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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dinah on September 16, 2008, at 13:56:09
I've got two dogs I named before meeting. Boy, there's a mistake I'll never make again.
My teeniest dog, the one with problems, is as cute as a button. We gave her a perfectly lovely human name, but one that is waaaay too grown up and elegant for her. She's adorable and delicate and has the cutest baby face. But elegant and grown up she's not. I guess I solved that one by usually referring to her as Daddy's Little Princess. Or Princess for short. That suits her much better.
The other dog we named something really cute and adorable, with a light cute call name. The problem is that she's not a cute dog. She's a good sensible working dog who shows a lot of elegance. (Lately I've been calling the Little Princess by this dog's name because it really really fits the princess now she's gotten her hair cut.)
It's darn hard to call that elegant working dog something cute. It's especially a problem because I work with her, and have to use her name frequently. If I changed even her call name, it would be sort of a big fuss. If I call her by something other than her official call name, it'll cause confusion.
I want a do-over.
:(
Posted by Poet on September 16, 2008, at 16:11:59
In reply to Name mismatch, posted by Dinah on September 16, 2008, at 13:56:09
Hi Dinah,
I named two of the cats before I met them, luckily they fit their names. The third one came named, we weren't fond of the name, and it didn't suit her, but she was old enough to respond to it so we hyphenated it. She responds to her hyphenated name because she hears her original name first.
Maybe try hyphenating your dogs' names?
Poet-Mom to Three Cats
Posted by Dinah on September 16, 2008, at 18:00:42
In reply to Re: Name mismatch » Dinah, posted by Poet on September 16, 2008, at 16:11:59
You'd think I'd learn my lesson by now. Dogs have to name themselves. :)
I don't think there's anything I can do about the little one.
My husband really loves the name of the other one. It's really really bugging me though. If I can think of something, I'll try easing into it as you suggest.
Posted by TexasChic on September 16, 2008, at 22:06:08
In reply to Re: Name mismatch » Poet, posted by Dinah on September 16, 2008, at 18:00:42
Maybe a slight modification of the call name would help. Like a nickname. If you want to share the name maybe we could help you come up with something. Like maybe Fluffy could change to Fluff-Miester or Fluff-alina, or Mr. Flu-Flu or something.
-T
Posted by Dinah on September 16, 2008, at 23:12:33
In reply to Re: Name mismatch » Dinah, posted by TexasChic on September 16, 2008, at 22:06:08
I'm afraid of offending someone, since in part it's a human name. :)
And a perfectly nice human name, if it were a good match. After all, we liked it enough to pick it.
Even as a puppy, the day I met her I told my husband that the name we had chosen just wouldn't do. The puppy was clearly a Margaret, or maybe an Elizabeth. Perhaps Meggie or Maggie for short. But he loved the name we had pre-chosen. He looked so disappointed that I dropped the subject. And that was as a puppy.
You'd have to see this dog to understand why it bugs me so much. She's not really pretty so much as she is lovely. A beautiful arch of neck, a very elegant wedge of a face, eyes that manage to be alert and soft at the same time. If you think of the original movie Lassie, that's very very much what she looks like.
I suppose I'm really lucky that the name we chose for my son turned out to fit him nicely. I have never thought my name fit me at all. I'd like to change my real name to "Dinah". :)
I know it's necessary to name people as babies. But wouldn't it be nice if at age thirty or so, people were given a chance to change their first names?
The little one, it's not quite so bad with her. I regret that I didn't choose a better name for her. The one I chose, however wonderful a name it might be otherwise, just seems a bit too much for her to carry on those teensy legs. Like a little girl playing dress-up. But she seems to enjoy it. If we stretch it giving full weight to all syllables, she gets more and more excited.
Posted by Phillipa on September 16, 2008, at 23:27:12
In reply to Re: Name mismatch » TexasChic, posted by Dinah on September 16, 2008, at 23:12:33
Teddy is a sweet well manned pup and his name suits him. Now Chloe is a different matter her name should be Princess as I still hand feed here from multiple cans of food as she's so finicky. I know I shouldn't be do anyway. Actually her name should be brat girl. Love Phillipa
Posted by TexasChic on September 17, 2008, at 9:12:57
In reply to Re: Name mismatch » TexasChic, posted by Dinah on September 16, 2008, at 23:12:33
They both sound sweet as can be. I bet the names will grow to fit them. Either way, they are precious enough that names don't really make much difference in the long run.
(((itty bitty dog))) (((bigger graceful dog)))
-T
Posted by Racer on September 17, 2008, at 9:41:38
In reply to Re: Name mismatch » TexasChic, posted by Dinah on September 16, 2008, at 23:12:33
>
> I know it's necessary to name people as babies. But wouldn't it be nice if at age thirty or so, people were given a chance to change their first names?
>There's an artist called Kaffe Fassett (sp?) who did just that. His family let their kids pick their own names when they were old enough -- they were living in the Big Sur area at the time, so very New Age...
And I had a hellova time as a kid -- my name was old-fashioned, only other people who shared it were senior citizens -- mostly foreign, at that -- until I was about 13 and it suddenly got popular again. Soon, I'd hear people calling "Racer!" in the market, and turn to see they were calling their 3 year olds. I was a child carrying a very grown up name -- and my mother, whose name includes my old-fashioned name -- was called by a childish nickname. She sounded like a cute little girl, and I sounded like an old-fashioned old woman! I hated it.
To make matters worse, my name has what looks like an odd spelling to English speaking eyes, so a lot of people ask "why I changed the spelling?" They think I was being "unique," or that my mother decided to be "unique." Partly, I suppose, that's a benefit of immaturity -- a lot of people don't realize just how old I really am, they think I'm younger and might be in the age range to change the spelling. Well, no -- this is the same spelling that was on my great-aunt's birth certificate in 1913.
But you know what? I did grow into it. And now I laugh, because people ask me what my mother's non-shortened name is, and I get to say, "no -- it's nothing to do with her name, that's just a nickname and there is no formal form to it..." She's old enough that a lot of younger people have trouble with the concept of using her nickname, they want to be respectful.
But I also know what you mean. My handsome pusscat with the elegant name turned out to be a Freakazoid who is terrified of the entire world most of the time. He's very sweet, I adore him, but he does not live up to his elegant, unusual name -- and we can't find a shortened version for everyday. So, I usually call him Little Man. Or silly beast. And the other little monster -- the darling silly one -- gets called many things beyond her name. Fluffbudget is a popular epithet around here -- as in, "The Fluffbudget dove into my purse and pulled out tampons to play with in front of the construction workers," or "I opened the cabinet door to put away the dishes, and nearly dropped the plates when I saw The Fluffbudget sitting in there." Also Wild Thang. Among other names.
The third cat had a number of silly names created from her real name, too. The Little Man is the only one who creates problems name-wise, really, but one day maybe he'll grow some brain cells and that will improve, too.
And he certainly wouldn't have fit the name I gave him when I first saw his picture -- he looked to me then like a kitten with a Way Back Machine, and I thought "Mr Peabody" -- HAHAHAHAHAHA! That really wouldn't have worked out well!
And isn't it funny how names work with animals? Makes it seem quite important to name carefully, since so many of us do seem to grow into our names?
Posted by Dinah on September 17, 2008, at 10:30:01
In reply to Re: Name mismatch » Dinah, posted by TexasChic on September 17, 2008, at 9:12:57
Probably what made it suddenly top and center in my mind is that the little one recently got a new haircut that will make upkeep easier given her condition. Now she looks just like a TV character who shares a name with the bigger dog. So I'm finding it impossible not to get their names mixed up. Come to think of it, the name of the little dog would be darn good for the bigger one. :)
Posted by Dinah on September 17, 2008, at 10:36:48
In reply to Re: Name mismatch » Dinah, posted by Phillipa on September 16, 2008, at 23:27:12
:)
I've learned over time that no dog will actually starve themselves. My male dog, like the male dog I had before him, hardly eats at all. He's skinny skinny. Food just doesn't matter to him. But he manages to eat as much as he needs to, if not one bit more. It's probably healthier for him than the healthy eaters.
Teddy sounds sweet and Chloe sounds entertaining. A nice balance between the two?
Do they like to go for walks? My little guy is too small to walk far. And one of my others is too fat. (I found out today that she's gained even more weight. I didn't think that was possible.) But the new girl is game to go as long as I want. And longer.
Posted by Dinah on September 17, 2008, at 11:15:38
In reply to Re: Name mismatch » Dinah, posted by Racer on September 17, 2008, at 9:41:38
It sounds as if you share my feelings about names!
If you name something, you know it, or something like that. The power of a name.
I never ever grew into my name. :) But we did keep that in mind when naming my son, and named him something with a wide variety of nicknames to suit any career he might choose. We've been totally clear with him that we won't mind at all if he chooses a different version than we've always called him. But he thinks, and rightly so given his personality, that he's named just right.
When I say I hate my name, it's not that I hate the name if it were on someone else. It just doesn't suit me. If I were to charitably describe myself, or the me I like well enough to want to reinforce with a name, I'd say I'm sensible and pragmatic but also an absent minded professor, and sometimes a bit whimsical, and very low energy. I'm not sure what name would be perfect for me (although I like Dinah just fine), but it sure isn't my given name.
I always find that watching TV shows and movies is a good indicator of what image a name projects. After all, they have a limited time to introduce a character, and a name that fits what they want is one way. Characters with my full given name are generally leggy and brunette, elegant, sexy, and often play the "other woman". Characters with the usual diminutive of my name are usually quite a bit more energetic than I ever have been.
They're both fine names. But not for me.
If my mother had named me, I'd have been Karen Claire. I like that a lot better, and I wish she'd stuck to her guns with my father. I could have gone by "Carrie", although when the movie came out the parallels might have been... unfortunate. I was skinny and blonde and really unpopular. I *think* I would have found it amusing, but it probably would have caused a bit more taunting than I already got.
The best names I've had for my pets are the ones they chose for themselves. Some dogs just seem to reach out and grab you and tell you what their names should be. Like Fred. Or Kate. Or Harry. Or Grace. Or Robin.
I too tend to use pet names. My son probably wonders why I always call him food names. Pumpkin pie. Sugar plum. The final version is often something far removed from the original. One leads to another which leads to another.
My father had a huge and ever evolving store of pet names for me. Some, like the one that gave me the pronunciation of my real name (different from what they intended when they named me), were sweet and cute. Others were less than flattering, though they were always said with love.
Hmmm... Actually... I do have one pet name I use with her more than others. I'm not sure what she had gotten up to, but we started calling her Cinderella, then Cinders. It kind of stuck, and she does answer to it. Is Cinders a good name for a sweet, dainty, elegant solid working dog with a strong mischievous streak? (One day she's going to succeed in pantsing me.) It doesn't have the gravitas of a Margaret, or the plain beauty of a Meggie... But it's not really cute either. She just isn't "cute".
And I can't think of a way to gracefully introduce the pet name of Margaret. So I think there's no real way to rename her what I want to name her without having my husband annoyed with me.
Posted by Dinah on September 17, 2008, at 11:16:14
In reply to Re: Name mismatch, posted by Dinah on September 17, 2008, at 11:15:38
Posted by Dinah on September 17, 2008, at 11:26:55
In reply to Re: Name mismatch, posted by Dinah on September 17, 2008, at 11:15:38
I remember!
It was her fondness for shoes, particularly slippers.
She nimbly steals them and carefully nibbles just the part near the back of the ankle. It must be the slipper equivalent of mouse ears.
Posted by Phillipa on September 17, 2008, at 19:43:05
In reply to Re: Name mismatch » Phillipa, posted by Dinah on September 17, 2008, at 10:36:48
Dinah they would like to go for runs when at the beach Teddy wasn't overweight as he ran two miles when I rode my bike and had a ball playing with other pups there no leash laws. And Chloe can run faster than a rabbit. So with the leash law yes to walks and then take Teddy's off and he runs home. He's very well behaved. Love Phillipa
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