Reader's Revenge

Last month's issue provoked a few replies to my comments about giving a new dog the same name as its predecessor. (If you didn't read what I said you can see my remarks in Naming A New Dog.)

Here's what Tammy from Ontario, Canada said -

"....I've exhausted every library within driving distance, on the topics of Dogs and Dog Training, , and I've done a lot of reading on the internet, and yet I always find your newsletters refreshing and I seldom fail to derive a hint, or a help, or at least some encouragement from them.

Your most recent newsletter is the first time that I've had reason to disagree with you . . . so here are my comments on your most recent newsletter:

Naming a new dog after a deceased dog . . . . I agree with your perspective "IF" the new dog is named the old dog's name, "just because they couldn't think of anything different." I know I've met people with dogs, and every dog they ever owned was a border collie, and every single dog was named "Shep".

That I don't agree with - but there is a whole 'nother reason and perspective for re-using a name. If you've had a pet for a lot of years, say a decade or more, and it's been a cherished companion through thick and thin, maybe been to shows, won ribbons, but most of all, it's been your buddy and won a place in your heart -- when that companion passes on, yes, they are often in your thoughts and you really miss them. So if a while later, when you get another pet, that pet is the same breed and looks just like the old pet, or maybe is related to the old pet, it can be an honour to the deceased to name the new pet after the old one.

Now in my instance, I had Coast, lovingly known as Coaster Brakes because she loved to slide to a stop if something was new or different that she was approaching. She was 6 and should have been in her prime.

Then something happened, what exactly I don't know to this day and vets and other breeders just shake their heads and say "it happens, every now and then", Coast just went into spasms and died, gone in minutes, before I really realized she was going.

Anyway, I have a beautiful daughter out of Coast, but she does not look like her dam at all. I have bred that daughter twice now, in hopes of getting a grand-daughter that looks like Coast - and if I do, she'll be named Coast -- not because she replaces Coast in my heart, but in honour of her memory, and the years she never had.

So, because of my own experiences, I don't think that it is weird that someone would name a new dog, after their old one . . . . sometimes it helps the memory live on."

Who am I to argue with that? I think Tammy makes a good case.

Obviously at the end of the day how anyone chooses to name their dog is none of my business! I was merely stating a personal opinion. And of course Tammy's opinion is equally valid.

Recommended reading - "Dog Training Blueprint To Success".

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