Naming the family pet....how?? Who does it??

[ChristusG]

After much thinking, we've decided to get our girls a dog for Christmas. They are 9, 6, and 2. Our 9 year old DD will be responsible for a lot of the care of the dog. She's been wanting a pet for a few years now....we were all set to get her a guinea pig but decided that if an animal is going to require so much work, that it might as well be a dog. The guinea pig was only taking the place of a dog anyways. That's what she really wants. She was just going to settle for a guinea pig. And so, we've got a dog all lined up. It will be born soon, we'll take a photo and wrap it for Christmas, and we can take it home somewhere around February 1st.

 

Now on to naming......

 

How do you go about this with the least amount of disagreement? This dog will be a family dog for our three girls, with a lot of the responsibility falling to DD9 since she's very much wanting a pet and she's the oldest. Should this give her more pull with choosing a name? She loves choosing names and has already chosen names for the guinea pigs that she thinks she was getting. However, I'm not about to have to call out "Darth Vader!!!" into the backyard to call the dog back inside. Yes, she will probably choose Darth Vader....or Anakin....or something Star Wars related. Since I will have to call the dog, I should have a say in the name too LOL. And DD6 will want a say as well.....she loves all things girly and princessy....so she'd choose something like Elsa (from the new Frozen movie) or Belle (from Beauty and the Beast)....or possibly even Leia from Star Wars.

 

See my problem LOL. Two vastly different realms of names.

 

Should I make a pre-approved list? Should I just name it myself and tell them the name when they open the photo of the puppy on Christmas morning? Should I give the choicee to DD9 who will be doing a lot of the work.....but tell her it has to be approved by me? And what then when DD6 begins crying that she hasn't had a say in the names? Put pre approved names into a hat and draw? Ugh, this is too hard LOL. And I am almost certain the 9 and 6 year old will never agree if I tell them they need to compromise.....they are very different.

[Wilma]

I'd let go of it, personally. If the kids name it something goofy, y'all can just smile about it later. Even if the kids call the dog two different names, it won't really matter.

[Belacqua]

I like the pre-approved list idea for kids that young. As you're the one who has to call doggie inside and take her to the vet's office, I daresay you do want veto power!

 

And while I confess almost complete Star Wars ignorance, doesn't it have a princess or two?

 

Good luck with the new pup!

[JustEm]

Let the kids figure it out.  That is what my parents always did.  I named our Dalmatian spot when I was 4 and no one stopped me because really I was not changing my mind about it so no matter what anyone else picked I would still call her Spot.  So everyone else eventually called her Spot as well.  We names our next dog pepper because of her fur color.  And our most recent dog was when I was 16 years old (I was the youngest.)  He had 2 names for about a week.  Lenny and Moby.  My dad and I wanted Moby, my brother and 2 cousins wanted Lenny.  So I called him Moby and they called him Lenny.  Eventually the rest of the family (9 of us) started referring to him as one name or the other.  Moby won out after a week and he's been Moby ever since, fitting since he'ss a big white dog and my  brother's name is Ishmael.

[Farrar]

Consensus.  Let the process take a few days if needed.  Get everyone to have a stake in the name, help everyone understand that compromise is good and that everyone has to live with the name together for a pretty long time.  Discuss the issues you laid out here about the more responsible parties getting a bit more sway, but let everyone know it should be a name everyone can live with.  At least, that's how this Quaker educator would do it... ;)

[Seasider]

Haha, I am sort of a control freak so I would want to name the dog myself and be done with it!

 

But what I might actually do is to let them each come up with a couple of names and try them out for a few weeks, pretending to call the dog, give the dog commands, etc. I'm thinking you would find one that emerges as preferable to the others. You could have each compose a little speech giving reasons why a certain name should be chosen. You could talk about what names mean, how each of your kids got her name, what the meanings of their favorite characters' names are, or meanings of names in the bible. Might help you end up with something other than a Star Wars moniker.

 

If nothing else, it will give them something to do while waiting for the pup to arrive and hopefully the debate will be settled by then, too. It's not unlike the nine months we are pregnant, going through baby names and hoping to hit on something "just right" as the day approaches.

 

I am jealous, we would love a pup for Christmas!

 

 

[Ripley]

We've always adopted rescues who came pre-named, so I've had my fair share of calling out dumb names. I feel ya. It's like wanting to pin the "I dressed myself" button on your kid, wanting the world to know that you weren't the one who came up with the dog's name!

 

Every dog we've had has always come to be known by about sixteen different nicknames, so to that end the official name didn't really matter - we'd string together 8 of his ridiculous corny nicknames and say them all in one breath whenever we addressed him.

 

In your situation I'd have each person come up with two names.  We'd vote on the best from each person's list, then put the final 4-5 names up.  If I had a sensitive, dramatic kid I'd draw randomly to spare myself having to deal with the fallout.  If I had somewhat resilient kids I'd put the final names up for a vote - everyone writes down their first and second choice names.  First choice is worth 2 pts, second is worth 1 pt.  Name with the most points wins. 

 

And if I really, truly couldn't live with the name ... I'm not above fudging the results and going with the least horrible of the two finalists. Rank exists for a reason. ;)

[Tiberia]

We have three in our family. We each get to choose a name. It has to be a name that the other two don't absolutely hate (I voted for Xerxes, but that got vetoed by the other two).

 

We then string the names together and end up calling the dog the name that suits him best. We ended up with "Jubilee Jack Slab" - who was called Jack (pictured in avatar). We also had "Fortis Tiberius Woogie-boy - called Ti. You will want a call name that the dog recognizes and responds to, for training. But as for what you call him when you're talking about him, anything goes. 

 

Have fun with little Princess Darth Belle!

[gingersmom]

I would let your girls figure it out.

 

Our cat has one name but we call her at least 3 other names she responds to. Same thing with the dog.

 

What kind of dog??

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

No help here.  Growing up, I had a black lab named Sacka, which sounded exotically Russian, but was in fact short for sack a sh*t.  My grandmother had a perpetually off-white poodle named Jacques, -- Jacques Strappé to be exact, because of said never-quite-bleached color.

 

I wish I were making both up, but they're true.  It was an interesting childhood.

[GreenKitty]

Have them each pick one and give it three names. Then you can shorten it by calling it the one you like. :)

[MomtoCandJ]

I really hope that we don't need to name a pet (well we are thinking of getting dd1 a cat after dd2 is born). Dd1 will get to name the cat since it will primarily be hers (and mine but I already know that a cat won't come when called unless it wants to).

[Belacqua]

I think I'm swayed by the personal experience of being embarrassed, to this day, of what I was allowed to name my first dog. To the point that I don't even like playing that What's Your Stage Name game that uses the name of your first pet, just because I don't want to admit it. I've been known to...er...skip over that pet and move on to the more sensibly-named second, which makes me feel horribly disloyal. But there's no way I'm admitting to that name.

 

I guess I just wish some more mature thinker had saved me from myself. :)

 

But I'm digging Darth Belle, so what do I know?

[Catwoman]

I think Darth Vader is the perfect name for a chihuahua. :)

 

Of course, I say this as someone whose Pomeranian was named Spike. :D

[zoobie]

Consensus, but I am very persuasive. ;) We change the names of rescues here. They always have weird names! Only one has ever known her name and we picked something that sounded nearly identical because it was a name we just could not use. She didn't notice a difference. Our kids have only been old enough to participate in the last 3, and we decided to keep a theme in naming animals. It at least narrows the possibilities.

[Belacqua]

Consensus, but I am very persuasive. ;) We change the names of rescues here. They always have weird names! Only one has ever known her name and we picked something that sounded nearly identical because it was a name we just could not use. She didn't notice a difference. Our kids have only been old enough to participate in the last 3, and we decided to keep a theme in naming animals. It at least narrows the possibilities.

 

I'm reminded of a girl I knew in high school named Cindy who had originally been called Candy. But shortly after she was born, her parents got a dog already named Candy, so they renamed the baby (reasoning that the dog would get confused by a new name and the baby would not).  She said she didn't mind, as she preferred the name Cindy, anyway.

[Starr]

It doesn't really matter :D as long as you don't make a big deal about it. If you are not able to go with the flow name wise then name it and get a name tag and wrap it for Christmas. They will be so happy to meet *Spot* or whatever. It won't even occur to them to name it.

[Tammi K]

We've always given our pets people names - not by plan, just by happenstance. We've had a Mandy. Brittany, Maggie, Meredith, Rusty....  Then we got a dog when my daughter was 3. She decided it was HER dog and his name was Smokey. No discussion. She was a determined 3 year old! So, 13 years later, he's still Smokey.

 

Usually someone makes a suggestion and if someone else likes it, we try it out for a few days. If something else comes up, we try it out. It usually find that after a few days something sticks.

[zoobie]

I'm reminded of a girl I knew in high school named Cindy who had originally been called Candy. But shortly after she was born, her parents got a dog already named Candy, so they renamed the baby (reasoning that the dog would get confused by a new name and the baby would not). She said she didn't mind, as she preferred the name Cindy, anyway.

I'd prefer Cindy too! :)

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

You could always go the pretentious dog show route with "Ch. Gwenevier's Southern Millrace Valley of Kublai Khan,"  call sign "Buddy."

[Rosyl]

Your daughter may have the bulk of the responsibility in theory, but the reality is you will bear the ultimate responsibility, and  you will be the ultimate obedience trainer...so you should have veto power.

[Norah]

When we adopted our border collie and our son was almost 4, it just happened naturally. While playing with the dog at the shelter he made a sound kinda like "Aaarh," and my son joked that he was a pirate dog. Next thing you know we were doing paperwork and his name was officially Pirate.

 

When we got our pug about 9 months ago, it was a completely different process. Our just turned 9 year old started making a list of potential names. Many of them were long, pretentious, and british sounding. Then my husband and I sat around the table with him and we added more names to the list. We talked about it till we all settled on something. The main points being a simple short name (even if part of a longer name) with clear sounds that the dog could recognize well, something none of us hated, and something that seemed like it would fit the dog well. I think we decided the night before he came home with us. We each picked our top 3 from the list, and went with the name on everyones top 3. My husband had never even met the dog, but we all agreed on Kirby and now we can't imagine him being anything else. I know a group decision with that many people can be hard, but I'd try to get everyone involved. I'd still maintain veto power though.

[Lanny]

We have a great dog and her name, in Spanish, is "cosa". In English, that is "thing".  How did that happen? The next door neighbors dog had puppies. This one, when they were 2 or 3 (?) weeks old, came through a gap in the fence, several times, into our yard. We kept returning her and she kept coming back. Now, 3 or 4 years later, she's a great pet, with a bad name...  We never dreamed that she would end up being our pet, or we would have given her a decent name. Try to have some agreement on the name you select for the new pet and enjoy!

[Belacqua]

Sometimes I still secretly use the name I liked best for our cat, even though everybody else hated it. I think she likes it, too.

[Word Nerd]

The girls named our family cats. I started calling the girl cat Bellatrix as a joke because I thought it suited her better, and that's what everyone ended up calling her. 

[Word Nerd]

No matter what we named our boy cats when I was a kid, my dad called them all Tom.

[Rachel]

Growing up our dogs were family pets, us kids got to throw out some names but ultimately my parents had the final say. The cats and other random pets we had usually belonged to a specific kid, so they chose the name.

 

My husband and I have had many random dogs through our house and we always throw around names for a month or so before we settle on one we like.

 

I do think you should get veto power, but if your girls are really having trouble agreeing you could throw their top names into a hat and draw one out.

[Jeannie in NJ]

I am not happy that 6 years ago we named one of our cats Hannah Montana.  I liked it fine then but not now.  Luckily we have always called her just Hannah but she is still on her vet record as Hannah Montana.  However I do like her brother's name of Indiana Jones which I came up with.

[Liz CA]

The kids may surprise you in their choice of names and the level of sophistication...we once had chickens named by ds Olivia and Anastasia. I had been expecting something like "Crooked Beak" and "Waddlebird." If a name is too far out there, you can veto it.

[indigomama]

I say have everyone pick a name and vote on the best one.

 

 

I had a dog in high school, and I loved the movie "Never Ending Story", so I named my dog Falkor, after the flying luck dragon that looked like a dog. One day my dog had gone up the street a-ways, so I was following and yelling out "Falkor!, Falkor", when these two elderly ladies on their walk happened by and chewed me out for naming my dog a curse word! 

 

I tried to explain but they'd never seen the movie and I don't think they really believed me, it was pretty funny though.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

I am not happy that 6 years ago we named one of our cats Hannah Montana.  I liked it fine then but not now.  Luckily we have always called her just Hannah but she is still on her vet record as Hannah Montana.  However I do like her brother's name of Indiana Jones which I came up with.

 

I'm not a cat person, but I think cats twerk, sort of, so there's that.

[ChristusG]

OP here :) I'm not totally against off the wall names. Before I found out I was allergic to cats a few years ago, my DD named the two cats Mac-N-Cheese and Armadillo. LOL! But I need something better with a dog....I actually have to walk outside and call this out lol.

 

I may see what names they come up with first, but also have a pre-approved list stashed away just in case.

[Plink]

 Our 9 year old DD will be responsible for a lot of the care of the dog. She's been wanting a pet for a few years now....

 

This dog will be a family dog for our three girls, with a lot of the responsibility falling to DD9 since she's very much wanting a pet and she's the oldest. 

 

FYI - It is extremely rare for a  9yo to be responsible enough to handle "a lot" of a puppy's care.  They need to get up in the middle of the night, be trained consistently, and are not the tiny little cuddle-bug that she is imagining.  Only get this dog if you are willing to be the primary caretaker and trainer.  She can be your helper

 

We decided on our puppy's name Optometrist style.  Better or worse?  Better or worse?  Better or worse?  It took a while, but we finally settled on a name that everyone agreed on.

[ChristusG]

Oh, I'm aware of the level of care for a dog..... This pup will accompany our 14 year old dog :) DD9 will be in charge of the walking, taking it outside at regular intervals while housebreaking, feeding, snuggling, and helping with indoor accidents. I do hope to enroll DD and the pup in some sort of obedience class to show her how to help with training.

[Hypatia.]

My brother's cat Two-Face still lives with my parents, you can guess who named her!  I took our kitten Stitch to the vet a couple weeks ago, the receptionist laughed a little at his name and asked if it was from the movie (yes, we adopted his sister to, whom we named Lilo).  

 

So I say just let them decide.  As for Star Wars characters, there's always Ahsoka or Padme if the dog is a girl (we had a duck named Padme).  Besides, Obi-wan would make a great dog name!  

[Pawz4me]

I've pretty much always named all our pets.  'Cause I don't delude myself about whose pets they really are. ;)

[Melissa in Australia]

don't ask my family.

 

We have a dog called ---------- Dog...                      I call it Scamp but I am the only one.

[stephanier.1765]

I agree to go with personality. For example, we had a cat that was a lizard serial killer so we named him Dexter. Recently we got another cat and I chose his name from his markings but after a week we decided that a better name would be Havoc since that is what he created.

 

Go with the flow. Discuss it and something will emerge.

 

[Chris in VA]

Ours came pre-named, but I like your idea of having veto power.

 

And, echoing others, think through what your consequences or reactions or whatever to your dd will be when she doesn't walk the dog, feed it, or otherwise take care of it. I'm sure you'd never let the dog go without a walk, for example, waiting on your dd to do it. Kids who are primarily responsible for pet care, even if they do a really good job of it, can get resentful of the animal--it becomes a thing and a chore. Plan on picking up the slack without a lot of drama, and please never threaten to get rid of it if she doesn't hold her end of the bargain. 

 

(Off my soapbox now--advice given in the friendliest way)

[Belacqua]

 Recently we got another cat and I chose his name from his markings but after a week we decided that a better name would be Havoc since that is what he created.

 

 

 

Let slip the kitty of war!

[elegantlion]

I owned a dog that had puppies, they all got puppy names. Mouse and Bear were kept by my parents and their names never changed. Their names fit though. 

 

My dog now has about 14 names. I begged for this dog, but dh wanted her to have a name to match our cat Speedy. So she is Daytona Grace, and about 13 variations. 

 

I'd let the kids decide, with veto power if it's too awful. You could have a formal name and a "pet" name. Most dogs won't get confused with 1 or 2 different names. 

 

What breed, maybe we can help you out with ideas. 

[Dory]

We always take a couple days to pick out a few each and talk back and forth until we all come to an agreement.

 

Sometimes if the kids like a silly name like Spot, we'll pull out the Thesaurus and find other words that mean the same thing. With our Cocker puppies we had a food theme going on for years. Like Couscous for a light blonde boy, or Rocky Road (Rocky), or Kit Kat for a chocolate colored girl. The vet said looking at our file made her hungry.

[Jilly]

I am in the minority here, but I would let your oldest daughter pick out the name with your approval.  When we got a family dog I let my oldest son name it. He had wanted a dog for so long, and he was willing to help me care for the dog more than the other two. I felt he deserved to have a stronger say in the name to reflect his responsibility to the dog. I told him to come up with a few names and together he and I decided on one we both liked. In his case he wanted a name from Harry Potter, and in the end we both decided that we liked Kingsley. 

[Lady Florida.]

I'd let go of naming control and let the kids name it by consensus. You can always shorten whatever name they come up with to make calling the dog easier. For example, when you need to yell the name, call it either Darth or Vader rather than Darth Vader. I would tell them that they need to give it a week or two and try out of few of their choices to see what fits its personality best. If there's no agreement after a few weeks, put the name choices in a cup and draw one. And then everyone, including you, should let it go and accept the name.

 

We let Ds name both our current cat and dog (all our other pets were here before he was born). While there are no siblings to argue with, we still took a chance letting a kid name them. He named our dog when he was 7 (the dog was his bday present) and the cat when he was 11. In retrospect he says he would choose different names if he was naming them today, but it doesn't really matter. We rarely call the cat by her real name anyway, because it's a mouthful for the tiny thing she is.

 

Oh, I forgot. I did talk him out of naming the dog Kevin. I have no idea where he got the name (this was long before Up came out). We knew no one named Kevin and I don't even know where he heard it. He didn't know either.

[happi duck]

I'm not a cat person, but I think cats twerk, sort of, so there's that.

Cats have that tongue thing going on too...

[happi duck]

don't ask my family.

 

We have a dog called ---------- Dog...                      I call it Scamp but I am the only one.

We had a cat named Dog!

[Chris in VA]

Uggh--I have a friend who's dog is named Kick.

 

They have an...unusual sense of humor. Very nice people, tho! lol

[J-rap]

If my kids came up with a name that I really liked, then that was it!  But if I didn't like it, then I reminded them that it needed to be a family decision.  :)  We did have some kind of a system, such as each picking one name themselves, and then everyone voting on their top two or three.  The bottom line is that every dog we have ever had has really been MY dog  :)  :), so I wanted a name that I liked.

[Luanne]

I guess different families do this differently.  When we were children and got a family pet (always a dog), we could make suggestions, but ultimately my father usually had the final say.  We always liked what he chose anyway and it was easier than four children arguing over what the dog was going to be named.

[Davysmom]

Let us pick! LOL!

 

We do it by consensus with what fits that animal.

I had a name I always wanted to use for a certain coloring of cat. When got a cat who what that coloring, ds gave him a totally goofy name. I called him my name, and darn if ds's name didn't fit better!

We always try them out for a while to see what sticks and fits their personality. Sometimes it takes a while, but we always end up agreeing on the right name.

 

I have to add that I think a 9 year old who wants to can totally take care of a dog. In our house, we have a lot of pets, and my kids do all pet care. I do none - cause if it was up to me, we'd have none.  Dh comes along to do the "heavy lifting" - late night trips outside, help with baths, vet visits and buying the food. But my kids do a great job taking care of their pets cause they have too if they want them.