What’s in a Name?

by Casey Hampf
By: Judy Lore, AVHS Volunteer columnist
The topic of what and why we name our dogs the way we do started as I was reading Alexandra Horowitz’s 2019 book Our Dogs, Ourselves in which she devotes an entire early chapter to this little examined process of naming our dogs. In the interest of full disclosure, I’m sure the same process plays out when naming your newly adopted kitty. Horowitz is the Senior Research Fellow at Barnard College, Columbia University, and head of the Dog Cognition Lab there. (FYI: she studies the intelligence of the pet dogs brought into her lab. She does not work on dogs kept in cages. The dogs return home each day.)
There are many ideas to take away from any book Horowitz has written, but I was particularly taken with her thinking on how we name our dogs. Currently the trend that has taken precedence is using human names. You will note that’s what I’ve done with all twelve of my dogs – with some help, of course. It’s usually a compromise that suits everyone involved.
Some of us agonize over what to name our dogs, while others simply go with the color of the dog or the size of the dog to inspire an appropriate name. The ten most popular names of 2024, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC) are: Girl dogs: #1 is Luna, followed in order by Bella (#1 in 2023), Daisy, Lucy, Willow, Stella, Maggie, Sadie (very old-fashioned), Lola and finally Rosie. Top Boy dog names: #1 is Milo, then Max, Teddy, Charlie, Cooper, Bear, Toby, Finn, Tucker, and Ollie.
Together with help from my late husband who insisted he had to agree on a name I liked, we managed to compromise on the names of our twelve dogs over several decades. We have had a Rudy – named after some Pittsburgh Steeler football player as I recall – Zachary, Dylan, Rockie (husband insisted on this spelling), Dusty (my husband’s favorite), Zoe, Lucy, Willow, Sage, Cooper, Jesse, and Alex.
My childhood dog was named Meatball because he was a tiny rolled-up black and brown ball of fur when first adopted. Some other more unusual names I’ve personally known are Tempest, Zephyr, Peaches, and Smokey.
What prompted you to name your dog what you did? Maybe after some famous dog you knew about? Balto, the dog who led the sled dog team to get the diphtheria vaccine to an isolated Alaskan village? Goofy? That was the name settled on by Walt Disney after originally calling the cartoon dog Dippy Dawg. Maybe you had a demure girl dog you named Lady after the animated Lady and the Tramp.
Who hasn’t heard of Lassie and Rin Tin Tin? Each had a highly successful TV career. I watched both religiously. I read somewhere that Lassie, a female name, was played by a male collie.
Then there is my favorite TV, movie, and comic dog Snoopy. One can’t help loving this clever and sometimes astute beagle with philosophical one-liners. I have a silver-plated Snoopy, a Snoopy sticker on my car, Snoopy Christmas ornaments, Snoopy sweatpants, Snoopy Christmas cards and more. You are never too old for Snoopy. Remember that.
Perhaps you named your dog after prominent movie or music stars. I would think there are at least several dogs named Taylor. Elvis. Mick. Elton is probably roaming around somewhere. (You can guess my age!)
Whatever we name our pets, they then become part of our family and deserve all the love we can bestow on them. Alexandra Horowitz’s last comment in the naming chapter was that our names often determine our course in life and maybe the same applies to our pets. I know I am but one of many women named Judy in this valley. I meet them often and they’re all wonderful.
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