What's in a Name?

I have always believed that naming a dog is extremely personal. There are certain character traits and behaviors that you can only appreciate when you know the dog well. If you pick out a name without really knowing the dog, it can be awful. For instance, there is a tiny terrier at the boarding kennel named Coco Chanel. Now, Coco Chanel has a diamond studded collar and starts to whine if she is not being held every second of every day. This name fits her. That name would absolutely not fit her if she was a sled dog. The other sled dogs would laugh at her and never take her seriously. For a sled dog, you need a name that is strong and easy to say. A name that will strike fear in other racers; not a name like Tiffany, please.

Kayenta: Kayenta, Arizona

Feel free not to read all of these names, but the dogs at the kennel are as follows: Maverick, Pinks, Kramer, Dylan, Qjoa, Sculpin, Sarah, Chena, Alameda, Jumper, Colfax, Fury, Ahab, Niva, Whitey, Big Brown, Chilcoot, Pismo, Russet, Kiana, Juno, Safina, Daikon, Spur, Spirit, Sasha, Luma, Kobuk, Osiris, Kayenta, Zion, Attla, Rincon, Hudson, Spit, Oly, and Lynx.
A few of the dogs were bought later in their lives, so the names just stuck, like Sarah and Dylan. Most of the dogs, however, were bred and named by Bill. Sometimes a litter will have a theme to their names, other times it's just a name that fits. Rincon, Hudson, and Lynx are all brothers and their names fit like a glove. Oly was the only one in his litter, so Bill took the 'n' out of 'only' and voila. Sculpin is a type of trout found in Alaska. Kobuk is a river up by Fairbanks. Spit, Spur, Zion, and Kayenta are all siblings. They were born right after Bill and Jodi took a trip to Zion National Park, so all of their names have meaning within the park. I could go on and on...

Niva: The Latin word for "snow"

All of the dogs have something to link them with their name. They work and the dogs respond to them; they know their names, they love to hear them. Even the other dogs know each others names. If you call a dog's name on the line, their running partner will look back too. The dogs know who you're talking to and they want to know why.
I've started compiling a list of interesting names, including places and geographical phenomena. I'll never know exactly what to name a dog until I get to know them, but I want to have a few favorites in the back of my head for when the time is right. 

Osiris: Egyptian God of the Underworld