What's Wrong About Giving Dogs Human Names?

[whiskedaway]

*******casts her mind back to the poor pup that came into work called Syph - yep after the STD!!*********

When I was a kid, I had a toy rabbit that I loved. Mum and Dad suggested I call her "Calici". I liked the name, so I proudly showed everyone my toy rabbit, Calici. It wasn't until I was older that I realised it was named after the calicivirus that kills rabbits. ;) :D

[W Sibs]

My dad's 2 favourite dogs names are Vietnamese swear words :D

He said that they were hell to train and gave him soo much trouble that it's the only thing that call them, and it was the only thing they answered too. My mum was not impressed when my sister and I (we were really young when my dad had these dogs) will be calling the dogs names so we can play with them.

[Jetty]

Our have been human names but they suit them!

We had Casper when I was a kid who was a maltese x poodle. She was entirely white and it suited her! My aunty owned her brother who was called Jasper.

My family dog is called Jessie (my OH's name is Jesse too :D I was the one who picked her name 10 years ago too, a bit of a weird coincidence) it suits her well though.

OH & I wanted Jethro (Jet for short) to be our baby boys name if we ever have one but once we got Jet the name Jet just suited him so I am unsure if Jethro will ever be our kids name now ;)

[gila]

I get the strangest reactions to James' name. People always look taken aback, then pause, and, almost without fail, then repeat it in a tone suggesting that they're trying to wrap their head around it. It's very predictable and absolutely hilarious to watch.

I usually get the same reaction when I tell people my cat's called Steve. And some people just think it's hilarious. One guy in particular used to ask me several times a week, "What's your cat's name again?", just so he could roll around laughing when I answered, "Steve".

[Mollie10]

My Whippets will always have out of style, old fashioned English names. Next one might be Nigel or Rodney. That said I have a coworker named Howard sitting right next to me :D

ETA: I'm a bit of a Pride and Prejudice fan (loved it with Zombies) so Bingley might be good too.

Then I can sing "I like Bing Ley..... "

;)

Can't go passed Ethelbert

[DaisyDog]

All of my animals get human names; dogs, cats, fish, birds, chickens, turtle. *shrugs* It's just how I am. They get the name that suits them.

[mita]

I worked with a man whose cat he called Cardinal Wolsey, because he was the original fat cat. Known as 'Woolly'.

His little girl made a vet appointment & gave Woollly's full name.

So when the man was in the waiting room, the vet popped his head out the door & said, 'Cardinal Wolsey, next!'

He said all the people looked at him in wonder... Gee! A cardinal at the vet's.

So he said, 'Bless you, my children!' & sailed into the exam room with the real Cardinal, in his crate.

[Teebs]

PERSONALLY i dont like human names for my pets, i like different names that no one else has. Bella is the only one i have with a human name, and I often think of changing it, but she has had it for 9 years now... so wont do that to her :D

Growing up we had a Suzie and a Sasha, then and Bella are the only human names we have used on any of our pets!

So far i have only heard of 2 other Sumos, 2 Fantas, 3 Atlas (All bull terriers!!) and a few Kaos (but they are usually boys)

and about 10000000000000000 Bellas ;)

[W Sibs]

I worked with a man whose cat he called Cardinal Wolsey, because he was the original fat cat. Known as 'Woolly'.

His little girl made a vet appointment & gave Woollly's full name.

So when the man was in the waiting room, the vet popped his head out the door & said, 'Cardinal Wolsey, next!'

He said all the people looked at him in wonder... Gee! A cardinal at the vet's.

So he said, 'Bless you, my children!' & sailed into the exam room with the real Cardinal, in his crate.

:D ;)

[Crazy Daisy]

There's nothing wrong with human names on animals. I have a Daisy, Archer and Angel (boy, I was a big buffy fan when he was a kitten). My son has two girl's called Angel and xena in his class. I personally wouldn't call my kids those names but I would never comment on it to their parents face. :D

[Pretty Miss Emma]

I say go with what suits the animal!!! There's no right or wrong, they're all just names! And as a teacher, I see plenty of kids with names that many would question as to why a human is called that!!

My menagerie over time has beenn....

Cats: Swifty, Oscar, Max, Arnold, Phoebe, Oliver, Poppet

Bearded dragons: Seth and Tahlula

Blue tongue lizards: Phat, Red, Whistler

Turtle: Trevor (what else would you call a turtle!!) ;)

Rats: Lulu,Tippy and Burt

Rabbits: Barni, Peanut and Sooty

Foster brushtail possums: Amelia and Slurpy

And the beautiful dogs: Emma (came with her name) and Kenzie (shortened version of MacKenzie).

A good mix of "human" and non!!! But they all suited their name and most of them the name popped in my head when I'd spent a bit of time with them!! :D

[Evolving]

I did not name Bobby. He came wit it and stuck. As a child we were not very imaginative we had Patches,Socksey,Fluffy and Sookey baby as cats. Feathers the bird and Rusty, Bruiser,Sparky, Buster and Tiger the dogs.

Echo I dont know where it came from but it suits her she has an ear splitting bark when in the mood for it.

[Sheilaheel02]

:D If I could be bothered starting a thread it would be 'If a dog was named after you, what breed would they be/characteristics would they have: based on name alone'

ie if my name was Shazza/Sharon, the dog would have to be a red heeler!

I'm Shazza and my beloved dog's name was Sheila the Red Heeler (RIP).

Shazza still has Trevor (red) and Mick (blue) though and yes, we probably do have some similarities in personality/characteristics.

S

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I think the main reason I wouldn't pick a popular human name for a pet is the confusion it can cause...

A former neighbour had a wife (now ex wife) named Sally and the first dog he got after she left - he named Sally. Causes no end of confusion and he does really love both of them in his own special way.

My favourite kinds of names are the hugely inappropriate ones, eg Bluey for a Red Heeler, Rusty for blue heeler, Tiny for Great Dane, Maybe Immaculata (or Macky) for a dalmatian ie it means "Spotless". "Lofty" for a Dachshund. There are people with these names (as nicknames) too, for similar reasons.

My dog is "Frosty" sort of after the weather look and coat colouring, but I also like it because she's super friendly - not "Frosty" at all. I suppose "Pepper" might have been a good name but maybe "Salt" just to be peverse. Except my cousin has a whippet called "Salt".

I think I'd call a turtle "Gonzales" as in "Speedy Gonzales". My cousin doesn't even remember this but when he was little he had two gold fish he named "Big Ears" and "Hairy Legs".

PS Randy Politician - Snedden, and well known Prostitute "Stormy Summers". Not that they were together.

That I know of.

Edited February 2, 2011 by Mrs Rusty Bucket

[W Sibs]

I think the main reason I wouldn't pick a popular human name for a pet is the confusion it can cause...

A former neighbour had a wife (now ex wife) named Sally and the first dog he got after she left - he named Sally. Causes no end of confusion and he does really love both of them in his own special way.

My favourite kinds of names are the hugely inappropriate ones, eg Bluey for a Red Heeler, Rusty for blue heeler, Tiny for Great Dane, Maybe Immaculata (or Macky) for a dalmatian ie it means "Spotless". "Lofty" for a Dachshund. There are people with these names (as nicknames) too, for similar reasons.

My dog is "Frosty" sort of after the weather look and coat colouring, but I also like it because she's super friendly - not "Frosty" at all. I suppose "Pepper" might have been a good name but maybe "Salt" just to be peverse. Except my cousin has a whippet called "Salt".

I think I'd call a turtle "Gonzales" as in "Speedy Gonzales". My cousin doesn't even remember this but when he was little he had two gold fish he named "Big Ears" and "Hairy Legs".

PS Randy Politician - Snedden, and well known Prostitute "Stormy Summers". Not that they were together.

That I know of.

I think we have the same humour

I call Charlie Speedy Gonzales when he is "running"... I even pretend I'm running with him so he thinks he is going really fast

My childhood rotti x was name Tiny Tim.

[Nik]

I have no problem with human names for animals. You have to be comfortable yelling it out in public anyway!

When I met my OH, we both had dogs named Kelly. Mine was a boy and his was a girl. Our fourth son now has Kelly as his middle name in their memory .

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I was going to use Mrs Bucket (or her first name) for my dog's name except you can't yell a name that has Th on the end of it...

When I first got my dog, she was wearing an "Elizabethan collar" aka bucket, so when I was getting to know her she was bucket, mrs bucket and bucket head. You can't yell "Bucket" across an oval either because people mis hear it as something else...

[Esky the husky]

I get the strangest reactions to James' name. People always look taken aback, then pause, and, almost without fail, then repeat it in a tone suggesting that they're trying to wrap their head around it. It's very predictable and absolutely hilarious to watch.

I usually get the same reaction when I tell people my cat's called Steve. And some people just think it's hilarious. One guy in particular used to ask me several times a week, "What's your cat's name again?", just so he could roll around laughing when I answered, "Steve".

I get that reaction too.

Might have something to do with the fact my cat's name is Corpsegrinder

[Pheebs]

Maggie was originally called 'Bobby' but it just didn't suit her.

Besides, Maggie gets "Marguerite" or 'Rita" and Lucy gets "Lucille Eileen" (given the great dane tendency to chronically lean )

[becw]

Bahaha!! What a great topic!! I have dogs called Jeff (Jeff Marmaduke Goldblum in full!) and Arnie. I walk a little chihuahua called Johnny, who has two kitty housemates called Paul and Lena. When I first got Jeff my Dad refused to call him by his name for about 3 months. He didn't believe it was the right name for a dog, and he was worried I may one day want to date a man named Jeff!! But now everyone accepts that Jeff suits him perfectly.