Posts tagged "pet names"

We don't know if it's because they're generally creative types or because they feel the need to set themselves apart from the crowd, but celebrities have a tendency to bestow unusual names upon their little ones, both those with two and four feet.

Kitty Purry, Katy Perry's cat, recently became a trending topic on Twitter when the singer Tweeted a picture of the fashionable feline chilling out in a sweet shark bed, but this isn't the only pet with a funky name. We've got some of our favorite celebrity pet names below!

At the top, we have to list Adam Sandler's pup, Matzoball, whom the funnyman interviewed when he filled in for David Letterman on "Late Show." (For what it's worth, we think far more talk shows should feature canine co-stars.)

Each week, Ben Westhoff shares the ups and downs of owning Pippi, the dalmatian mix he and his wife, Anna, adopted as a puppy in late 2009.

After we initially considered names like "Pickle" and "Popcorn," Anna came up with the idea of calling our pup "Pippi," after her girlhood idol, Pippi Longstocking. Sure beats the name they had given her at the shelter: "Jamaica."

Though I'm a big fan of "Pippi," it wasn't long before I began riffing on it. Almost immediately I began calling her "Pipsqueak." And then, before long, simply, "Squeak." Following that, for a very long time I called her "Squeakers" or "Squeaky." In fact, for the first year we had her, I probably addressed her as "Squeaky" more than anything else.

Hollywood's blockbuster "Twilight" franchise has ushered in the dawn of a new, favorite pet name among animal-adoring Americans: Once again Bella was the No. 1 name for dogs in a survey released this month by Veterinary Pet Insurance, the nation's largest provider of pet health insurance. It was also No. 2 for cats and No. 7 for exotic animals.

Considering that the first "Twilight" flick -- about Bella, a comely teenage loner played by Kristen Stewart who falls in love with a vampire classmate -- hit theaters in late 2008, the trend toward naming a beloved pet after the saga's lead character probably began with the fans who initially read the books.

The Top Ten
According to the VPI survey, the most popular names for dogs, from No. 1 to No. 10, are Bella, Bailey, Max, Lucy, Molly, Buddy, Maggie, Daisy, Charlie and Sophie. For cats, the most popular names are Max, Bella, Chloe, Oliver, Lucy, Smokey, Shadow, Tiger, Tigger and Charlie. Popular exotic animal names are Charlie, Baby, Sunny, Jack, Kiwi, Bandit, Bella, Max, Sammy and Gizmo.

So it's clear that though Bella has struck a chord, pet owners have not adopted names like Edward or Cullen in similar numbers? (Charlie, the name of Bella's father in "Twilight," is the No. 9 name for dogs, No. 10 for cats and No. 1 for exotics, which include birds, lizards, gerbils, rabbits, etc. -- but that probably has nothing to do with the series.)

Ever wonder if your pet's name is really as unique or creative as it seemed back when you dreamed it up? Now you can find out: Petfinder has surveyed its massive database of adoptable cats and dogs to put together a list of 2010's most popular pet names.

Obviously, choosing the right name for your pet is important, because it says a lot about the pet -- and even more about the pet owner. You want your pet's name to be original, because you don't want a whole pack of dogs to answer to your dog's name at the dog park. However, you don't want your pet's name to be too obscure or hard to pronounce. And, of course, you want it to be something you're comfortable yelling in public.

A look at Petfinder's top 10 list of names for dogs and cats reveals some big differences, but there's also a surprising degree of overlap. For example, Buddy dominates the list of dog names for the fourth year in a row, but it doesn't appear in the feline category anywhere. The number of owners who got out their Italian-English dictionaries and selected the name Bella, however, rose in both canine and feline categories.



Top 10 Dog Names

1. Buddy
2. Max
3. Daisy
4. Bella
5. Lucy
6. Jack
7. Molly
8. Charlie
9. Sadie
10. Rocky

What do veterinarians think of the names we give our pets? Do they snicker or roll their eyes when they meet a cat named Meatball Jesus or a dog named Hannah Montana? Do they find the choice of Snowball or Fluffy to be a bit boring?

The answer appears to be yes.

In a recent USA Today article, "Less-than-fetching pet names can reflect back on owners," Florida-based veterinarian Dr. Patty Khuly says that what a cat or dog is named can reveal quite a bit about the pet parent.

"Pet owners always seem to go with dramatic names for their pets," writes Dr. Khuly, citing such gems as Ghetto-Fabulous, Shrapnel and RazzleDazzle. "Maybe they represent names they are unwilling or unable to name their children," she muses. Not that the good doctor is above getting creative with her own pets' monikers, including one named Slumdog. (Her only explanation in the piece was that he "came by his name honestly, I can assure you.")

We were curious whether other vets felt the same way, so we asked around. As it turns out, pet names are a big source of conversation around the animal hospital water cooler.

Tags to Avoid
"There's all this lore in veterinary medicine about pet names," Dr. Tony Johnson, clinical assistant professor at Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, tells Paw Nation. "The first one is, never name your pet Lucky. That almost guarantees your pet will get hit by a car or get some crazy disease that's only been seen twice since the Middle Ages."

Another no-no is when owners recycle pet names. In fact, it is a "humongous red flag," according to Dr. Johnson. When a person gives successive pets the same name, like Fluffy II, says Dr. Johnson, "I always wonder, 'what happened to Fluffy I?"

Fido, your old-school name is old news. The same goes for Rover and Spot. Our (two-legged) friends at the Daily Beast say that a new batch of trendy and celeb-inspired monikers are about to be all the rage at the dog park.

In the run up to Westminster, they called on a name expert to predict the popular tags we will be choosing for our new pooches in 2010 and beyond. The name Casey came in at number one as a generally friendly name that's equally appropriate for male and female dogs. Vampire obsessed Twi-hards will be sparkling at the news that heroine Bella is being honored with the number three spot, while fans of the kiddie hit "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" have driven Chloe, its main character's name, to the perfectly respectable number nine position.

Here are the top 10, courtesy of name expert Linda Rosenkrantz for the Daily Beast:

01. Casey
02. Riley
03. Bella
04. Bailey
05. Shadow
06. Coco
07. Pepper
08. Dakota
09. Chloe
10. Oliver

Tell us if you've got a lead on the future. Have you already paid for a collar with one of these names? Or is yours on the Daily Beast's runners up list?

Kiss Fido and Spot goodbye, and say hello to Buddy, Lucy and Shyanne Thailand Moo Goo Guy Pan! Petfinder dug its paws into its adoptable pet database and unleashed the most common pet names for dogs and cats of 2009, and their favorite unusual pet names of the year.

While 'Buddy' and 'Max' held onto the number one and two spot for dog names for the third consecutive year, 'Bella' made her first appearance as both a top dog and cat name -- possibly due to the wild popularity of the "Twilight" series. See if your furry friend made the list.

Top 10 Names for Dogs
1. Buddy
2. Max
3. Daisy
4. Lucy
5. Charlie
6. Bella
7. Molly
8. Jack
9. Sadie
10. Lady