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What's in a
name? Just ask pet owners
December 20, 2007
What do Partly Cloudy, Hot Pants and Zhivago have in common? They're
three of the top 10 most unusual pet names for 2007, according to a
recent survey gathered from Petfinder.com's more than 11,000 animal
shelters and rescue group members. Along with revealing other unusual
names, including Miss Booty-Q, Bubba Big Foot and Ditto Dippin' Dots,
the survey also gathered the Top 10 most popular dog and cat names.
Making the list for dog names were: Duke, Rocky, Charlie, Lady, Lucy,
Daisy, Jack, Sadie and Max. For cats, the most popular names are: Molly,
Tigger, Princess, Patches, Shadow, Midnight, Oreo, Angel and Lucy. And
for the No. 1 most popular names (drum roll please) Smokey tops the list
for cats, and for dogs, the most popular name is Buddy.
When you consider that 63 percent of American households have a pet, a
number that will likely continue to increase, what we name our pets is
not something pet owners take lightly. As Betsy Saul, co-founder of
Petfinder.com, points out, "People put their animals on pedestals. They
put as much thought into naming their pets as they would their own
children."
I've often found that the names we give our pets often tell us as much
about ourselves as it does our pets. Sometimes we're referencing a
memory, a place, or a person that means a great deal to us. We often try
to find names that describe our pet's personality and our relationship
with them.
With so many names to choose from, or create, many pet owners are
overwhelmed when choosing names. There are some helpful pet-naming tips
to consider, especially because you'll be using the names several times
a day as a tool to socialize, train and praise you pet. Studies have
found that our pets respond better to a one or two syllable name, so
it's safe to say that Ditto Dippin' Dots may not work. When considering
training a dog avoid names like Joe, for example, that sounds very close
to "no." The same goes for Sid, which has the same sound as "sit." Many
times I chuckle to myself when I'm telling my dog Caesar to "sit," as it
always sounds like I'm calling him "Sid Caesar."
Some names create images that can be unpleasant to hear when hanging out
at the dog park. I've met many sweet, lovable dogs named Killer, and the
only thing they'll kill you with are kisses. So whether your favorite
furry companion is a rabbit, ferret, dog or cat, what's in a name says a
lot about you and them.
- Gloria
Dauphin
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