My family have started referring to me as "Hank Marvin", of late; the reasons being twofold; apparently, I am always hungry (and "Hank Marvin" is seemingly rhyming Cockney slang for "starving"); and I am supposedly also like a shadow to them (and "The Shadows" are a famous English guitar playing music group which included Hank Marvin).
I'll truly never stop marvelling at the extent and nuanced ingenuity of the English sense of humour - it certainly is an acquired taste!
But as there is nothing wrong with being a dog with a good appetite and given the artist in question seems to be known as a hugely talented multi instrumentalist and good all round egg, I'll let it run.
For my part, I have been keeping my ear to the ground for interesting names given to their pet dogs by the Brits; and my are there some peculiar ones.
Without further ado, here is a list of my top ten with the reasons for so naming as I understand them to be (where I can glean no such understanding, I believe the reasons are self evident!):-
1. "Winston" - after the great former British Prime Minister, reserved mostly for bulldogs, for obvious reasons
2. "Spot" or "Patch" - not surprisingly, often attributed to spotty dogs such as Dalmatians in particular but also more generally
3. "Lassie" - after the most famous and celebrated Hollywood star from the K9 galaxy; often chosen for its strength, freedom and life changing connotations
4. "Benji" - for its playful aspects, no doubt
5. "Poppy" - two concepts at play here; a flower one one hand and a symbol of peace on the other
6. "Teddy" - favoured selection for dogs likely to be hugged a lot; often given by families with very young children looking to graduate up to a teddy bear that makes its own sounds
7. "Coco" - slightly wayward clown connotations here for anticipated energetic crazies to spice up a household
8. "Polo" - bit of an odd one; a polo in Britain is a mint with a whole in the middle - helpful explanations welcome!
9. "Rocky" - the ultimate protector
10. "Buddy" - says it all really; it's what we do best.
What comes out of an examination of dog naming practices is that naming of dogs (unlike humans who are generally named pre birth) is far more directed toward the particular appearance, perceived personality, and what StressBusting™ or other qualities humans are expecting to derive from the pup in question.
This can rightly be a very exciting exercise when purchasing or taking on a new pup; but of course first appearances at such a young pup age can be deceptive.
And its important to appreciate at the point of taking a pup on that we will naturally develop our own characters over time that may or may not correspond with our appearance or with the hopes reflected in the names we are given; but that we need to be embraced and cared for regardless.
Happy Pup Naming
Big Love, Hank (Marvin - for now) 🐶 xxxxx 🐶