that sound a little too similar to "sit" or "stay"... and they're cute and they're clever if it's just a regular puppy, but when you're going to be a working dog you need to be a little bit more careful."