Who's being unreasonable over the name of a dog?

[Unsure202]

Name changed as this is a outing

There's two friends. We'll call them Sarah and Lucy. They've been friends for over 5 years, met through work, Lucy was Sarah's bridesmaid. Drifted a little since the pandemic and Sarah moved further away but still talk frequently and know all the important things in each others lives.

Sarah has just got a puppy and decided to call the dog the same name as Lucy's son. Lucy thinks this is a bit weird and isn't happy about it. Sarah doesn't see a problem

So who's being unreasonable?

YABU = Lucy
YANBU = Sarah

I think opinions on this situation will really depend on whether posters are dog lovers or not. If Lucy doesn't like dogs and Sarah compares dogs to children they will never understand each others perspectives.

Im on the fence. My dad named his dog the same as my youngest. Sister said not too but like he said, at least he wouldn’t forget DGC name (we live abroad). I didn’t mind

i do mind that one of my friends then named her dog the same as my youngest. FFs there are plenty of doggy names out there. But in the end she just comes across as a bit foolish to me. So 🤷🏽‍♀️

It's just a name, her son doesn't own it. I just can't imagine someone being precious enough to be upset about this - it's such a non-event.

I wouldn't hugely see it as an issue... my name is unisex, my partners nephew shares the same name and so did a family dog when I met them all 13 years ago. So we are boy X, girl X and was dog X and adapted jovially. Obviously love the sons name to call her Doggo it

I think it’s a strange thing to do, When I got my rescue she already had a name which was the same as a close friends child. I chose to change the dogs name to something which sounded similar to avoid them having the same name - there’s no way I’d purposely a pet the same name as a friends child.

It's like she wants what Lucy has got. It's a bit weird. I also give my pets people names, but I wouldn't chose a name of a close friend or their family.

It is a bit weird to name your dog the same as your friend’s son.

But this is a ‘shrug and move on’ situation - it’s kind of funny, if you allow yourself to embrace the silly side. So it would be unreasonable to create a drama about it.

This is wise.

bit of a dick move to name your dog after a close friends child

and regardless, once she’d discovered how her friend felt about it, you’d back down. There are a million names for pets, good friends are few and far between

It's like she wants what Lucy has got. It's a bit weird

You don't know this person's circumstances. Maybe they are not in a position to have children, would like them, and the dog is meeting that need in their life?

IMO this is a little bit of a heartless comment.

It's not weird at all, it's a name. SO many dogs and children share names.

Luna, Bella, Max, Alfie, Poppy, Freddie, are all common dog names that are also given to children. The only people that would have an issue with this are people that dont really like dogs.

I think it depends on the name and the circumstances.

If the name's a really meaningful one for Sarah - maybe it's an old family name, and she's been planning to use it for a dog ever since she was a little girl - then I can see her side of the story but it might have helped if she'd asked or warned Lucy rather than just announcing the name. If the name isn't particularly special to Sarah but just something she heard and decided she likes, she probably should have chosen one of the other names she likes instead. But what's done is done. Is there a nickname that Sarah's dog could use for everyday, to avoid confusion?

Yeah I’ve renamed a dog because it’s name at the rescue was the same as a friend’s child’s.

Not because it’s insulting, I obviously like dogs, but just to save confusion.

I had a dog with a person name once - a friend came with her child and her friend’s child, who had the same name as my dog, poor small child was really quite upset when I sent “him” to bed 😂

bit of a dick move to name your dog after a close friends child

Who said that the dog is named after the child? It has the same name, but that doesn't mean the friend choose it because of the child.

When my kids were young, every second not seemed to be called Ben. So did every second male dog. Some names are popular both for humans and dogs. Lola is another. I'd just shrug, personally.

Every second BOY, even

I don't think it would bother me, but it DOES bother Lucy. She is upset by it and Sarah is shrugging and saying 'tough shit' having caused the situation. Sarah is therefore unreasonable. She's chosen to do something that has upset a friend.

There are millions of names to call your dog. If you decide on your friend's son's name and she objects, then the decent, adult thing to do is pick another one, surely? It's a dog. Sarah's not going to be devastated and having to call her dog Derek, rather than Darren is she?

I think it's entirely dependent on the name and the child.

If the name is a currently popular one and also typical "dog" name - Max, Poppy, Alfie, Daisy, Félix, Bella etc - then why shouldn't Sarah use the name for her dog just because a child she knows has the same name?

If it's a less common name and/or not a typical "dog" name - Tarquin, Sarah, Keith, Neveah, Michael, Araminta etc - then I do think it's a bit weird to use the name, especially as it's also the name of a child Sarah knows.

But then I have a friend who had a dog called Milo and then her sister named her son Miles. There's a lot of "Milo! ... I mean Miles ... come here please!" ... "Why are you ignoring me? No I was shouting you Miles, not Milo, you know that ... Anyway stop hitting your brother" when her sister is visiting and it is delightful chaos as everyone is resigned to the Miles/Milo mix up occuring at least half a dozen times every visit.

Our next door neighbours named their dog after me…

We do get on, so I decided to treat it as a compliment.

Is it a typical dog name.

Eg . Sam. Skye. Ben. That sort of thing?

I was named after a dog. I do resent that. (Irrelevant of course).

It's Sam, isn't it?
Sam is a great name for all kinds of contexts.

It wouldn’t bother me. I can see someone doing this and not really connecting the fact that it’s also a friend’s child’s name. I think I’d be more likely to remember and hesitate if I knew another dog with the same name 😂 I can be a bit scatterbrained though. At least it means they like the name!

There’s so much crossover now, it’s not like the 1930s when dogs were usually Patch, Rex, Prince, Blackie, Lady etc. I know a few canine and human Mollys for example.

Any boys called Alfie Milo Dextor etc will share names with lots dogs.

I think it's weird, but who cares it's a dog and they don't even sound very close. Lucy should just take it as a compliment

I would take it as a compliment. It means Sarah likes the name Lucy gave her kid.

Our dog has a boy's name and my daughter has a classmate and a teacher with the same name 😃(we got the dog before she joined the school).