The Name Game

I found this story on Best Friends Animal Society's approach to animal naming--"BeBop von Pookiehead"--rather timely given the number of conversations I've had lately regarding pet-naming.

One has to wonder how some animals ever survive multiple homes, rescues, shelters, etc. with their sanity in tact, given that most humans tend to name and rename their animals with wild abandon. When my husband and I first got our cat, he was given the name "Drake" by one of our theatrically-inclined friends. After toying with a handful of different options, we finally settled on the ever-so-clever "Kitty" thanks to some inspiration from a South Park episode.

Similarly, when we adopted our first rescue puppy, his foster mom had given him the name "Richie" which we both agreed should be banned as a name for the four- and two-legged alike for all eternity. Huge fans of the Dave Chappelle Show at the time, we settled on the name Charlie Murphy, inspired by the show's series of True Hollywood stories episodes. (Yes, we do watch a lot of tv.) Of course, shortly there after, Charlie assumed yet another name, Coco, inspired by his sweet gorilla eyes. He now responds to either name, while his brother, Hudson, also understands his name to be Hudson, Hudson Budson, Budson Bear or The Buds.

Of course, I think the naming process involved when shelters and rescue groups get new animals is far more interesting, given that they have to routinely come up with multiple names, and need to avoid too many repeats. A friend of mine is currently navigating the adoption process for a puppy mill rescue dog named Nacho. Apparently he is part of a small clan dubbed the "Taco Bell dogs" that includes his comrades, Chalupa and Gordita.

The little bully pups rescued in Detroit by the Buster Foundation were named using a variety of methods, most notably, the imagination of small children. "Brawny" got his name based on the number of paper towels used to clean up after him. "Artie" was named by Buster's founder, inspired by his rescue from his house on Artesia Blvd. Then there are Snickers, Trinket, Baxter, Jasper, and Neveah . . . that last one is "heaven" spelled backwards!

However, my all time favorite pet name would be the neighborhood cat that my brother and his roommates adopted in college. Clearly some learned gentlemen looking to give their new feline friend a touch of class, they named him . . . Grumpus von Fluffybottom. Luckily I don't think they ever tried to fit all that on a name tag.