I've ben to the woods with a dog with no name
By urbandekay
@urbandekay (18278)
May 6, 2007 11:09am CST
People have some kind of reaction when they learn my dog has no name, some are offended others surprised, baffled, sad and some are even angry. Yet she is none the worse for not having one. In fact I think she is the happiest of dogs, getting plenty of exercise, freedom to wander around, affection and she is intelligent, obedient and sociable. Have you ever had a pet without a name? What unusual names have you called your pet?
all the best urban
12 people like this
26 responses
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
6 May 07
what do you call her when you feed her or praise her or want he to return when you are out? Do you just whistle or use hand signals? I have a deaf dog and that is what I do with him, sort of flap around a bit and he seems to more or less figure things out.
All my animals have pretty normal names, usually from books.
The goofiest name was a friend's dog, "Mah" . He used to think it was sooooo funny to say, 'get in the car,Mah', or 'this is my dog, Mah' He had a bunch of them and would nearly wet himself over how clever he thought he was. I think the dog felt a bit sorry for him.
@urbandekay (18278)
•
6 May 07
She is trained to know, come, go round, come by, sit, stay, down, police, (As she travels sitting upright on the front seat of my Landie, the command police makes her lie down) stand up, roll over, fetch em out, get your food, have your wee, etc and to respond to whistling.
all the best urban
3 people like this
@zigzagbuddha (4601)
• United States
17 Oct 08
I know you have absolutely no intention of ever typing one word that would acknowledge that you even noticed me urb, but I simply have to remark on the humor of your dog knowing to lie down when you say 'police'. Hehehehe. I truly love every one of your dog stories. I think you should write adventure stories about a guy and his dog.
My dog does not like anyone in a uniform. If I get stopped by the police while we are driving, I have to get out of the car and walk very far away, because the cop cannot come anywhere near the car without the dog going psycho. Well, no one can come near the car without the dog acting like he's going to rip their throat out, but with cops it's even worse... he flings himself at the glass like he's going to burst right through it, all fangs and slathering down the windows, making so much noise you can't even hear yourself think.
1 person likes this
@urbandekay (18278)
•
18 Oct 08
My dogs do that when they see another dog, walking along the road, nothing like being in a truck cab for making them brave. Being in the small Landie cab with two dogs going garity can be a tad disruptive.
all the best urban
1 person likes this
@ItTakesAllSorts (4096)
•
6 May 07
For a moment there I thought you had rewritten the words to America's famous song. I was going to ask you if it felt good to be out in the rain?
As for not giving your dog a name, well I don't see any harm in it if he responds to all your commands and praises just the same as a dog with a name.
I think we name our pets so they feel apart of our family. My kids always name our pets unless they chose something too silly.
My son had a brown hamster he named Twix, but that didn't surprise me as he is a chocoholic!!
1 person likes this
@urbandekay (18278)
•
6 May 07
As a Brit it always feels good to be out in the rain, snow, hail, sun often at the same time
all the best urban
1 person likes this
@urbandekay (18278)
•
6 May 07
Maybe, but I think my dog already knows how important she is to me
all the best urban
1 person likes this
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
6 May 07
i think it is great your dog has no name.As long as you can get her attention when you need to ...The weirdest name I remember was a lizard named Gu.
1 person likes this
@wonder_grrrl66 (236)
• United States
9 May 07
It's funny that you don't have a name for your dog, but it's your choice. I had one friend who found a stray cat that she named "No Name" and it seemed to fit the cat. I had another friend that had a dog named "God" merely for shock value but then changed it to "Kitty" when he moved to a more conservative Christain area. The only problem he had was people oftened mistook "Kitty" to be a female instead of a male. My own animals have had names ranging from the color of their fur or scales to literary characters or real human names. The best one ever was a gecko lizard named Ebenzer a la Dickens unforgettable character. It doesn't make much difference whatever the name is - an animal will learn to respond to the tone of your voice no matter what.
@wrld_n_harmony (695)
• United States
14 Oct 08
So how do you refer to your dog when you're referring to her as in conversation? My grandmother had a cat that she just called cat. I thought it was funny as a kid, but I'm sure it's kind of like your dog who doesn't officially have a name. I currently have a cat named Symphony, and our other pets names have been Tango Cruso, Peepeye, 3PO, Neko, and Hooda. I think they're all pretty "interesting" names.
@jwfarrimond (4473)
•
27 Oct 08
I had a cat (that's her in my avatar photo) that I never got around to giving a name to as she was the only cat in the house, so she just got referred to as "the cat". Names are an anthropomorphic thing, something in us gives us an urge to put a label on everything, but the cat doesn't care, and she came to me when I called her regardless of that.
Then I got another cat, so then I thought that I'd better give "The Cat" a name, so I called her Cleopatra or Cleo for short. Though I suppose I could have just called her "Cat 1" and the other one "Cat 2"... 
Now why didn't I think of that at the time....
Now why didn't I think of that at the time....
@rosie_123 (6113)
•
6 May 07
Well I must admit I think it's a little sad that your dog doesn't have a name - but maybe that is just my own personal urge to humanise my animals? As long as she is as happy as you say, then that is all that matters. But how do you call her back to heel when you are out for walks? As for unusual names for my pets............. well one of my cats is called William Wilberforce, as I believe we have discussed before, and another is Alexander the Great (known as Sasha). I formerly had a black cat called Chekhov after my favourite author, and when I was a child my parents had a really naughty English setter rather aptly named Lucifer!!!!!
@rosie_123 (6113)
•
6 May 07
Yes - he was definately a crazy dog - and the most disobedient I have ever known - LOL! - but with a kind and loving heart. And thanks for the welcome back - have been in Portugal and then Rome for the past week to celebrate my irthday, but now it's back to normality:-((
1 person likes this
@urbandekay (18278)
•
6 May 07
If I want her to walk to heal I say t'heal and she walks to heal, no problemo.
Lucifer for a setter, that's mean, they are not bad just plum crazy!
Nice to see you back
all the best urban
2 people like this
@zigzagbuddha (4601)
• United States
17 Oct 08
I could never get my dog to heal. He always liked to be in the lead, plus I walk slower than he does and it makes him miserable to have to walk so slowly, with life passing him by on all sides, so I just gave it up. If I snap my fingers though and point to the ground beside me with enough intention he will eventually drag his butt over to me and pretend like he's going to sit, but he'll just stand there with his butt halfway to the ground, ready to dash away at the first slightest bare whisper of an imagined hint that I'm 'releasing him' - like if my little finger twitches or I breathe or something - if I continue to require that he remain there, he dons the most pathetic hangdog expression you ever saw in your life.
Not only that but if my kids and I are all walking with him on the beach or in the woods, wherever, we all have to stay together - with him forging ahead... if one of us strays from the group he gets very agitated and will stand there refusing to move an inch, looking pointedly at the 'stray' and then back to the group - as though his will alone, directed in a concentrated beam flowing from his eyes, could move the body of the errant family member back into the fold.
1 person likes this
@maribea (2366)
• Italy
6 May 07
oh I am one of the people who urged you to find a name for her (he, he, he!!!) the fact is that I am used to giving names to everything from animals to plants and cars and dolls...I used to do this as child and i keep on doing this now that I am neither a child nor a young girl!!! Calling by name is my way of creating a close relationship with things and animals..and therefore I could not imagine of someone having a dog and not giving her a name..it is just like a person with no name..but I think this is just because you are you, I mean an unusual person and I am sure your dog is missing nothing on earth because you are such a good friend for her...
@sjohnson628 (3197)
• United States
6 May 07
No but it is not uncommon remember the song a horse with no name? What do you call him when he's a stray? No name! come!? LOL! Or no name sit? no name speak? Oh thanks for putting a smile on my face this morning. LOL!
@urbandekay (18278)
•
6 May 07
Yes, I know that song, and I often sing it to myself changing the lyrics to I've been through the woods with a dog with no name! he he he he he
all the best urban
1 person likes this
@PunkyMcPunk (1477)
• Canada
6 May 07
I understand where you are coming from, why do we feel the need to name our things. Maybe it creates ownership? Maybe it is because as some people think our pets are our children...
I am a farm girl and ever since I was a child I have named everything. It got on my grandfathers nerves because he had over 80 head of cattle and I named them all. I would get very upset if he couldn't remember a particular cows name lol. I continue to name all of the animals on the farm everything from chickens and geese to cows and the old horse Nova.
The only thing we have never named was anything that was labelled to become meat in the freezer (like the pigs). It has gotten to the point that I have exhausted most of the names that i can think of on the cows. We have this one heifer thatis fairly non-descript she has gotten the name "No Name".
@urbandekay (18278)
•
6 May 07
He he he, that made me laugh naming all the cows! "Mum, what's for dinner?" "It's your favourite dinner"
...
"Daisy!"
He he he
all the best urban
@PsychoDude (2013)
• Netherlands
6 May 07
It's not all that weird, the dog at my home has a name though, which is Buddy. Quite an ordinary dog name I'd say. But does it matter what I call him, when I give him commands, etcetera? I can call him Buddy, Bello, Lassie, Chairleg, Automobile, Duckling, Kitchensink, Gutterboy, etcetera and he'll simply listen anyways.
The most common name I use for him though is Rat, and when I call him like that he'll just come as well. Whilst if other people call his actual name or give him commands he doesn't listen. It's not so much the words you use I think but more the voice giving the command.
@SpitFire179 (2536)
• Canada
6 May 07
you are so right, collies are the most intelligent, i thought shepherds were for a long time, then i had my boy archie, i miss him so much, he was trained same as my shepherd is - hand and voice commands, he also seemed to know just by the look in your eye, he was a great dog, perfect for working on the farm, you might also notice, if you ever have kittens in the house, just born, my boy whined and took care of them, he was like a second mom, an awesome dog.
When he passed away my girl went nuts, she wouldn't eat or drink, she was just dying, she didn't want another dog of any kind other than another collie that reminded her of arch...
It's hard, cause he reminds me of him every day...
@urbandekay (18278)
•
6 May 07
Well, my dog definitely responds to words as well as tone of voice but then Collies are the most intelligent of dogs
all the best urban
1 person likes this
@zigzagbuddha (4601)
• United States
16 Oct 08
All my pets have the same name... 'kitty kitty kitty'. Even the chickens think that is their name, and come when I call. Apparently the neighbors cat is named that too.
@betsyraeduke (2670)
• United States
2 Nov 08
I have never had a pet without a name. I've had bunnies named Baby, Precious and Hoppy. I've had dogs named Mystic, Tequila, Cubby, Rusty....hmmmm, a few others but I can't remember the names (I was very young when we had them). When I was a kid, my next door neighbors had a dog named Stupid. I've had kitties named Friskie, Miss Pretty, Bella, Flash, Tinker, Lucky, Patches and Caprice. I now have two kitties, their names are Snooky and Cosmo, my kids named them.
@littlefranciscan (18327)
• United States
7 May 07
If your dog has no name; what do you call her/him when you want it? I don't think it's wrong though..that's your personal preference. I have several friends that have not names for their pets.. Not me though..both my cats have names: Missy and Angel:)+
@acuityplague (763)
• United States
14 Oct 08
Hi Urban,
I have a frog with no name. I also have a female cat named Leroy and a puppy named Tegan.
I win? *grin*
@callarse1 (4783)
• United States
7 May 07
Cool, I don't think it is a problem since she is your dog, what do you do when you want her to come near you? "Here girl"? I wouldn't get angry, sad, surprised or anything. I would be indifferent since it is your dog. Generally, I think people like to name things (I mean they even name there, ahem, private areas!), so perhaps that is why some people get angry at you for not choosing a name :)
Pablo
@palonghorn (5479)
• United States
7 May 07
If the dog is happy and knows when you are talking to her...then what is the problem? lol I had a cousin who had a cow dog (blue heeler) her name was C.D., yep you guessed, Cow Dog, lol I'm not sure the names I've had for dogs were all that unusual, but maybe the way they got their names, had a little mixed breed, Little Girl, only because she was the only female in my dogs litter; I had a bassett named Sassy, because she would 'talk' back to you; and I now have a 85 lb Chessie, name Tinker, my boyfriend wanted to name her something that would normally be equated with a small dog! lol
