Pages

Saturday, October 2, 2010

What's in a name?


A friend with a new adopted greyhound was mulling over names this week, which prompted me to recall the naming process of my hounds.  When Roxie was in the racing world, her name was RU Focused, and I was informed that her kennel name was Pickle, that's right PICKLE.  Her littermates had names such as Peach, and Plum, so how she ended up with Pickle is a mystery.  When she came to live with us, I refused to call her Pickle, and was determined to find a better name for her.  Roxie was actually suggested by a good friend who has a dog named Lily, and a cat named Bishop.  All respectable names, and much better than Pickle.  Roxie does have a couple of nicknames, most notable are Roxierue and Fluffy, but she's a good girl and will answer to most anything . . . just not Pickle.

Our handsome boy came to us named Xander, and Xander he remained.  We never considered changing his name.  It just suits him.  He does have a nickname too, which is "Ninny," but I couldn't tell you how it came about.  Perhaps it fits his quirky nature at times, better than Xander, which is so regal.

Our most recent addition, Zoe, was called Perdita when we got her.  We had never heard the name, but discovered it was taken from the 101 Dalmations story.  I also learned that Perdita means "lost," which doesn't conjure up happy whippet thoughts at all.  It took a couple of weeks to change Perdita's name.  We tried to do some variation of Perdita, like Petey or Dita, but those didn't work.  I liked the idea of adding another "x" name to Roxie and Xander, but "x" name options are a little limited.  One day a light came on and I thought "Zoe," which I guess should technically be Zoë, but we're into simplicity here, so Zoe it is.  Zoe has been with us for just 6 months now, but she has already earned a couple of nicknames:  Zoith and ZoZo.

There you have it:  Roxie, Xander and Zoe.  Choosing a name is easier said than done, but it's wonderful when it clicks into place.  Thankfully, I've never had to name a 2-legger child.  What pressure, to get it just right!  As for my previously mentioned friend, who was searching for the right name this week . . . I think she has landed on "Jack,"  which I think is an excellent choice!

HAPPY SATURDAY TO EVERYONE!

4 comments:

  1. our first dog was Hobson (named him after the butler in the movie Arthur).. of course Fonzie's official name was Our Fuzzy Feelin. When he was a blood donor, they renamed him Fonzie,, I guess it fit on the medical record more easily!! We often called him Fuzzy, and my dad called him Fozzy (like fozzy bear on the Muppets!)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Just saw that you stopped off at my blog. Thanks for visiting. I don't know how my buddies came by their names (I'm their aunt and they had their names before I came to live with them). But when I was living in a nursing home, before I moved into my sister's home, I was primary caretaker for one of the facility's dogs, an Akita/GSD mix. Although the administrator wanted to name him Buddy, the residents got together and decided he would be called "Murray Rabinowitz". He had to have a last name because he was a resident just like us. You can read more about him here if you're interested: http://muchcookingwithdogs.blogspot.com/2009/09/animal-house-final-chapter.html.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My first Greyhound was named Treat, and I've never found a better hound name since, but I love the unusual ones! I think all three of yours are perfect for them!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love the names you ended up with! It's funny how our pups eventually find the perfect name, whether it's the one we pick or a nickname that ends up sticking. :)

    ReplyDelete

Please tell us what you think. Thanks for visiting!