Isn’t it mean-spirited to name your dog a very popular baby girl’s name?

[Anonymous]

It’s meaner to name your kid a dog name. Like my brother who named his kid Milo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A college friend named her dog Ava at the height of the Ava craze and now a poster here named her dog Sophia. A neighbor’s dog is named Ella.

Feels mean spirited to me.

HAHAHAHAHA.

[Anonymous]

In college I had friends who always talking about who I assumed was their roommate Susan. “Have you seen Susan today?” “Nah, but you know she likes to do her own thing.”

Was about three months before we learned Susan was their antisocial black cat.

[Anonymous]

I wanted to name my baby after my cat, but the baby ended up being a boy.

[Anonymous]

Not mean but I think short sighted. So, if you pick the most popular name, won’t your kid have a lot of friends and potential romantic interests with that name? So awkward when kid always has to be like “I’m going to the park with Ava the dog” or “with Ava the human”. And then wanting to date someone with the same name as your dog growing up?
Not to mention when you’re at the park yelling Ava, come! And all the moms are like “don’t talk to my kid that way!”

I just think it’s so much easier to give dogs names that are not popular with the humans. I think it’s easier on the dog too—it’s one of the very few English words they will learn so is it fair for them to hear it everywhere they go? Poor things think they will get a treat with everyone saying their name!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Huh? In what world is this an insult?

In this world. Tell me your daughter’s name and I’ll respond with, “That’s a dog’s name!” Let me know how it feels.

Found the person who hates dogs.

[Anonymous]

We always give our pets people names. Our child shares her name with a neighbors dog. She thinks its great.

[Anonymous]

When I was pregnant, we had just decided on the baby’s name, but hadn’t yet announced it, when my neighbors got a new puppy and gave it the same name. My husband wanted to go ahead and use the name, but I kept thinking of the scene in Indiana Jones, where the friend is laughing that he was named after the neighbor’s dog. Eventually we agreed on another name, that she fortunately likes, so all’s well that ends well.

While I don’t understand giving dogs human names, and this particular case rankled a little, I don’t think there was anything mean-spirited about it at all. For that matter, I also don’t understand a lot of the weird names people give their kids, but everyone’s entitled to use whatever names they want. I’m sure if they had known we wanted to use the name, they wouldn’t have chosen that particular name. My neighbors are probably the world’s best neighbors and have shown me and my family nothing but unfailing kindness and support. I honestly feel the world would be a better place if we were all (starting with myself) more like them. If that meant all the pets had human names, we’d still come out ahead.

[Anonymous]

Mean spirited is the oddest thing to think as a characterization of people who give their dogs people names, you make it sound like their primary goal in deciding on their pet's name was to annoy people with baby girls who had the same name. (I guess baby boy names don't bother you, suggesting that your irritation is that your own baby girl turns out to have the same name as some random dogs, or else someone you know got a dog and "stole" the name you were thinking of for your baby--in a particular case, say if you had a mean cousin, it might indeed be intentional and mean spirited but then talk about your nasty cousin).

Who is it you're mad at?

[Anonymous]

In my friend group there are two sets of names that belong to both a dog and a kid...so there is a Larla dog and a Larla kid. And a Larlo kid and a Larlo dog.

A friend of mine just named her baby the same name as my dog, who is 10. My dog had it first.and it isn't very common! I find it hilarious.

[Anonymous]

My name is Sophie. Until the Sophie craze when someone had something to say about my name it was always "oh that's my dog's name". I like having a dog name. Considered Molly for my own DD!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand that though process. Why would it be mean-spirited?

People love their dogs, OP. It's not like they are naming their poop "Ava" or "Sophia" before they flush it down the toilet in disgust.

Hahahahaha

[Anonymous]

I think it’s fine. But I do wonder why parents name their kids popular dog names (like Bailey).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love love love dogs and cats with “people” names like Ava, Oliver, George, Betty, etc. I think it’s so cute.

A friend who fosters kittens said that the cuter the name, the more likely the cat will get adopted, so no Fluffy but instead Georgia or Lucy or Giovanni or something creative.

Agree. My friend's dog's name is Vera. Love it!

[Anonymous]

Meh. One of our dogs is named Ellie and she’s like 12. Currently pregnant with a girl and my top pick for a name is Ella. It’s whatever. Flame away.

I did know someone with a giant St Bernard named John. It was hilarious.