One of the first sayings that I remember is if a rose was called by another name would it smell just as sweet. I am not a philosopher or a poet so I cannot answer that question definitively but I do know names mean a lot to me.
Names are very important to me every dog I’ve ever named has been a huge decision. I agonize over it in fact most of the time when I’m getting a dog I try to already have the name picked out because there was several times when I change the name . So naming a dog is just as important to me as naming a child. I do not want to be stuck saying something I do not like or have a negative connotation with.
I got my first dog when I was around second grade. Her name was Jody my mom suggested that name and I loved it. I had met a girl named Jody in the hospital while we were bothGetting cancer treatment. Jody was amazing and she liked the same music I did and she was really sweet I don’t know whatever happened to her but I was so happy when my mom suggested that we may my dog Jody. She probably did not even remember the girl I met in the hospital.
I got a Chihuahua mix when I was 21. I finally after moving several times as an adult. . Finally, I was in an apartment that allowed me to have a dog. I got one within a couple ofweeks of moving in. Her name was Penny when I got her because she had copper colored spots all over her body that look like pennies. So her former owner called her Penny. Well Penny was not OK with me. Every penny I had known had been not so nice and so I had a bad connotation with the name Penny. So I changed her name to Wendy. She came to it immediately Wendy for me represented happiness free and of course was a cool name of an association song.
My third dog after Wendy did not work out and had to go back to her owner. Was the best dog in the world. Her name was baby she was a big sheep dog collie/schnauzer mix possibly. I really wish I would’ve done her DNA. She was amazing. Anyway I was not going to be walking down the street as a 22-year-old single woman yelling come here baby. Absolutely not and I was not in the best neighborhood.
I heard the name Hayley on a soap opera of all places and thought it was just the most magical beautiful name little did I know it would become so popular but so I had a dog named Hayley but I spelled it Hayleigh.
Before I was allowed to have a dog I lived in the house with a roommate and she was a pet sitter. This was before Hayley and Wendy. I was not allowed to have a dog at the house but my roommate was long story anyway she was a pet sitter she would go to peoples homes and sit with their pets while they were out of town. It was sort of a side hustle for her. Anyway one time she took me with her to show me her clients amazing home she introduced me to a Shetland sheepdog. Which I had never saw before. It was a female and her name was Katie. I thought she was the most beautiful amazing dog ever and always promised myself that I would have a Shetland sheepdog.
After 10 years I was finally able to get a Shetland sheepdog but the first few that I looked at were all named Penny. Back to that Penny name I guess Penny is a popular dog name. Anyway I finally found a couple of Shetland sheep dogs. Yes look for one but ended up with two and they were Casey, and Jill. I felt like their name suited them and when I was a teenager I met a girl who had a dog named Casey and I thought it was a great dog name. So Casey and Jill were always Casey and Jill.
Actually I had Casey and Jill andHayleigh at the same time so they were it for a long time but then they got older and started passing on and of course I was in the market for another shelty. I found one rather quickly. I really enjoy watching the show law and order special victims unit, and Amanda Rollins is my favorite character. The next shelty I found no joke, her name was already Amanda. I felt like it was meant to be and she lived with us for several years but she was a senior so she didn’t live with us nearly as long as we would’ve liked before she passed on but just as a coincidence someone gave me a dog police officer costume . Is it hard to change a dog‘s name not really. You just call him that give them treats when they respond and it’s pretty easy most of the time the dog catches on within a month or so. I think the longest one I ever had was my current dog that I have now and she took maybe six weeks. I think it also has to do with what kind of home life they had before. If the people trained them and were engaged and worked with them a lot you might not want to change their name but if they come from a neglectful or negligent home it’s easier to change their name because most of the time they do not know it anyway.
In cases where I feel like the dog might know their name a little better than others I might try to make it something similar. Like just change a couple of letters. Like Kara became Carly. She caught onto it really quickly Abigail short Abby went to tabbie.
Paws of Happiness 