by Kay Fielding

Created on: October 03, 2009

As I remember my beloved dogs of long ago, I was taught a lesson by one of them who was far smarter than I ever was. I called him Fred because he acted like what I thought a Fred would act likea little silly, friendly and sweet. He was a great dog, but he didn't seem to respond to the name Fred.

After a couple weeks of his ignoring the name and ignoring me when I called him, Fred, come here, Fred, I sat with Fred in the yard one afternoon. He was sitting beside me on the cool lawn. I said to him, Fred, I don't know that you like the name Fred. I wonder if you would like another name. He wagged his tail. Now I know that he didn't know what I was saying, and he didn't understand English, and no dog would ever pick their name nobody ever did that, but I just played the game as if he did understand and want to help choose his name.

I asked him, How would you like the name Herman? His tail drooped and laid flat on the ground, and he looked away as if he was saying, Are you kidding? That's far worse than Fred. I laughed because I knew that he didn't actually know what I was saying to him. And he had no clue what I was asking him. He probably just was looking around and distracted.

So I said, How would you like the name of Ben? He wagged his tail with a little wag and looked back in my direction then glanced away as if to say it was okay, but he was hoping for more. I smiled inside. He doesn't know what I'm saying, I thought. But just for the fun of it, I will keep up with my game.

I said, How would you like the name of Bobby. His tail started wagging like an alarm had gone off, and he reached over and licked me in the face. He licked me in the face! How coincidental, I thought. I was a bit shocked, but I still didn't believe that he had a clue what we were doing. He couldn't know, could he?

I laughed because this dog did not know the difference between Fred and Bobby. But he seemed to like the name Bobby, so I changed his name.

Every time I called Bobby, he would come running. When I repeated his old name (that he had for a couple weeks), he would politely ignore me as if to say, That isn't me. I was shocked. Could this dog really know the difference in a name? He never responded again to Fred (hadn't very well in the first place), and he always came running when I called him Bobby. I marveled at the fact that we chose his name. I always hesitated to tell anyone for fear folks would think I was being really silly.

I've come to the conclusion that it does matter. And I now name my dogs according to their response to a name. If they thump their tail, their name is picked. If they wag it softly, I ask other names that sound alike or start with the same letter. And we come to a name together. And my dogs always respond to those names we choose together the more excitedly they wag their tail, the more excitedly they come to me when called.

I've thought a lot about this experience. I have decided that dogs like certain sounds we make. Other sounds are bothersome to them. If the sound that we make also makes them happy, they are responsive to it. If it is a sound they do not like, they will not be as responsive. So from that point forward, my dogs always get to help choose their names.

I guess I'd rather my name was Kay rather than Murrah!

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