Pet Names with Meaning

We found an interesting article at PawNation.com titled, “What Your Vet Thinks About Your Pets Name and About You”. While this article is just the opinion of one vet, it makes you wonder if your own vet and other people may judge you based on your pet’s name.

It is true that some people often judge others based on many factors, such as the clothing they wear, the kind of car they drive, age, race, etc. So it is not a far stretch for some people to judge you based on what you named your pet. But does it matter? Not really.

I think it is much more interesting to explore the different pet names and the meanings behind them. My dogs, for example, are named from mythological persons. That is because I love history and culture. Sephi is short for Persephone in Greek mythology while Maya is short for MahaMaya in Hinduism.

A customer at our Pet Auto Safety Blog told us about her little red Chihuahua mix named Salsa. Chihuahuas are a Mexican dog breed so the owner wanted to give him a Spanish name. And since the salsa food is generally red and the Chihuahua was red, Salsa just seemed like a perfect fit. How many German Shepherds have you met with a German name? Or Malamutes with an Inuit name?

I had a dog named Cassie when I was a girl. I didn’t name her but the person who did named her after Lassie. Lassie was a Collie dog breed and since Cassie was a miniature version of the Collie (she was a Shetland Sheepdog), Cassie seemed like a perfect name for her. Do you know any dogs named Benji, Beethoven, or Marley?

I knew a man who named his dog Frog Lips. He found this dog on the side of the road with his eye gouged out and an axe cut in his skull. The man saved the dogs life and fell in love with him. Frog Lips turned out to be a really great dog. But he probably would have been considered ugly by most people, considering the horrible scars he bore. So the man gave him a funny name to oppose the horrible tragedy he had lived through.

A friend of mine has a dog named Liza after Liza Minnelli. I have heard other people with dogs named Hanna after Hanna Montana, Simba after the Lion King, or Jonas from the Jonas Brothers.

I know a lady who found a little black dog wandering all alone on Manchester street. The dog was dirty and flea-bitten. He had no collar, tattoos, or microchipping. The lady took him to her home and cleaned him up. While she kept him in her home and searched for the owners, she called him “the dog from Manchester Street”. Needless to say, she fell in love him and was glad no one ever claimed him. He is called Manchester to this day – or Manny for short.

I have also met dogs named from their personalities like Zippy, their appearance like Fluffy, and for their symbolism like Frank for a Dachshund (also known as a wiener dog). So how will you choose your pet’s name? Will it be after a famous person in history? A celebrity on TV, in the movies, or in music? Will you name him or her for her personality or physical traits? No matter how you choose it, it should be special – just like how your dog is going to be special to you.

Tags: dog names, pet names