This is how it most often goes in Finland as well, although I think most breeders register their dogs even before they go to their owners, so the “official” names are already given, but the call names are left up to the owners. For example, my dog’s name is Bea; the name on her Finnish Kennel Club form is Filmur Beatrice. The owner of the Filmur kennel names dogs in the same litter with the first initial letter: Bea’s littermates included Filmur Bartolomeus, Filmur Baronesa and Filmur Basilica, who go by the names “Oscar”, “Nanna” and “Ida” respectively.
[hijack]I really like the creativity of some kennel names. For example, one of the most renowned Finnish Smooth Fox Terrier breeders goes by the name Texforrier, which makes me smile every time I see it. Another one, a breeder of p&s standard Schnauzers, has the kennel name Eipä’s, which is basically the Finnish term for “Let’s not” but with an apostrophe to make it resemble a “traditional” possessive kennel name. The dogs from this kennel are registered as, for example, Eipä’s Arvostella (Let’s not Judge).[/hijack]
This would have been approximately '65 - '69 or so. The dog was a wanderer, so sometimes we wouldn’t see him for days, but he’d always end up back home. Then, at some point, they noticed he never came back. Months later, we found his moldering body while tramping through the woods.
I have to go look up that “Augie/Doggie” thing up now.
[Johnny Carson]I did not know that.[/Johnny Carson]
One of my friend’s families owned a dog called Satan. Not as a pet, though: He was there to discourage people from exploring her dad’s plumbing business in the middle of the night. Calling him in from the yard might have raised a few neighborhood eyebrows.
Sorry, for the many posts and the hijack below, but I have to share this. Winterhawk, I found out that Augie and Doggie were animated canine characters that came out in '59, so that would fit with the naming (I believe we found our Doggie Daddy dead in the woods of old age around '69). Thanks. It never occurred to me to do an internet search for it, because I never heard of the cartoon.
Hijack. It seems I’m finding out a lot about the origins of names from my childhood lately (I midht start a thread).
I had an uncle who died 2 years ago that we called Uncle Snook (rhymes with Snuke). I thought the name a bit odd, but I’m southern and we make up nicknames all the time. Hell, we make up christian names all the time.
Anyway, I was reading New Yorker Magazine a few months ago and discovered there is a fish called a “snook.” I started putting 2 and 2 together and figured it out. My uncle was raised by my great-aunts and all of them loved fishing, so I’m betting that he probably got the name from them. I asked my older sister, but she doesn’t know for sure.
Not a big deal, but for me the lightbulb that went off reflected brightly on the lore of my past.
A friend’s family got a new dog when we were in junior high. Friend’s little sister, who was four at the time, was given the task of naming it. She was having trouble, but she saw the dog really liked to chew on bones.
“Let’s name the dog Boner!!!”
That was obviously vetoed.
And my grandmother was given her dog by my late aunt. It’s a daschund. Its name is Nicky Hercules Lastname.
I believe the “Ch.” in the names refers to the show status of the dogs - “Champion” means they have won a certain number of shows.
My Cornish Rex cat’s registered name is "(Breeder’s) Black Magic. Couldn’t they have come up with something a little more original for a black cat? And he actually responds to his name so I don’t want to change it. So Magic it is.
I don’t care for cutesy names which refer to a dog’s supposed national origin. French poodles named “Fifi.” Chihuahuas named “Chico.” German shepherds named “Adolf.” English bulldogs named “Winston.” Feh. Use some imagination, folks. Name your French poodle “Adolf” and say that his ancestors were collaborators.
My aunt’s chow is named Edna Ruth Clitterbone. Honestly, the bone part is the only part that makes any sense to me. I’m quite sure the possible vulgarity of it has never ever crossed her mind. She’s naive like that and very church going, although I wonder how many of her church friends have cringed when hearing stories about the Clitterbone.
Oh and that “Mr. Barky Von Schnauzer?” ad cracks me right up every time.
tinkathunkatinkathunkatinkathunkatinkathunkatinkathunka
Why lookit dat dog, he look like he’s losin’ his miiind! tinkathunkatinkathunkatinkathunkatinkathunkatinkathunka
Working at a vet clinic, I saw some doozies. The two that I thought were the dumbest were Mist-E and Chel-C. One family had a DeeOhGee and a CeeAyTee. Har dee har har.
I’ve told this story before, but it’s a good one. A friend of mine names her pets after favorite TV shows (sliders named Buffy and Xena; her cat Cordelia after Cordell Walker, Texas Ranger; kittens Selma and Patty). My mom hears about this and says “Well, that’ll never work. How am I supposed to name a pet 'Homicide: Life on the Street”?!?
Which is how I came to name my hypothetical pug Pembleton.
we have a cat named Goat. Honestly it’s because he does this head-butt thing if you hold your fist down near his head, but it certainly makes the vets unsure when they call his name out in the waiting room.
My dog’s name is Auggie after that cartoon. I can tell when somone is my age when I tell them my dog’s name and they say, “Auggie doggie, doggie daddy!”. When he’s been out in the rain, I call him Soggy Auggie Doggie.
-hijack-
My dog that I posted about was from a long line of champions. The owner lived out of state and Piper lived with a trainer that showed her dogs. My dog didn’t show well and was kept in a crate for probably two years before I got him. The owner said to ‘unload’ him.
Don’t think people that breed dogs or show dogs are great dog lovers. I still get angry thinking about it. He died almost two years ago and I still miss him.
One scene in Pink Floyds The Wall has an old black and white war movie playing in the background or it could have even be a close up of the TV,I don’t remember, but they are talking about a dog named Nigger,I think he got ran over by a car,but not sure.
Oh Thank Goodness, that means it’s free for my use :D.
We have Saturn the cat, Phoenix the cat (got her after a housefire), Alvin the rottie and used to have Cooper the ridgie. Brookes the ridgie was named after one of dad’s mates. Candy the ridgie was given to the vet and became the microchip model. Definitely naming my next pet something extraneous like Bokerpoofen, just so I can get letters that say Bokerpoofen is due for their shots.