Which Came First: The Name Or The Behavior?
I believe one should be prudent about the selection of a new dog’s name. I’m not prepared to say that the chosen moniker predicts a dog’s lot in life, but one can never be too careful. I question the wisdom of choosing names like Taz (short for Tasmanian Devil), Twister, Crash, Turbo or Quake. At the other end of the spectrum, there is the person that named her dog Tater, which is short for Couch Potato. I can’t help but notice how all of these dogs seem to live up to their names.
Perhaps, a stringent naming protocol should be followed. I propose that a scientific study be done on this dog-naming matter. Today, studies are made on everything from the dating habits of South American cockroaches to the environmental impact and feasibility of faxing Jell-O. I pronounce that we examine the effects a name has on a dog’s behavior and what the chosen name says about the person doing the naming.
Human nature, I suppose, dictates that dogs are commonly named after sports figures, music idols or fictional characters from movies, books and TV shows. Some dogs are even named after food and drink or our favorite places on the map. It seems that dogs are seldom named for office supplies, retail stores or despot world leaders.
At the risk of exposing my more than slightly distorted character, I will reveal to you the introspective process of naming my own dogs.
Mr. MoJo is named from the Beatles’ song lyrics “He’s one mojo filter.” I have no idea what that means and furthermore, I have no explanation for why I chose it. MoJo is also named for the song “LA Woman.” A line in this song, includes an anagram of Jim Morrison: Mr. Mojo Risin. Every morning, Mr. MoJo hops onto my bed and gently paws back the covers to wake me. Then, as I open my eyes I sing, “It’s Mr. MoJo Risin” when I probably sound amazingly like the original recording by The Doors.
How I came up with the handle for my dog, Bob Barker is self-evident. He barks a lot. When I decided on the name, I hoped that the real Bob Barker, an animal advocate and spokesman for pet birth control, might be dubiously honored. And, yes, Bob Barker, the dog, is neutered!
In keeping with the tradition of naming my dogs for Beatles’ songs, it was easy to decide on the name “Jude” for my German Shepherd Dog. Jude, while his heritage remains largely indefinite, is evidently from a bloodline of overly dramatic German Shepherds. He whines. He whines a lot. Therefore, the name Jude was assigned because, as the song says, we always have to “take a sad song and make it better.”
Since I’ve never adhered to any naming conventions for my dogs, I suppose I shouldn’t deliver any caveats until I’m ready to practice what I preach. I don’t imagine any forthcoming canine apocalypse because we’ve chosen names describing our dog’s unattractive qualities. It still begs the question: “Does the dog live up to the name or does the name live up to the dog?”
When I knew I was going to get a dog, I spent quite a bit of time considering what I wanted in a pet. I knew I wanted non-allergenic and small, reasonably young, and neutered male, but beyond that, there were so many characteristics to be considered. I was mulling over the qualities like intelligence (yeah all dogs have it, but you’ve just got to know how to tap into it), energy, demeanor, housebroken (always good),chewing (Mom allways said “If you don’t want it chewed or peed on, don’t leave it where the dog can get to it…I’m still struggling with that one),barking, etc., etc.,etc. And suddenly, the name just came to me. “Buzzy”. That was all,just “Buzzy”.
So, in thinking about which came first, the name or the behavior, all I know is that when the name is perfect, you and the dog know it. I still don’t think I could adequately describe a Buzzy, but whatever it is, it lives with me. And best of all, I don’t have to bark at the mailman myself anymore.