In classic pet lore, dogs are named Rover, cats are named Snowball, and birds are named Tweety. In reality, though, people tend to get a little more creative when finding names for their furry and feathered friends. Here are 12 people whose pets have names with an unusual story behind them.
1. From formal to informal and back again.
Archibald is a bit of a grand name for a dog, so it’s only natural that it will get shortened to Archie. But this pet owner took it a little further, adding an extra title for her pup. The only question we have is, is he of the London or the Norfolk Boobingtons?
2. He’s never liked his full name.
Everyone knows that the point of a middle name is so your mother can yell it when you’re about to get in trouble. Apparently, this dog’s full name is perfect for that exact purpose. We can only imagine what sort of shenanigans he gets up to on a daily basis.
3. This cat was named by a dad.
This poor cat’s name exists to be the butt of a dad joke. We can only hope that for her own sake, Ceremony doesn’t actually get stepped on, either by guests or by her own family members. Adding, well, injury to insult would be too much for a feline ego to bear.
4. This started out cute and got weird.
“Nutmeg” is an adorable name for a little puppy, almost like her owners want to say she’s like a sweet little nutmeg cookie. Unfortunately, for this dog, that’s not exactly how her name turned out. We’re not quite sure what they’re trying to say with the nickname, but we get the sense it’s an insult.
5. This cat is named after the entire zoo … just not the cats.
It seems like most animal nicknames arise from a (hopefully) affectionate insult. But this cat didn’t even start out with the right kind of name for a feline. If she’s insulted by being named after her natural prey, maybe she finds it less demeaning to be called every other animal in the menagerie.
6. And also Scott.
This dog has quite the range of colorful nicknames, some of which probably have delightful stories behind them. But he needs a slightly more formal name for special occasions and big society events. If you happen to run into him at church or the opera, please, call him Scott.
7. The cat never quite lived up to his collar.
Disco is a name with a lot of personality, but this cat never got to live up to that. But cats rarely make it through life with the same collar the whole time. Maybe, if he feels inspired, he can change things up again when he gets a new one.
8. Their real names could be Glenn, Kevin, and Deb.
We don’t know what the real names of these cats are, but their nicknames are definitely colorful. Not sure what the appeal of sitting on a trash can is, but everyone knows better than to question a cat. “Mog” is UK slang for “female cat,” so we’re not even going to go there.
9. Uh … well, “Heidi” is nice.
“Heidi” conjures up images of the beloved children’s book about a little girl living with her grandfather on a Swiss mountain. A couple of these nicknames have an obvious story behind them — Heidi clearly has some excess energy and a mischievous side. But should we ask about “Kevin Costner” and “Nostrilization?”
10. We’re not quite following this one.
OK, we started out with Wilson, which is a nice, normal dog name. But we’re not sure how it made its journey over to Pickle — but it’s probably just an affectionate nickname, like “Mommy’s little pickle,” right? But then from there, Wilson is bound to be the butt of the neighborhood dogs’ jokes … pun intended.
11. Think about this the next time you see Eric from your office.
Eric is already a bit of a funny name for a cat, making it sound like your frisky feline might be a nice guy who works in IT and enjoys rock climbing on the weekends. This Eric, however, has an unfortunate nickname that might throw his professional career for a loop. At least the guys at the gym don’t know.
12. A classic name became EPIC.
Some nicknames are unfortunate, while others undoubtedly improve on the original name. Shep is a fine name for a dog, but this pup’s nickname turns him into a superhero. His owners did him a favor with this one — Sheepstack Lightning is definitely a dog that will live on in legend.
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