Shakespeare never had a dog.
No, if he’d had a dog he would never have had Juliet say “What’s in a name…”
Because you see, there is something about naming a dog that makes people choose poorly.
I was reminded of just how poorly recently at the park. John and I were walking our dog Cooper by the river when we came upon a couple with a Giant Schnauzer walking in the opposite direction. Their dog and Coops had met before, but I hadn’t asked the dog’s name. This time I did.
“It’s, ummmm …” said the owner with a sigh, “Gladiator.”
I fussed over Gladiator, petted him, let the dogs sniff and even smooch a little bit and then we continued on our way.
As we walked away, I chuckled to John, “Oh I remember feeling like that.”
“Like what?”
“Embarrassed to have to introduce my dog,” I responded, thinking of Goliath, my alcoholic German Shepherd. (John will never stop laughing at me for having chosen that name.)
It was a stupid name. And I chose it. For the first time in my life, I had a pet with a stupid name and I couldn’t blame someone else.
Well, I could, actually. And I did. You see, I had brunch with some friends one Sunday. We were talking about Saturday morning cartoons, what we liked, what we didn’t like when Frank brought up “Davy and Goliath.” For the folks in the room, Frank described Davy and Goliath:
“It was a Christian-based show where Davy, the boy, always wanted to do something a little bit wrong or dangerous. His dog, Goliath, served as his guardian angel. Whenever Davy wanted to do something of questionable intelligence, Goliath was always there saying ‘I don’t know, Davy,’ and tilting his head to indicate that the idea was pretty stupid. “
I realized then and there that I wanted a guardian angel. I wanted someone who would protect me and stop me from doing stupid things. I wanted ‘Goliath.’
Fortunately, a few days later, I found him. My dream dog. A German-shepherd/Malamute mix puppy who was about 4-1/2 months old. Trouble was, he was a wee bit psychotic. And huge. Unfortunately, I DID name him “Goliath.” (Goliath I am sad to say became an alcoholic. I wrote about it here.)
I loved that dog. But almost immediately I hated introducing him, because he grew into his name. He was huge. And having a huge, psychotic dog named Goliath doesn’t get you into the best parties.
Naturally, I blamed Frank the next time I saw him. It was, after all, all his fault.
It wasn’t my first experience with a stupid dog name. Growing up, my father had for reasons nobody ever really understood, named one of our dogs Oklahoma. None of us had ever been there; we speculated years later that perhaps there was a college football game on TV. No, Dad would never tell us why, but we had a dog named Oklahoma. Okie for short.
Next time around, my brother Fred was in his hippie, metaphysical stage. I will not say that drugs had anything to do with the fact that he named our next dog Klingsor, after a Hermann Hesse novel. I was always a little bit thankful that the dog’s name wasn’t Siddhartha, although that would have made me a hit with a certain crowd. Dad, however, in a rich bit of irony from the man who named Oklahoma, thought it was a stupid name and modified it. Dad always called Klingsor “Mr. Klink,” after the colonel on Hogan’s Heroes.
For sheer embarrassment at the back door, though, my friend Keily had a dog with another ridiculous name. Her sister had been given the honor of naming their puppy, and Rose thought that she should name it after something she loved. She named the dog “Baseball.”
Try shouting out any of these names for your dog when you’re calling him to come in from the back yard. Everybody in the neighborhood hears you calling your dog. You shout: “OKLAHOMA!” and neighbors want to shoot you because they get that damn song stuck in their heads every single time. They hear you calling “BASEBALL!” and realize that your family is in a league all their own. They hear you calling “KLINGSOR!” and think you are having a bad reaction to LSD. They hear you calling “KLINK!” think you’re looking outside for a TV character and realize that the neighborhood is going to the dogs.
They hear you calling “GOLIATH!” and become convinced that you do, in fact, need a guardian angel. Or a straight jacket and a padded cell.
As the owner of one of these dogs, you want to hide under a rock. You want to pretend you’re dog-sitting. You want to let everybody know that you didn’t give that dog that stupid-ass name, even if you did, in fact, give it to him.
You know how you’re supposed to learn from your mistakes? Well, dog owners don’t necessarily.
After Goliath died, John and I of course needed a dog. Jacob was a year old, and we researched big dogs that are good with kids. We decided to get a Bernese Mountain Dog because they’re great with kids, beautiful, and tend to not try to kill the mailman like Goliath did.
It was of course the olden days. Before email, the interwebs, and modern communications. We found a breeder who had a puppy. She sent a picture to us by mail, to see if we were interested in driving 5 hours to see him in person and possibly take him home. I ripped open the envelope the minute it arrived and called John:
“He is the cutest puppy in the world. We have to get him.
And we have to name him “Adolf.”
I can still imagine John sitting at his office desk, pulling back the telephone receiver and looking into it thinking “I married a mad woman.”
But tell me, what would you have thought if you’d received this picture:
I mean, really now. What would your first thought have been?
Fortunately, while still on the phone telling John we had to get the cute little guy, I realized that Charlie Chaplin also sported that same mustache, and so the puppy that we did in fact bring into our family, became Charlie. Phew! That was a close one.
To William Shakespeare I will say this. What’s in a name? Long term embarrassment if you’re not careful.
***
Loyalty demands that I include a picture of Cooper, my now elderly but still incredibly sweet dog, pictured with his big brother Jacob. Cooper was, thankfully, named by his breeder.
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Many years ago, I got a pair of kittens from a friend and named them Feedback and Rim-Shot, because those names had been mentioned once in an obscure Doonesbury cartoon years prior in a discussion of possible names for a pregnant character’s baby.
When the cats were a few years old, the names appeared in Doonesbury a second time. My phone rang constantly that day — everyone thought the Doonesbury characters were named after my cats, not the other way around.
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That’s hilarious! I particularly like the name Feedback but it would be tough at the back door.
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Whenever we’ve had to pick a pet name I always imagine myself sitting in the vet’s waiting room when they say, “The doctor is ready to see …” If I would be embarassed to have the name called out, we went with a different name. My parents, on the other hand, had no trouble naming their male cat Poopsie. Poor guy!
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You have a wise strategy, Paprika. And your parents? I would make fun of them and Poopsie if I hadn’t named my dog Goliath. But as it is, I can’t.
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Don’t worry. I made fun of my parents plenty after they named that poor cat Poopsie.
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Hey, hey, hey, let’s not go devaluing a dog named Oklahoma. There are plenty of Okies proud to parade around in that title. Now…did the dog have a drawl and like beer?
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There were remarkably few Okies or Oklahomas in Connecticut! And we called him Okie. We just had absolutely no clue where Dad came up with the name. We also had a cat named Kansas, which was equally inexplicable.
The only real problem with Oklahoma, I’m sure, is that damn song.
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I loved all their names! They all have character. Also, I’m not a real dog person, as you know, but if that Charlie dog walked past my office I would offer to buy him on the spot at three times the price. That Charlie is one cutie-patutie! (You’re right, you really are a dog person as you stated on my blog recently.)
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Charlie grew into the most beautiful dog I’ve ever seen. Folks DID offer to buy them. But what non-dog folks don’t understand is that your dog is like your kid. You wouldn’t sell him unless you are incredibly ticked off!
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Fun story. Our dogs were always named after other people or other dogs. Imagination with names were not our strong point.
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Imagination and dog names are a dangerous combination!
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My grandfather had a cute black dog that he named Blondie, in an attempt to foil the plans of anyone who might attempt a dognapping!
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Your grandfather sounded like a very wise man — and I bet it worked — did anybody dog-nap Blondie? He sounds crazy enough to have been related to my father.
Welcome and thanks for commenting.
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Sorry for the “?” on my comment! I really did like these stories…I think? Maybe you can tell me how I felt about them?
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You crack me up? Seriously, I am too thick skinned to worry about insulting punctuation.
“Peanut” is a perfect name for a dog or a child. That’s the name my son chose for himself at age 2 when he rode a pony by that name. We were not allowed to call him anything else for the longest time. Until last year I think it was…
Glad you liked the stories, Angie. And I’ve missed you?
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Aw, Elyse…you knocked it out of the park on this post. I love these stories?
Our dog trainer told us people should always choose two syllable names for their pets because dogs have trouble distinguishing their name Ralph from walk, for example. So you passed that test at least.
My dog’s name is Peanut and I groan when people think it’s Peanuts. Yes, it does sound worse with that simple S on the end. We might as well have named her Cracker Jacks or let my grandfather name her.
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Having no kids, we have our cats people names … Jeremy, Samantha, and Spencer. Good post Elyse … after all, gotta love our pets!
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Those are all perfectly acceptable names Although if you shout outside for a cat thinking it will respond, folks will still think you are crazy.
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I’ve had many dogs in my life, but I adopted/rescued them all. Never named a one–but all seemed aptly named. Great post and loved the pictures. How can I not love a post all about dogs?
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It’s true — how can you not love dog stories. Most of mine were mutts. Goliath was a rescue. Earlier ones were mutts born to folks somebody knew (back before we all spayed and neutered). When we had a little boy, though, my husband wouldn’t get a dog until we were sure he was good with kids. Next time I’m going to the pound!
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Oh blimey! And there was me thinking it was only our family who had silly names for their dogs.
My son made the mistake of letting his daughters find a name for their very nervous labrador. They came up with Twitchy. Well, a promise is a promise so Twitchy it is.
You don’t half feel a fool hollering ‘Twitchy!’ or ‘Twitch’ as she’s come to be known. She is a cute dog though and certainly suits her name.
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It does sound like Twitchy matched her name! That’s a pretty good one.
But I’m starting to think that there are more, ummmm, embarrassing dog names than not!
Thanks for commenting!
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Your post brought tears to my eyes. Your obvious love of dogs, no matter how silly the name, shines through. I don’t suppose it really matters what a dog’s name is, as long as they are surrounded with love. That’s all they care about. The name means more to us, than to them.
In my time, I’ve had a: Taffy (that was my parent’s dog when I was born), then a Fluffy (I was five when I named her). Then there was Lobo and Pierre, the part coyote dogs that ended up going to live with some family with lots of land in the country, because they were a bit wild. I’ve had a Freckles, who was killed when she was a pup, she escaped and was hit by a car, and it broke my 8 year old heart. The rest were all pound dogs, all but one, Sheena, were already named: Odie, Molly, and Chevy.
This time around, after many years without dogs, I was determined to have real names, so we ended up with Zoe and Sasha. Guinness came to us with a name. But, they’ve all been loved, so I don’t suppose the name matters much,
I have always had a demented fantasy about having a dog named Dammit. I don’t think I could actually do it, but I think it would be fun to freak out the neighbors, by yelling things like “Go get the ball, Dammit” or “Get in here, Dammit.” Take the dog to the doggie park, let him off the leash, and shout “Run, Dammit, run!”
Yes, I’m odd. But, you already know that.
Here’s to ol’ psychotic Goliath. He sounds like my kind of people.
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Pyschotic Goliath is the guy for you if you are a beer drinker!
I love the idea of a dog named Dammit. I fear, though, it’s one of those names that would be really funny for a short while!
The story of Freckles broke my heart — much too young (so was Charlie, he got sick and died at 5 yrs.) But your dog names do not qualify as stupid — kids names get a pass. Except for Baseball, that is.
But yes, I think we are both confirmed dog lovers. My husband is saying we won’t get another dog after Cooper. Yeah right.
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Davy and Goliath were my favourite cartoons when I was a kid and I think Goliath is a great dog name. I always wanted a St. Bernard named “Kilo”.
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Kilo would be a wonderful name for a St. Bernard. They are great dogs. I did meet one aggressive one though. Those folks had a nightmare trying to keep their 150 lb dog from killing their neighbors.
Goliath would have been an OK name for Goliath if only he hadn’t been psychotic — if he’d only been big. But trying to convince folks that he wasn’t going to hurt them and saying “Down GOLIATH” wasn’t very convincing!
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We once had a black dog appropriately named Shadow. He had a problem biting, so we were always saying, “No bite!” Eventually we just called him Shadow No Bite.
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Perhaps it was the name (once again, What’s In A Name?). Our neighbors behind us had a psychotic German shepherd named Shadow who hated us. He wanted our throats. He barked like a junk house dog every time we went into our yard, whenever we opened our garage door, took out the trash. It was a horrible way to live. I had to threaten legal action because they would let him out and he would spend all his time in the corner of their (3 acre) yard closest to our house harassing us. The fact that I never physically harmed a hair on his head is testament to what a nice person I am. Because I sure wanted to.
Sorry. Raw nerve there.
It is hard having an aggressive dog. Goliath was a maniac, but the only folks he bit were John and I, and he didn’t mean it.
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Goliath is a great name for a dog…..gives him something to live up to.
Our cat was called ‘Money’ because that’s what we had to sacrifice to get him.
Humans probably name their kids more inappropriately….like ‘Moonunit’…sheesh. 🙂
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Yes, there are some strange kids names. The worst one I’ve heard of was “La-A” pronounced LaDASHa.
Perhaps we should rename Cooper money. Because that’s what we have to sacrifice to keep him alive (poor guy).
As for Goliath, it was an embarrassing choice. He was too much of a Goliath!
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We never get very far away from Shakespeare do we? He has ended up in my latest post as well. What’s in a name? I think your dear Cooper would be your best buddy regardless of name. A lady I know gave her ‘guard dogs’ names like Satan, Demon and Danger. And they all turned out to be sweethearts.I think she was devastated.
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Cooper is incredibly sweet, and he is my best buddy. I always feel that way about my dog starting about a year after I get them — because I always feel that I am giving short shrift to the one who went before. Goliath will always hold a special place in my heart though — he got me through some very difficult years and then into the good years — when I married John and adopted Jacob. But he still had a stupid name, sigh.
I love the idea of sweet guard dogs with mean sounding names. There is a Yorkie around her named Tiger and that really cracks me up.
I am on to your Shakespeare post — you’re right, we can never get away. Nor should we!
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This was too funny….and toooooooo true. Our dogs both past and present; Bear (who was a girl, but everyone assumed boy by the name) Sweeper, Jumper, and Sadie. Our cat; Bowls (because he likes sitting in bowls.)
All but one was named by our children. LOL
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Usually, except perhaps with “Baseball” you get a pass if a kid names the dog. Besides those are great names!
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Goliath could have been worse…you could have named him Clifford….
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Well, Goliath was good with kids …
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I love your stories, Elyse! My dog growing up was named Bunky. I don’t know where my parents came up with that name, but they said it was the only name she would respond to so that was what they named her.
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Thanks, TwinDaddy. My dog stories are among my favorites, and this one has been floating around in my head since last weekend when we actually met Gladiator. And it’s funny how many hits I get on every single dog story I write!
Bunky is a great dog name. Affectionate, short, it passes the screaming it out test. Your parents chose well.
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I loved that dog and was devastated when she died. Its part of the reason I didn’t have a dog of my own for so long. Fear of loss. But I love my Pepper Ann.
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Oh, it is so hard losing them. We have been expecting Cooper to pass any day now for 3 years, and when (if?) it happens, it will be devastating. But the love you get does, in the long run, make it all worth while.
I’m a go out and get a new dog right away sort of person. John is a wait for a few months kind of guy. It won’t be pretty.
My parent had a dog named Pepper after Klingsor died. She was a good dog, but she wasn’t mine.
But I’m glad you have Pepper Ann. Especially with kids. Kids need dogs. Because they never tell your secrets. Never.
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Oh, so sweet. I’m relieved that the name Charlie won out. Naming a dog is a meaningful, momentous experience and shouldn’t be taken for granted. I named Stella, my Boston Terrier, after my mom whose middle name is Estelle. And screaming “Stella!” out in public always gets stares and some giggling. But, her namesake is the dearest person in the world, so it just makes sense.
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Oh I love that! Naming her Stella gives you the best of both worlds — a fun name and reaction, and a memorable dog name. Perfect!
I’m relieved that Charlie ended up Charlie and not Adolf too. But I wouldn’t ever have gone that route. Nor would John. Also, I’m not really big on Hitler. It would have been difficult to explain — and the joke would be lost really, really fast. And the mustache wasn’t at all apparent after his snout pushed out. That of course didn’t stop us from telling the story!
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But dogs are supposed to have stupid names! They’ll be OK with it, and everyone will ultimately understand. THe real problem is when people give their children stupid names.
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I agree it is worse with people, because the dogs themselves don’t care. But I felt the pain of Gladiator’s owner, I’m telling you. It’s one of those scars that is easily opened!
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Have I gone mad, or does Adolf totally go with that bernese mountain dog puppy @@
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It goes perfectly, Duck. That’s why I told my husband we had to name him Adolf. But truthfully, even I with my history of dogs with stupid names wouldn’t have been able to do that. People would not have understood.
Fortunately, Charlie’s snout grew out and by the time we met him, he didn’t really look like Adolf any more.
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Ha ! That would’ve been one memorable puppy while walking down the street.
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Your dogs are so beautiful, never mind their names. I had a friend that named his dogs after great painters, it was strange.
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They were all great dogs (Cooper still is), so thanks Val.
My brother, a former art history professor, has a friend who named his children after great painters. And not just something that would be just slightly off in today’s society like Leonardo. Nope. Raphael and Reubens. Seriously? I mean I understand getting away from John and Jane, but …
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I love hearing about the names people choose for their pets and why. My Kitty Emeritus is Pickles, which I chose because I liked the idea of having a cat named Pickles. Even though the name REALLY didn’t suit her, which made it funnier. Our three cats now are Cupcake (who also has a Hitler mustache), Jellybean and Slinky. They’re all girls, but if they had been boys, I was thinking about naming one Cornelius and another one Dr. Zaius.
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I personally would love to know how I came to have a dog named Oklahoma (Dad also named a cat Kansas and didn’t explain that, either.)
I love the “Emeritus” tag — old, respected, dusty. Perfect. And a cat named Pickles is pretty humorous. Not to mention tasty.
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Goliath is a great name… but i have to admit the first thing I thought of was Davey and Goliath, having endured those cartoons on many an early Saturday morning waiting for the good cartoons, like bugs bunny or beany and cecil, to come on.
Can’t beat Cooper tho….
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I can’t believe that was the first thing you thought of. I had to explain it (for 10 years) and everybody seemed to think I was nuts — nobody had heard of it. I wonder if it’s regional (I’m from CT).
But yes, Cooper, Cooper is a great name. The best.
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i’m from NJ…so maybe it was a NY Metro thing. No wonder we’re all……
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Damned?
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well…that’s one…
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It is not really a dog name story but when I was growing up, a family moved in next door from somewhere far, far away. The dad had been hired by the university to teach in the physics department and the mother did not speak English. They had a pet pig named Seth that they kept in the backyard and a son they named Fido. We loved them all 🙂
Cooper is beautiful!
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Bella, I think your story is the funniest comment ever!
Thanks for your kind words about Cooper. He is equally sweet — and he will be 15 next month (knock wood).
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All the dogs are just so adorable. I am crying at Adolf or Charlie either way you were dead on. I love hearing hearing dog names and the story behind them, they are usually very intriguing. Our dog s Chester, named after the the West Chester exit of the PA turnpike which is better than Frito from the Frito Lay truck that passed us.
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Wouldn’t you have thought the same thing if you’d gotten that picture? I mean really? But by the time we met him the next weekend, his snout had grown and you really couldn’t tell that he had once been a ringer for the most infamous mass murderer in history.
I love your story about Chester. And you chose wisely!
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Cooper is a beautiful pup. At least your dog names were inspired. My family has had 3 Goldies, 2 PeeWees, 2 Minkas, and several rodents named Chipper. I use the shout test – holler it out loud to see how stupid you feel. Most of my pack pass the test – Kirby, Velcro, Squeegee – but Sunshine is just not a name you can yell out at full tilt. You can’t even scold a being named Sunshine.
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Lorri, you are brilliant. The shout is the perfect way to name a dog. And your names are great. I particularly like Velcro. I may have to steal it next time around.
As for Sunshine, you can always tell Sunshine to go away today:
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Velcro is a perfect name for a dog that sticks to you. I played the song and now I can’t get Sunshine to go away.
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!!! I did the same thing and it’s stuck in my head. At least “Oklahoma!” a song I HATE is gone from my mind.
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LOL – Sunshine is stuck at my feet and in my head. That Okie – what a mystery and what a lousy song.
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A reasonable way to spend an afternoon!
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Me and sunshine by the fire blogging – pretty good Saturday.
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I have Prince Harry (family calls him Harry or Agent Orange). I also have Zoe (or Zo Zo A Go Go), and before we had Honey and Mitch (Mitch was a girl which confused many people mightily). Next I am getting a German Shepherd and naming him or her Ranger.
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You may need to divulge a little more information on why you call your dog Agent Orange, Linda. I don’t think that was a fair thing to say at all! But you didn’t fall prey to the crime of stupid pet names with the others — and I’m reserving judgment on Agent Orange for the moment!
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Goliath was a beautiful boy! He reminds me a my psychotic husky, Lucas, who wanted so badly to eat our mailman, he once broke a plate glass picture window trying to get at him. (Fortunately, it was double-paned and he only broke the inner pane, so the mailman was startled but unscathed, and Luke somehow managed not to cut himself.) Love the photos of Charlie and Cooper too.
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Goliath was a handsome guy. I have a million stories about him. He was always getting himself and me into some predicament or other. I loved him dearly, but as I’m sure you know, life is challenging with a dog who wants to kill people. I still remember how excited John and I were when we ordered carryout delivered to our house for the first time — we never dared with Goliath. It was such a huge treat!
I don’t know how Lucas managed to not hurt himself or anyone. I’m not sure it would have remained that way once I priced the replacement glass!
But his name isn’t stupid. It is a very nice, sensible, non-embarrassing dog name. Unless of course you have a human named Lucas over and need to scold the dog. That can cause hard feelings 😉
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Love it! I don’t know if I ever mentioned to you that there were no leash laws in my hometown when I was growing up or the name of the pure white Spitz of a neighbor who yelled out the door calling home, “Vodka!”
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When we were growing up, I don’t think there were leash laws anywhere. We certainly didn’t follow them if they existed — our dogs were always out and about.
I LOVE the name Vodka — what a hoot. Obviously the owner subscribed to Rose’s theory that you name your pets after things you love. Perhaps I need to name my next dog Pino or Grigio …
Thanks for commenting. Folks who know me rarely do and I’m developing a complex. Another one. Sigh.
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Awwww, too cute. As a very allergic kid, the only pets I had were goldfish, suicidal goldfish who jumped out of their tank. They didn’t live long enough to be named.
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Sniff. It’s probably best that the remained unnamed, Lisa. There is so much tragedy in your young life.
My husband is actually allergic to dogs. Too bad, I say. Too bad. Have some Benadryl.
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You’re all heart, Elyse.
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Goliath and I were a package deal. I would NEVER have dated anyone who expected otherwise.
John does love them all though!
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My son’s name is Cooper!
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Phew! I’m glad I didn’t put “Cooper” in with the stupid names! It is a great name — I have a blogging buddy named Cooper (coopernicus.wordpress.com).
The name Cooper was very prevalalent in our lives for a while. I had a Mini Cooper (which resulted in everyone in town thinking that I am nuts — https://fiftyfourandahalf.com/2011/08/03/mini-me/) and my son went to Cooper Middle School. It got to be very confusing!
It’s a great name for man and beast! (The junior high sucked big time, though)
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Whew, that was a close one! I love Charlie.
We had our share of stupid dog names. Beginning with my collie dog, Princess. My brothers dubbed her “Wimpcess”. We also had a dog named Cosmo. My cats were even better. And I named them all with no one’s help. Conan, Cujo (for a cat!) and my personal favorite Lint. What can I say? He looked like a ball of lint.
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It was way too close, Darla. I think I can safely say that folks would not have understood. Especially since by the time we met him the next week, Charlie’s snout had grown and he no longer looked like Adolf or Charlie Chaplin. But the name Charlie stuck. He was truly the most beautiful dog I have ever seen. And a great breed for kids. They are passively protective — Charlie would insert himself in between Jacob and his friends when they were trying to punch each other — they were too small to be able to reach across Charlie.
I love the idea of a cat named Lint. It is perfect. Conan (was he/she a redhead?) works just fine. Cujo? That must have been one serious cat.
I still love Lint.
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(My neighbor has a ‘Cooper’ – great name) When i was a kid, our family dog was called ‘Tinsel’, named by my then five year old little brother who thought the tinsel on the Christmas tree was the most wonderful thing in the world, so much so that he kept it hanging from various spots in the boys’ bedroom. (He got over it.)
I’ve always beleived that dogs should have two syllable names which sound naturally rhythmic from the back porch, as in COOP-er. Or TIN-sel.
Have you looked at the snow accumulation numbers? How about 38″ in New Haven and 30″ in Bridgeport?
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Cooper is a great name — obviously WE didn’t choose it — we did, to give us a smidge of credit, choose to keep it. And that is something. But our Cooper was named after the actor Gary Cooper who plays such brave men in all his movies. Our Cooper is a total coward and is completely afraid of everything. Go figure!
I love the name Tinsel. Then again, I never had to call him in!
And yes, Poor Connecticut.
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I’ve always watched and gotten to see personalities before I name my pets. Well, after naming my first rat Harp. I wanted to name her Guinness, but she was an albino rat, didn’t work, so she became Harp, it’s a lighter color beer. Then I watched the next one, she became Addie, her personality was sweet and affectionate (yes, as sweet as a dog, really rats are rather personal little guys, easy to train too). Then came the chinchilla, his name is Finneghan. Yes, it’s from the Andes Mountains, where they speak SPANISH, and gave him an IRISH name. He’s a little guy with a huge fiery personality, he needed a name to fit. Besides, I love the looks people give me.
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Alice I think your way is wiser. To wait and see. But a white Guinness might have been quite a conversation piece!
There seems to be a theme here with your pet names. Clearly you are Italian 😉
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Oh of course! Can’t you tell :p
I just like seeing what would fit them. My favorite was a friend called their dog spot, but spot was solid black. :). It always made me smile.
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For a real belly laugh, read Winsomebella’s comment.
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Cooper is beautiful, and both Tuckerman (yes, named after a trail on Mt. Washington) and Sadie (named by her original owner) think so!
I once knew a child who named her dog “Toast” because that was his color.
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Thanks, Moms. Cooper is a handsome old man now. This picture was taken when he was young and we were hiking in the mountains.
Your dog names aren’t stupid at all! “Toast” cracks me up, I must say. Kids are so funny when naming things.
Jacob wanted to name Cooper “Gasper” — but one of my worst-ever dog experiences was when Goliath got a rubber ball stuck in his throat and nearly died, all the while gasping for breath. We managed to convince 7 year old Jacob that “Cooper the Super Pooper” was much better. Phew! Another close one.
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When we got Tucker, it was right after the Red Sox first World Series win. His whole litter wan named after the Sox. He had been named “Ortiz” and we thought about keeping it until I pictured myself trying to call him in at night. “Orteeeeeez!” For about a minute, we thought of naming him “Big Puppi” (get it?)
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Ummmmm, I’m not a baseball fan. Is that a good excuse for not getting “Big Puppi” or do I need to think of another?
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Naw, that’s it! David Ortiz is called “Big Papi”, so when the dog was named after him…..never mind! It was lame!
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Good — not understanding baseball humor is OK to me. IF there was something else I wasn’t getting I’d have been upset.
Baseball is one of the reasons I started this blog. My husband is a baseball fan and follows two teams religiously. Neither of them is the Red Sox, though.
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Oh? So…who does he follow? Cubs are my second team; any team from NY, however, is on my “evil Empire list”.
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He has a storm trooper mask, so it’s OK. Yes, he is a Yankees fan. And the Nationals. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Oh….I am so sorry. A Yankees fan. I’m so sorry…..Wow. A-Rod. urk.
The Nats, though; with that losing record, any Red Sox fan would have to be supportive!
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Yes, he’s a Yankee’s fan. But then I grew up in So. CT so everybody was a Yankee’s fan. Me, I care at all. I love playing baseball (I was a pitcher) and I love going to the stadium a couple of times a year for beer and hot dogs. Otherwise I HATE baseball. Because it is always on TV. And it is usually (although not always) boring to watch on TV.
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My friend had a cat we named Stew.
We were never sure if it is was because that’s what we were going to turn him into, or if it was short for stupid (he was).
Your names are much better than that. And your dogs are much cuter than the cat!
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That’s a great name for a cat or an entre!
The thing is, you only introduce your cat to the folks who come into the house. And they don’t talk to each other over the fence!
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