I need to name my business TODAY!

[PassAFist]

Help please fellow mumsnetters!

I am opening a dog business in my town and I need a name. It won't be open for a few months still but a great advertising opportunity has arisen in the next month and I would like to take advantage of that opportunity, except my business has no name. I need to sign up for the opportunity in the next week or so and I need a name, logo, website, etc.

The business will initially be a canine hydrotherapy and fitness centre, but WHEN (!) it takes off I would like to eventually develop it into an all-round canine care facility which would also offer things like boarding and day care and have other canine wellness professionals such as trainers or groomers or massage therapists able to hire space as and when they need it.

I want a name that can encompass not only what I will offer to begin with but also that could be used later on when I expand. So nothing that refers only to water for example. I had thought of having a general kind of name and then different divisions, such as NAME Canine Hydrotherapy and Conditioning, NAME Boarding and Day Care, NAME Wellness Centre etc. But I can't come up with a good name. I want the name to portray professionalism, ethics, knowledge, expertise, caring. The best I have so far is Canine Care. My town name also starts with C so that name has good alliteration, but that is the best thing I can say about it. I don't really like it but it will do at a pinch.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

How exciting! We started our own business 11 years ago and haven't looked back!

The first thing that sprung to mind was "Top Dog". Although I do think having "canine care" on the end sounds good. Do you have a dog you could name it after, for example "Rover's Canine Care"?

Hmm, I have a dog that unfortunately died last year but when he was 5 he had bilateral CCL rupture and he would have benefited greatly from hydrotherapy. His name was Quinn so very close to the C sound - Quinn's Canine Care?

Woof Woof Wellness Centre? Possibly not as professional though.

Paw Spa?

I think, in the modern internet era, having a town name is a very good idea as it shows people exactly where you are and is useful for website seach purposes. I'm more likely to look at 'Cambridge Canine Care', for example, if I'm local than Passafist's Pampered Pooches!

Unless, of course, you're planning on going global!

Ooh yes very good point, Contrary.

Ah yes, that is a very good point Contraryish, I often see suggestions pop up in my facebook feed for other hydrotherapy centres and it is not obvious to me where they are, when I look they are in a different country!

I do like the alliteration in the Canine Centre name, and I had thought that the three C's could be incorporated into a logo as waves, to tie in the hydrotherapy aspect but not restrict me to that.

The only potential problem I can see there is that I will likely have to start the business in my garage due to a lack of space available to rent in my town. When I ultimately move out of the garage to bigger premises there is no guarantee that I will be able to find something suitable in my town so I might have to move to a neighbouring town and then it would seem strange to have my town's name in the name, when I am not actually in my town any more. Which is why I had thought to have a more generic name which didn't tie me down geographically. But now I am re-thinking that again.

This is by far the most difficult part, I feel like the name will make or break me!

Contrary makes a great point.

Quinn is a good way to honour your dog in your new adventure. Congratulations!

Can you use your county name instead? so Kent Canine Care for example?

I think "Cambridge" Canine Care sounds professional, but doesn't stand out enough.

It's hard to fit in all the things you want in a name and if you think about big brands, sometimes they say nothing about what the products (etc) are - like Apple, O2 or McDonald's, you'd never guess what they are selling just by the name!

Try imagining people having a conversation about your place.
what would be easy and quick to say, immediately identifying?
"Hi Charlie, is Bruno better?"
"Yes, I took him to "Cambridge" Canine Care Centre....."

not quite quick or catchy enough IYSWIM.

but I'm thinking, sorry if they are all stupid!
Water Dog?
Hydro Dog?? (doesn't really roll)
Water Quinn? (might be misunderstood for Queen?)

I kind of wanna say Top Bones - but that sounds like either an exclusive strip club or funeral directors!

will try and come up with something better

I re-read your first post - I misread it! so not specifically water related, sorry!

Paws and claws canine care

How about Rejuvenate? so Rejuvenate Canine Care Centre.

Granted it may not work so well with the boarding kennels side, unless you're giving the dogs a rest from their owners but if you've already got Canine in there, you can afford to focus on what your business will offer.

So it's a spa for dogs? Sorry for finding that funny. But I do.

Yes, Zing, I keep playing those imaginary conversations in my head, and I want a name where someone can say it to someone, they remember it and go home and Google. I can't see that happening with "Cambridge" Canine Care (or worse - "I can't remember what it's called, it's that place just off the high street, you know, with the blue door...") but if it was something like "Quinn's" I can see someone saying "yes, I took him to Quinn's" and the other person goes home and remembers and Google's Quinn's hydrotherapy or something like that. So exactly right, I want something short and snappy and easily remembered.

I quite like Paws and Claws! I just Googled though and there are loads of places called Paws and Claws, it looks like it is a franchise of pet food stores? Of course the other concern would be being able to get a website address that fits and is easy to remember...

mellicauli, not really a spa, more like a swimming pool and fitness centre! I do know of spas for dogs though....spaws. ;)

phew, I'm not entirely useless then!

Sod it, how about Quinn's Palace?

or Barkingham Palace?

Barking Happy?

Arf at Barkingham Palace, very good!

DS4 said "Doggy Fun Land" aaww!

maybe a pun on that Newfoundlander?
or something with "heel & heal"?

I can't think about anything else!

You're doing well Zing! And thank you to your DS for his awesome contribution. :)
I don't want anything too cutesy because I think it doesn't sound very professional. The town I live in ends in -wood so I briefly considered using the town name but with -woof instead. Cute, but I can't bring myself to do it!

Heel and heal is good! I am going to look into that a bit further!

so difficult!

I think it's best to remember your personality as well - I know I'd choose something silly/funny/based on a pun, coz I'm like that and risk not being taken seriously, but hoping that people would "get it".

and then there's the pampered pooch or bling type of person (and business) and also the serious type or even exclusive, invitation only.
all have their nieche and place, best to stick to what you feel comfortable with and what suits you as well as your business!

The Comfortable Canine? Canine Comforts?

Cachorro Sano Centre (means healthy puppy in Italian)

You could use something like this as your logo.

any luck?