What's In A Dog's Name?

There are so many ways to name your pet dog. Some people love human names, others loathe them. Some go for cute, others for something sounding vicious. Some watch the dog for a bit and try to pick out a behavior or personality description, or describe their appearance. Others will say call it anything but a word pronounced with a long "o", because it sounds like "no" and confuses them.

(Koda, are you listening from dogie heaven?)

I'd suggest there are as many names for dogs as there are dog owners, but simple arithmetic doesn't back that up. First, those of us who love dogs usually have more than one, either together or in sequence, even both, which argues for more names than owners. But second, many names are chosen by whole bunches of different people, arguing that there are fewer dog names than owners. And if you really, really must keep naming all your dogs "Ralph" or something, it totally screws up any of the arguments. But come on, who cares?

I love picking names for my dogs, but sometimes they come to me with names already, since so many are adopted. I could choose to change the name, but it seems to be too much bother teaching the dog its new name, unless the old one is totally obnoxious. And cats are even worse! Don't get me started on how hard it is to even get a cat to acknowledge its first name, not to mention changing it on them. 

When the latest dog arrived with my name, everybody at the shelter laughed, assuming I'd immediately change it. Even I thought I would. But then....

She needed her free, post-adoption well visit at the vet before I'd come up with something new for her. Her vaccination record and new license were recorded under our name. So I just did the easy thing and let it go. Since covid mandated making appointments, sitting in the parking lot until your time rolled around, being asked upon opening the door if you had the appointment opening right then, and what your name was to prove you were allowed in the door, I simply told them I was Heather and she was Heather too. Of course they all laughed, but they also entered her into their records as "Heather Too."

It's stuck.

It's never been a problem, at least inside the household. The grandkids love her attention and a chorus of my/our name echoes across the yard incessantly when they visit. I often have to stop myself from answering, remembering they don't call me anything but ''Grandma." But at home it's "Mom," "Love," "Honey,", and such. Meanwhile Heather Too answers promptly to just "come," "out," "ready?" "in," "Sweetie," ''Girl," "Good Girl," "Good Dog," and most reliably, "Come Get A Treat!"

So why mess with her name?