The club was nicknamed "The Spotted Dog", one explanation is that it referred to its mixed community membership and began with a remark that "frequenters of The Spotted Dog pub must accept the company as they find it". Another suggestion it refers to two Dalmatians belonging to the wife of H. C. Syers, one of the club founders, that were left to guard the entrance of the club whenever they visited the club. Yet another suggestion is that the first emblem club was supposedly a spotted leopard that was so badly drawn that some mistook it for a dog. The club is also simply referred to as "The Dog".