Lately we’ve had a lot of confusion with people’s names and dog names.
Some grandparents have a new puppy named Amy. That is beautiful. But “Emmie” may sound like “Emma” from a distance.
The children with the new puppy have a cousin named Emma, an aunt named Emma in the wing next to their family, and all 11 grandparents have at least one friend named Emma. Emma is the number 1 most popular baby girl name.
When you yell “Emmie” at real speed and sound like “Emma,” you never know when a matching girl, puppy, or stranger will come running.
Charlie and Max are among the most popular dog names.
We have or have both in the family. Max was a small dog with a bad hip that was rescued from a Chicago pound. Max is often crouched under the table and yelling in black leather jackets and motorcycles.
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Charlie in the family is my better half. He does not trample under the feet of men, nor prick his tail. Unless I do ribs.
Some grandparents have a little cousin named Milo from the other side of the family, and there is also a dog named Milo in the family. Toddler Milo weighs about 25 kg, and German shepherd Milo 85. You want to pick up and hug a Milo; With the other Milo, you’ll want to chain yourself to the wall when you see him charging at you.
When I was a kid we had a dog named Smoky. That dog died and we got another dog and we named him Smoking. Creative, right? When my brother left home, he brought a dog and called him Smoke. Then my brother thought it would be fun to list himself in the phone book as a cigar. Even though I was living on the opposite side of the country from my brother and his dog, I somehow managed to get a letter to Smoky. Smoky accepts discounts on life insurance policies, auto insurance and magazine subscriptions.
Hard to explain, my husband’s family had a cat named Asa.
People often name pets and breeds after famous people, so again with overlap. A friend of mine had a dog named Winston, like Winston Churchill. A cigarette in a pocket would fit perfectly.
Maybe it’s time to branch out with dog names. Maybe name the dogs after the planets: Saturn, Neptune, Mercury, Jupiter. You won’t meet many people with those names; But that’s just me. Somewhere another family may have covered the entire solar system.
Perhaps we can draw on the table of elements: titanium, magnesium, lithium. But names that end in “-um” are never good baby names, and a good baby name is crucial in naming both pets and children.
Who knew people’s names inspired dog names or dog names inspired people’s names? It’s like asking which came first, the chicken or the egg or the baby or the puppy.
Lori Borgman is a columnist, author and speaker. Her “What Happens at Grandma’s Stays” is available now. Email her at [email protected].