The Name Game by
Jill Richards, Have Leash, Will Travel
Aurora, CO
Did
you put a lot of thought into your pets name? Did you go for
something meaningful, unique or just the first thing that popped
into your
head? A few groups have conducted surveys to find the most popular
pet
names, but which names rise to the top of the heap seem to vary
by who you
ask and where you live.
This
handsome guy is Hotshot, a Great Pyrenees/Blue Heeler
mix. He lives in Hayneville, AL with his friend Thomas,
who says Hotshot is the "Best Dog Ever!"
Does our next pet of the month live in your home?
Let us know! Email a picture
of your pet, and be sure to tell us a little bit about
him or her.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
did a veterinarians survey and found the top 5 pet names were; Max,
Sam, Lady, Bear, and Smokey. Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) also
did a survey of their policy holders and found the top five names
to be Max, Bailey, Buddy, Molly, and Maggie. Buddy and Lucy also
showed up in the top ten of all categories (dogs, cats, birds, reptiles,
rodents, etc.)
In the UK
you'll find a survey done by Argos Insurance Services which breaks
down names by sex and type of animal. The top 5 male dog names
are Max, Charlie, Ben, Jake, and Barney and the top five female
dog names are Molly, Holly, Rosie, Poppy, and Lucy. Top cats names
are Molly, Tigger, Oscar, Charlie, and Tom.
Heading up
to Scotland you'll find a survey done by the animal pharmaceutical
firm Meria. They list the most popular Scottish pet names as Sam,
Coco, Jack, Ben, and Tansy for dogs and Jasper, Tigger, Charlie,
Lucky, and Gizmo for cats. It's interesting to note that Jack
and Ben were very popular children's names in Scotland as well.
In Australia,
Bow Wow Meow based their list on the pet tags ordered through
their company and include Oscar, Max, Jessie, Tiger, and Molly
in their top five.
While names
certainly varied by country and survey it's interesting to see
which names seem to be universally popular. So, if you have a
Max or a Molly, know you have a truly internationally named pet!
The
new dog, Abigail, tries to find a chair that nobody
wants. My other dog, Smokey, guards her own turf assiduously.
Wherever
Abigail goes, Smokey jumps ahead and growls and keeps
her down. Abigail eyes the best seat in the house -
the couch with the pillows. The couch with pillows!
That belongs to Smokey. She jumps up onto the couch,
guarding her territory, baring her teeth, and Abigail
slinks away.
I
try to give another chair to Abigail, a chair that Smokey
never liked before. But when I offer this to Abigail,
Smokey leaps upon the unaccustomed seat and growls,
and Abigail departs.
We've
teamed up with Fun Stuff for Dogs to bring you a fun holiday
contest!
Dogs
do some funny things when it’s time to eat, go
for a walk or go to bed. Whether it’s a one-time
thing (like falling off the sofa fast asleep) or a habit
(like barking at you when you kiss your spouse), we’re
looking for the funniest dogs out there.
Send
us a story and photo of your dog, and you could win
a gift box of funny dog products from FunStuffForDogs.com.
Box includes Looney Balls, Kung Fu Fido Fortune Cookies
for Dogs, Cool Beans squeak toy that makes a funny sound
(you guessed it), and more … six funny items in
all. Send your entry, along with your name, your dog’s
name and breed and address you wish the Funny Dog Stuff
Box sent if you win the contest, to lisa@funstufffordogs.com.
See
prize items mentioned and other funny dog stuff at Funniest
Dog Stuff Ever. Actual prize items may be substituted
for another item of similar value because of availability.
Your entry must include both a picture and story; the
story must be about something that your dog (or a dog
in the family) actually did or does. A panel of judges
will vote for winners. Second and third place winners
will also receive something from FunStuffForDogs.com.
Winner will be announced on this website in our January
newsletter. If you have questions, call (866) FUN DOGS.
Good for you, but not for them! by
Sally, Urban Outsitters
Chicago, IL
With all
the Holiday fun quickly approaching we thought no better time
to talk about the dangers of ingestibles. Keeping Fido and
Fifi away from the Turkey might be a hard enough task, time
to learn about some other hidden dangers.
Feeding pets food that we enjoy is not only wrong, it can
also be fatal. There are some foodstuffs that humans relish
which cause illness and death if eaten by pets. Chocolate,
macadamia nuts and onions are good examples.
Each of
these foods contains chemicals which rarely cause problems
for humans, but for dogs, these same chemicals can be deadly.
Pets owners
should not assume that human food is always safe for pets.
Be sure that your pets can’t get into your stash of chocolates,
that food scraps are disposed of carefully to prevent onion
and garlic toxicity and that your dog is prevented from picking
up macadamia nuts if you have a tree in your garden.
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