My sister is driving back today from Seattle to Cascade, Idaho. We talked most of her drive, whenever she had a signal for her cell phone. I love these conversations, they are not hurried and this gives us both time to reflect (if she is keeping her eyes on the road, that is). Sometimes she even pulls over to chat without driving. She sent the pictures of some café dogs and owners, while she was having coffee with JesseJames yesterday. Seattle is truly a dog friendly city. Most urban stores have bowls of water set out for the dogs that shop in the neighborhood. How cool is that?
Today we talked about our kids, how well they are doing, how we love having grown kids. She shared with me that when she was with C & E last night, she called JesseJames by his middle name, Louise, which got C & E both questioning her on the validity of it. That got me thinking about what’s in a name and how we go about naming our dogs. For instance, I chose Beeker’s name because among other things his nose is long like Beeker’s from the Muppet Show. Maxie got his name because he was a wild thing when we first met him, so we named him Maximum Velocity, for his fast movements. Other people name their dogs for favorite past pets, or may name them for personality traits that are desired or reflect who the owner wishes to be. Part of the pleasure of ownership is naming your pet. Just like naming a child only with a pet you get to be as creative or as strange as you want. I’ve known people to name each dog the same name. Such as Blackie. Some people want others to know something about themselves through the name of the dog. Like calling your dog Einstein. Makes me wonder if the dog is smart or the owner wants to be smart. How about naming your dog "Dog"? Or "God" (dog backwards)? I’ve heard them both. I love learning dog names. When I hear a dog’s name it tells me something about the owner. I learn if the owner is an artsy type (Leonardo, or Leo for short), dramatic (Cujo) or even wants to attach their profession (Amber for a geologist). Sometimes the dog will define the name, such as Bandit for a masked dog. Or Boots for a white dog with black feet.
Did you know there is a website for finding the right name for your dog? Just like naming a baby, you can get on line and go to: http://www.dog-names.us/. Good luck, its fun and it gives you a name definition as well. But remember, if you use this database you are not being creative, you are using someone else’s idea of a good dog name. On the other hand, you'll get a lot of useful names to think about.
Now the really interesting part of naming your pet is what you do with your dogs’ middle name. (I can hear you now… What? That is the silliest thing I have ever heard of right?) Well, Okay, if you are highly conventional and maybe a little rigid you will not consider giving your dog a middle name. However, I think the middle name of a dog maybe the most spectacular part of naming your pet yet. In our family we connect all of the pets, present or past, feline or canine, through my grandparents. All of the dogs have the middle name of Louise, after my grandmother Louise. Even some of the male pets, like Chez Louise. Brad had some issue with the gender aspect of this so we modified the tradition for his issues and call Maximum Velocity Leon after my Grandfather Leon. Beeker however is Beeker Louise. What do dogs know of gender anyway? They only associate sounds that sing together so Louise goes along well enough. Beeker Louise! Come, come Beeker Louise! See how it just flows off your tongue? JesseJames is JesseJames Louise. We have had, Gretel (my birth family dog) Louise, and Beau Leon and Belle Louise. There was Austin Louise, Berek Louise, and Sunshine Louise. You can call them anything, just don't call them late for dinner!
What’s in a dog’s name? You and your world outlook. Its what’s important to you and who you are.
If you want to know more about the rules to name dogs, here you can find useful information:
ReplyDeleteDog names
So, does everyone remember when you were young and your parents would call you by your first and middle name (Bradley Allan, Kennith Howard...)? That was never good. You new you were always in trouble! Now that we have established the dogs have middle names what do we call them when we are upset with them? Beeker Louise and Maximum Velocity Leon? Nooooo, we call the by their first name and one of the boys middle names! Yep, there have been several instances of Beeker William and Beeker James in our household!
ReplyDeleteMic_comte,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment and referral to the Dog Name site. I found it informative and interesting. I should have mentioned in my post the formal way to name dogs, our Belle and Beau having been purchased from breeders (Kaylar and Soulmate) however, as you can tell by my post I was referring to the general public naming of family(non-show)pets. Thanks for keeping me honest. I enourage everyone to look at the site, it is fun to read how dogs in different countries are named since we are most familiar with the US process of naming dogs after the kennel and bitch from which they have come. Thanks, S
How much do you think the name given to a dog will affect the personality of that dog as time passes?
ReplyDeleteDad wants to know: "If a dog wants to change its name, how can he do it?"
Mom wants to know what to do if a dog refuses to accept the name given to it.
:-)
Thanks Juli and the Peanut gallery for the comments,
ReplyDelete1.)Since the names given to dogs are given by people, i believe that the peole will be the ones that react to the name and not the dog. However given a name like Cujo, and the reactions that people have to a name, over time the dog will have personality changes as well. In psychology they call that a self fullfilling prophecy.
2.) If a dog wants to change its name it needs to get a lawyer.
3.) If a dog refuses to accept its name the owner should let the dog choose its own name. Use the dog name data base and when the dog likes a name that is what it should be called.
Thanks, S