Naming a puppy can be a hard thing to do. I get it…I really do. Believe me, Bug was named out of pure pressure from kids to give her a name at that specific moment and the only thing that popped into my head was B.U.G. But she’s a has a name that transforms on many levels (Love-Bug, Stinker-Bug, etc.). Remy was going to be named: Red. Even though he’s black! In fact, we had started calling him Red when my son though of with Remy cause he looked like the little rat in the Disney movie Ratatouille. We mainly call him Mimi (“Me-Me”) because I like a short, quick name I can say fast over and over. That’s why Jade is referred to as JJ. Why is it that we give someone a name and then call them something else? People call it a nickname, but really…. what is in a name? Wikipedia says….A name is a label to identify a unique individual. I recently read that dolphins name themselves with a unique whistle to identify themselves from one another. Smart animals! I wonder how many “Johns or Sarahs” are there in the dolphin world??
If we don’t like the names that our parents give us there is a process we can go through to change it. I don’t dislike my name enough to go through that process, but I think if my name where “Apple” I might have to change it. I met a person that works in my building this week named “Timber Wood”. I thought he was shitting me. Sadly, he was not. I asked if his parents were hippies….nope! His name is unique alright.
We agonize and prepare over months to name our human kids. Some people seem to take that long to name their fur kids too. Some are just the opposite. My new friend, Cathy, had a name for her Jade/Indy puppy all picked out before she had him. Dan! Dan’s a good name. I don’t know any other border collies named Dan. I look at his face and I see a Dan. Sure is better than Marvin, which was his puppy name. I can’t say that there’s any expectation to live up to with a name like Dan. It’s neither exotic nor subdued…it’s just a name to identify him. DAN!
Sly was easy to name. He was the first born and Sylvester came to me when I looked at him. Sly is the nickname for Sylvester. It is also an adjective meaning “cunning, clever or wily”. Does that mean my puppy has to live up to his name? Is it predetermined that he’s going to be clever and cunning? Well…I have seen glimpse of a ‘Dexterous in performing an action, so as to escape notice’ as he sneaks into a eat MiMi’s food or as he runs in the opposite direction as I’m calling him to put him in his crate. Hmmmm… maybe I should have put more thought into his name.
On the other hand, you can be like poor puppy, Taz, who is affectionately referred to as “PupPup” by his loving owner, Katy. Poor dog turned 3 months old yesterday and has no name. Does that mean he has no identity either??? Not unique? Hmmm…I think so!! I’ve been giving Katy a lot of crap about not naming her puppy. In fact, my intent with this blog post was to continue the crap flinging. Better duck you don’t want it to hit you!!! Here it comes {{{S P L A T}}}}. Did it hit your screen?! =)
Half way through me typing this up, I remembered that in the Hindu religion a child doesn’t get a name until their 6 months old. They figure they want to get to know the child before giving them a label that will fit him/her for their lifetime. Makes sense. Maybe Katy is still trying to get to know her puppy’s personality and will give him a suitable name at some point in the near furture…say a year from now?!
I wonder if “no name” can be a symbol like Prince did back when he was smokin too much crack in the 90s.
If we don’t like the names that our parents give us there is a process we can go through to change it. I don’t dislike my name enough to go through that process, but I think if my name where “Apple” I might have to change it. I met a person that works in my building this week named “Timber Wood”. I thought he was shitting me. Sadly, he was not. I asked if his parents were hippies….nope! His name is unique alright.
We agonize and prepare over months to name our human kids. Some people seem to take that long to name their fur kids too. Some are just the opposite. My new friend, Cathy, had a name for her Jade/Indy puppy all picked out before she had him. Dan! Dan’s a good name. I don’t know any other border collies named Dan. I look at his face and I see a Dan. Sure is better than Marvin, which was his puppy name. I can’t say that there’s any expectation to live up to with a name like Dan. It’s neither exotic nor subdued…it’s just a name to identify him. DAN!
Sly was easy to name. He was the first born and Sylvester came to me when I looked at him. Sly is the nickname for Sylvester. It is also an adjective meaning “cunning, clever or wily”. Does that mean my puppy has to live up to his name? Is it predetermined that he’s going to be clever and cunning? Well…I have seen glimpse of a ‘Dexterous in performing an action, so as to escape notice’ as he sneaks into a eat MiMi’s food or as he runs in the opposite direction as I’m calling him to put him in his crate. Hmmmm… maybe I should have put more thought into his name.
On the other hand, you can be like poor puppy, Taz, who is affectionately referred to as “PupPup” by his loving owner, Katy. Poor dog turned 3 months old yesterday and has no name. Does that mean he has no identity either??? Not unique? Hmmm…I think so!! I’ve been giving Katy a lot of crap about not naming her puppy. In fact, my intent with this blog post was to continue the crap flinging. Better duck you don’t want it to hit you!!! Here it comes {{{S P L A T}}}}. Did it hit your screen?! =)
Half way through me typing this up, I remembered that in the Hindu religion a child doesn’t get a name until their 6 months old. They figure they want to get to know the child before giving them a label that will fit him/her for their lifetime. Makes sense. Maybe Katy is still trying to get to know her puppy’s personality and will give him a suitable name at some point in the near furture…say a year from now?!
I wonder if “no name” can be a symbol like Prince did back when he was smokin too much crack in the 90s.
*GOOD TIMES*
