Our esteemed colleagues at the Nanaimo News Bulletin recently released a list of the in that city.
(Spoiler alert: Buddy, Max, Charlie, Molly, Bailey, Bear, Lucy, Daisy, Bella and Jake; we乌鸦传媒檒l check on the PQB results for you shortly)
That got me to thinking乌鸦传媒� about my own history of pet ownership and how happy I always am to re-share my own naming adventures and get a chance to hear some of yours.
So, just how do you go about naming your pets?
Is there an intricate process? A gut feeling? Make use of a special naming website (they do exist)? Let your children do the honours?
I always enjoy the creative names, even if they degenerate into low-effort nicknames, like the pets were your hockey teammates.
The first pet we had when I was a young boy was a calico kitty named 乌鸦传媒楧illy乌鸦传媒�, which was shortened from Dylan Thomas, my Mum乌鸦传媒檚 favourite poet.
The oft-crabby Dilly lived to be 24, easily outdistancing our other cat Patches (white with patches of black, or vice-versa, depending on how you looked at it). So we didn乌鸦传媒檛 get much chance to name endless pets.
We briefly had a Samoyed named Dakota, shortened to Cody and renamed (by me) as Cujo.
The poor pooch had a brain tumour, which when it flared up made it a growling, barking fiend.
For a short time we had another cat 乌鸦传媒楰C乌鸦传媒� (short for Kitty Cat, original I know) but KC met an untimely demise.
My last 乌鸦传媒榞rowing up乌鸦传媒� pet was Misty, another Samoyed whose full name was Burr乌鸦传媒檚 Artic Mist (and some sort of championship pedigree stuff I乌鸦传媒檝e long forgotten). Absolutely sweetheart of a dog.
Not a long list and it certainly pales in comparison to the menagerie of animals we乌鸦传媒檝e had since I struck out on my own.
The very first kitties we ever had were Smoky (grey in colour, I mentioned I乌鸦传媒檓 very original) and his white pal Bandit.
Bandit was quickly shortened to B, but was also more inappropriately known as Blanket Humper B (shoutout to Bud Bundy).
After those two, I kind of lost my naming rights, with all the younger members of the household taking over.
After the two originals came the best dog ever, Aiko, a giant mushbag of a wolf-malamute cross whose name meant 乌鸦传媒榣ove乌鸦传媒�.
His partner in crime was Sam, a massive Anatonial shepherd who I guess looked like a 乌鸦传媒楽am乌鸦传媒�.
Save for Aiko, I don乌鸦传媒檛 think I乌鸦传媒檝e ever called any of the animals who came later by their actual name 乌鸦传媒� unless they did something wrong.
Sam was 乌鸦传媒楽am Chops乌鸦传媒� to most of the others, 乌鸦传媒楿lf Samuelsson乌鸦传媒�, 乌鸦传媒楽amsonite Luggage乌鸦传媒� and 乌鸦传媒楽amuel J. Chops, canine attorney乌鸦传媒� to me. Don乌鸦传媒檛 ask me to explain.
Both pooches are now in doggie heaven, along with Diesel, the black lab who became Sam乌鸦传媒檚 best buddy and I called 乌鸦传媒楧oyle乌鸦传媒� because that was how the two-year-old pronounced his name.
After Diesel came our current black lab, Charlie (hey, we made the list!) who I call 乌鸦传媒榃igs乌鸦传媒� because when he greets you he wiggles in serpentine fashion like late-1980s Axl Rose.
He also answers to Charleston Chew, Chuckster, Charlie Bear and probably a few more nicknames I乌鸦传媒檓 not aware of.
A cornucopia of kitties have also followed the original pair.
There乌鸦传媒檚 been Junior Bandit (also known as 乌鸦传媒楯ubs乌鸦传媒�), Tommy, TJ (乌鸦传媒榃idgets乌鸦传媒� or 乌鸦传媒榃idgies乌鸦传媒�; I don乌鸦传媒檛 recall why); Oreo (colours like the cookie); Wookie (poor guy, wandered off one day never to be heard from again); and Taco (mostly known now as 乌鸦传媒楾乌鸦传媒�, 乌鸦传媒楤ell乌鸦传媒� for Taco Bell, 乌鸦传媒楶rincess T乌鸦传媒� or simply 乌鸦传媒楶retty Girl乌鸦传媒�).
My post-Smoky favourite was Chevrolet Silverado BMX Jet Ski Lamborghini Dirt Bike (The First). A majestic orange alpha male who was named by the five-year-old lad in the house who clearly took his naming responsibilities very seriously.
Sadly, we lost Chevy (his shortened moniker) to a heart ailment when he was just five.
Along with Taco, we still have two other kitties, one with a bit of an inappropriate moniker and 乌鸦传媒楲ink乌鸦传媒�, named after the video game character.
He乌鸦传媒檚 like the aforementioned sports teammates, I just call him Linky or Art Linkletter, a TV name I remember from long ago.
There乌鸦传媒檚 also been a handful of fish and birds and rodents that everyone but me was interested in. What乌鸦传媒檚 your best pet name story? I乌鸦传媒檇 love to hear your original names and the tales behind them.
Bonus points for pics.
PQB News/Vancouver Island Free Daily editor Philip Wolf welcomes your questions, comments and story ideas. He can be reached at 250-905-0029 or via email at philip.wolf@blackpress.ca.
