Pet Names

[Maralynn]

I know Anopheles!!!

 

 

Amy

 

Me too - I laughed when I read it

[Sue R]

Me too - I laughed when I read it

Me, too - I have a BIL who's a mosquito specialist (well, recently retired mosquito specialist).

[Eileen Stein]

Me too -- I just didn't have any comment to make about it.

[Anda]

LOL Dr. River - that was awesome

[Ooky]

I thought Anopheles was an awesome choice too - and a much better choice than Culex.

 

That would have been good for the naming of cats rules - Anopheles for the long name, perhaps with a related, short, sensible, everyday name like Flea.

[Carson Crazies]

Let's see how many people on this board trial successfully at open level and do not actually have any sheep. I would actually find it very interesting. I have heard of people in the past who actually managed to do so.

 

Even better, let's see if we get a count of the number of people who have to pay for sheep time, if they can find someone willing to rent out their sheep, who are trialing in open or even better yet those who have to pay for a lesson every single time they get their dog on sheep who are trialing successfully in either ranch or open.

 

I do not have my own sheep. My first dog I got as a puppy, trained him up through lessons, mentors and paid & borrowed sheep time (and you'd better believe I do my best to earn my keep even on borrowed time), and am running him in Open at 3 years old. I wouldn't say we are doing so successfully yet, but we are quite holding our own I'd say. We were successful in Ranch, and he had a Nursery leg on him (we didn't get the second due to injury).

 

It is quite possible.

 

As for names... I find naming a pup to be a stressful process. I *like* the simplicity and tradition of short, often one syllable names. I usually just look at a pedigree and pick out a name on there I like. Linc's name was a bit different. He was going to be Loch, and I thought Loch was too hard of a name for such a sweeeeeeet puppy. I shoulda stuck with Loch. His extended private nickname is Lincoln McDinkerton, by the way.

[juliepoudrier]

Yeah, I don't get the assumption that just because folks didn't comment on Skeeter's name that we somehow didn't get it.... It's nice to know you think so highly of the rest of us.

 

J.

[juliepoudrier]

His extended private nickname is Lincoln McDinkerton, by the way.

I prefer Lincoln Log...

 

J.

[SoloRiver]

Yeah, I don't get the assumption that just because folks didn't comment on Skeeter's name that we somehow didn't get it.... It's nice to know you think so highly of the rest of us.

 

Oh, for Chrissakes, Julie -- it wasn't a value judgment and I certainly didn't expect anyone to comment on it. The point was that dog names are personal, and that my dogs are named for ME, according to my own interests and sense of humor (such as it is), and certainly not the dog fancy. Unless you consider yourself a member of the dog fancy, which know you are not, there is no reason to be offended.

 

This is one seriously counterproductive conversation if it can make people who actually KNOW each other (like you and me) get this pissed off about something this pointless. I don't know about you, but I'm done.

[kelpiegirl]

Seriously, someone ought to put together a "best of" for the Feb/Mar threads. Seems we have way too much time on our hands. Who cares what you call your dog, as long as it's not late for dinner!- Usurped from another's quotation.

[Eileen Stein]

I don't consider it disrespectful to anyone that I choose not to name my dogs traditional names.

 

Melanie,

 

I certainly don't want to argue with you about this and I'm not pissed off in the least, but I do want to make sure I have my facts straight, because I'm feeling a certain Wonderland vibe here. As I understand it,

 

1. Previous to owning border collies, your experience was with the "dog fancy" culture (not in the sense of owning show dogs, but in the sense that the dog people you knew were "fanciers").

 

2. You have owned three border collies.

 

3. The first one was a rescue, and you named him Ashfall Solo River.

 

4. By the time you got your second border collie, you were oriented to the working border collie culture, and have continued firmly in that orientation since.

 

5. Your second border collie was a trained sheepdog named Fly, and you kept that name.

 

6. Your third border collie was working-bred, and you named her Jett.

 

Is that correct?

[PSmitty]

Seriously, someone ought to put together a "best of" for the Feb/Mar threads. Seems we have way too much time on our hands. Who cares what you call your dog, as long as it's not late for dinner!- Usurped from another's quotation.

 

Amen.

[Shoofly]

I've been resisting commenting on this thread but just wanted to pop in with one small comment. Personally, i find the frivolous names disrespectful to the *dogs*. These are (or are supposed to be anyway) the blue collar, down and dirty, git-R-done dogs, developed over time for just exactly that - serious, sensible work. I choose to honor that, and the dogs themselves, with names that reflect that. These are the Joes, Bobs, Wisps and Hemps of the dog world and i think names like Penelope's Priss Pants are disrespectful of the dogs themselves as well as their heritage. Not trying to tell anyone else what to do, but that's my thinking on it.

[workindogs]

Melanie,

 

I hear what you're saying.....but all the same I was immensely relieved when the ABCA registration letter limitation prevented you from registering Jett with the fancy name you wanted. A well crafted play on words, but thankfully the registry would have none of it.

[JohnLloydJones]

... and i think names like Penelope's Priss Pants are disrespectful of the dogs themselves as well as their heritage.

For me, the disrespect is not in the name -- that's just a tag -- but the attitude and culture that the name comes out of. If "Penelope's Priss Pants" could compete successfully in an open trial, I might smile wryly at the name, but still admire the work. Of course, the choice of name strongly implies that would almost certainly never happen.

[RoseAmy]

I've been resisting commenting on this thread but just wanted to pop in with one small comment. Personally, i find the frivolous names disrespectful to the *dogs*. These are (or are supposed to be anyway) the blue collar, down and dirty, git-R-done dogs, developed over time for just exactly that - serious, sensible work. I choose to honor that, and the dogs themselves, with names that reflect that. These are the Joes, Bobs, Wisps and Hemps of the dog world and i think names like Penelope's Priss Pants are disrespectful of the dogs themselves as well as their heritage. Not trying to tell anyone else what to do, but that's my thinking on it.

 

 

My feelings exactly.

 

Except now that Robin has mentioned it I may name my next dog git-R-done!

[Dixie_Girl]

I've only had one dog that I thought about what the name should be, and that was Cheyenne. She was named after a little 2/3 yr old girl lost for 2 days in the wilderness and found alive and well. All the rest of my dogs were just named from what popped in my head when I saw them. When I first took in Bandit at 5 mos. he took a sandwhich out of my 5yr olds hand. I said you little Bandit! And it stuck. Jackson was going to be Jake, but at the time it seemed everyone and their brother was naming their male dog Jake. I picked him up at 5 weeks to look at him, and he just became Jackson. I had no idea what to name Skip. When I went to pick him out at 4 weeks, I picked up the other pup I had to choose from, and nothing. I picked him up, looked at Bill and said, well, I decided. This is my dog Skip! Holly was renamed because there is just no way in the wide, wide, world of sports was I calling anything Prancer. And it was Christmas, so Holly it was.

 

I've always been amused at old timers that named their dog, Dog.

 

I wonder if they think the same of me cuz I usually refer to anyone younger than me as kid.

[sheeptramp]

I thought Anopheles was an awesome choice too - and a much better choice than Culex.

 

That would have been good for the naming of cats rules - Anopheles for the long name, perhaps with a related, short, sensible, everyday name like Flea.

 

Aedes might be a good name for a siamese cat who lives indoors, or a very fancy Arabian horse.

[Smalahundur]

My feelings exactly.

 

Except now that Robin has mentioned it I may name my next dog git-R-done!

 

You do realise you shorten that to "Git" don´t you....

[Cynthia P]

I was thinking about names...and perhaps the working folk and the working tradition call them short names because of our familiarity with them and that they "go to work" with us everyday.

 

The tradition is about working...and they just work, it is plain..it should be plain

 

My border collies don't need anything fancy..and i can barely remember their regular names...hey you black and white or tri color dog..come here

 

Just ask us to work...we dont need anything fancy

 

Pam, Dixie, Preach, Sue, Nicky, Becca, Spec, Libby

[somewhereinusa]

Oooookay,

 

I'm old, not very imaginative,had a lot of WORKING Border Collies and may be just an old grump. I have a few names I like

and when that dog is gone tend to name the next one in one of those. I liked that dog and something about the new one reminded

me of a past dog. Kate is the second Kate and Mollie is the second Mollie, they don't look or act like the previous one but I like the name.

I've had a Shep or two, maybe a couple of Roy's, and more than two dogs named Star.(Mumsywumsy liked the name Star, I once got some

calves, and she asked about names, I said it's up to you I don't name calves. she replied they are all Star. When questioned about this,

she replied that I kept selling the dogs with that name.) And of course there was Reba, but I didn't name her. But, there was and will only ever

be one Mac.

 

LGD Kuvasz was "Arthur King of the Dell" and he lived up to the name, NO coyote losses after he came.

 

Dick

[OurBoys]

Our story isn't very exciting. When we adopted JJ his foster mom had named him RJ. Those were the initials of the police officer that helped JJ get into rescue. DH & I kept screwing it up. Most of the time we called him AJ or OJ. One day I told DH since the only part of his name we get right is the J part, let's just call him JJ.

 

When we adopted Jake we wanted to stay with the J theme so I printed off a list of male names that began with a J. Obviously I didn't get far. When I got to Jake, DH said "That's it!" I asked him if he was sure and read off some more names but he said no. He liked the name Jake and Jake, well, looked like a Jake. (His original owner had named him Freckles and his foster mom had named him Focus.)

 

When I saw Josie's 3rd listing on craigslist in just as many days, I got ticked off. I told DH I knew he didn't want me fostering but I just couldn't stand the idea of a 6 mo old pup getting tossed around like that. Her original owner/breeder didn't give a flip about where she ended up at and the girl that got her obviously didn't understand dogs, much less herding breeds. Even though Josie was going to be a foster dog, I was still going to stick with the J theme and rename her either Jasmine or Jessie. As soon as I drove into the girl's driveway and saw her, the name Josie popped into my head. DH tried a few names on her but agreed she was a Josie. One thing was for sure, there was no way in he!! she was going to keep the name Lola! My apologies to anyone who named their dog that but trust me, my little tomboy is not a Lola!

 

I did wonder for a short time if Jake would know the difference between his name and the 'Take' command. Not a problem.

 

JJ knows a lot of words too but one of the words you don't say out loud in front of him is possum. He might not have a lick of herding instinct but say the word possum and the boy goes nuts. One night DH & I were talking while JJ was laying 1/2 asleep on the floor. All of a sudden JJ jumped up, started barking and running back and forth from the front door to the back door. We didn't know what in the world had gotten into that boy! Then I started laughing. When DH asked me why, I told him I just replayed our conversation in my head and realized I had said the word "possible". Silly dog. If he's going to easedrop on our conversations, he should at least be fully awake.

[1sheepdoggal]

I named my newest two, Willing and Able......Will and Abe for short. Probably what will be on the reg. papers. Nothin fancy, just still liking real names for real dogs.

[Izzysdad]

Will and Abe are good names.

 

Toby came as Toby and it stuck.

 

Izzy was named after a favorite fictional character of mine, and it suits her to a T. She buzzes around just a bee does, so the Z-sounds work well.

 

Zoey is a combo of the two. Without Toby and Izzy there would be no Zoey in my life so I find it fitting.

 

Tim

[appyridr]

I believe names reflect ourselves & have some importance but not that big an issue in the Border Collie world. But this is an interesting 'light' topic. I don't mind that the agility/AKC world has such identifiably different names - it often tells me right off where their focus is at. Any name/pedigree that starts off with 'Aus.CH' is one I run away from very fast. I must confess that it does bug me to see HIC, HT, JHD listed as well as HA, HX but that is my personal gripe. Plus I find the alphabet soup of a dozen or more agillity titles silly...but hey, if that is your thing, go ahead. It tells me what I want to know.

Two of my four came already named: Dusty & Blair. I like both names partly because they are not on the 'top 100' such as Moss, Roy, Wisp, Cap etc. My other two; Jayne & Owen were picked by me with much thought. IMO names reflect culture just as in human names. I like to pay respect to the UK history of this breed(even if it is not mine) and their tradition of short 1-2 syllable as well as the practicality of it. So I research the ISDS name data base, then lists of gaelic/Scottish/Irish etc names, then the list of USBCHA point earners and then study my puppy to find which one the 'short list" fits. I like a traditional but uncommon name. Do I care what anyone else names their dog - no. Keep on going with your own new tradition(s). btw, Owen means 'son of nobility' and he is son of my Blair. And while I thought Jane or Jayne might be common, it isn't at all. TIC.

For Jen: I do not own sheep. I personally know at least 4 other people in the PNW who trial in Open who also do not own sheep. Plus quite a number coming up in N/N and P/N. I don't know what you define as 'success' but all have placed top ten in more than a few trials and some have USBCHA pts/qualified for Finals. It isn't easy and it takes longer but is possible. "I" send my youngsters to a trainer for a month or two to get started because I know I couldn't do it myself but not everyone does that. Does it take up all of my time & resources - yes. I have started dabbling in flyball with Dusty who seems not to be a successful trial sheepdog but not on a 'competitive' team and it will always come second to working sheep. I agree with you that I don't think anyone would have the time or resources to be competitive in both agility and sheepdog trialing.

Of course I 'pay' to work my dogs - how could there be any other way! If you own sheep you pay for their keep. If you don't, you pay in $$ or labor or trade of some kind. Training & lessons same.

regards Lani