Isn't this a little disturbing?

[MaggieTheCat]

Backstory:

When I was a kid, my parents and I got two puppies, a male and a female, siblings. They were great. Very friendly and playful and loving. A little too playful sometimes...the female especially was very bullheaded and would go over to the neighbor's yard and chew up anything they had left out (they had 3 kids around my age so this included toys and stuff.) Eventually, we decided to give the female away because her and her brother just caused too much trouble together. It was a hard decision, my mom liked the female better between the two, but the male was more obedient so we thought he'd listen to our commands better than the female would.

When the male was about 4 or 5 years old, he got hit by a car and was killed.

/Backstory

My parents are getting 2 new puppies this weekend, a male and a female. They're not siblings and not even the same species but they are the same age (born about 3 days apart.) They want to name them after the sibling pair I described above.

I am very much AGAINST this. I think it's a horrible idea! Especially the male name. Our old dog, who was hit by a car, was a great dog and we were all really devastated when we lost him so young. I can't imagine coming home to a new dog who is nothing like our old dog and calling him by the same name. I'm crying just thinking about it. My parents don't seem to understand this and are really set on the names.

Isn't this a little disturbing??

[gremcint]

Ask if they would have given another child your name if you had died.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I'm reminded of the commercial where the wife says to the husband, "You've had 13 bulldogs, all named Steve."

I know a family who had two Irish Setters, at different times, and they both had the same name.


So I guess people do it...though I plan to get another dog at some point, I will most certainly not be naming him Pablo.

[Broomjockey]

From your parents' point of view, it's probably their way of honouring/remembering your previous dogs. It's not meant as a slight, or creepy, or anything.

[gremcint]

see if they'll add a 2 after the name.

[Dria]

I'd give a new pet a name within the same naming scheme, but not the same name. When my great-grandmother's Shih Tsu died, her next pet was another one who looked very, very similar. She named him Ditto.

[MaggieTheCat]

I'd give a new pet a name within the same naming scheme, but not the same name. When my great-grandmother's Shih Tsu died, her next pet was another one who looked very, very similar. She named him Ditto.

That's pretty cute. I think I have them talked out of naming the new pups after our old dogs, but my parents have a habit of changing their minds and not telling anyone about it, so I wouldn't be surprised if they came home today (they're picking the puppies up this afternoon) and have already named them after our old dogs. I talked to a friend here in town about this, too, and apparently it's not too uncommon to name new pets after old ones...she knew a woman who would get the same kind of dog every time her old one died, always female, and they were always named Daisy.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I still wouldn't do it. Every pet has a different personality, they should have their own names. Even though they don't know the difference.

The family I mentioned with the Irish Setters had Bigfoot, Ruffian, and Ruffian II.

[Jester]

Ask if they would have given another child your name if you had died.

Actually, that was a pretty common occurence back in the 1700's, 1800's, and even early 1900's. When child mortality was much higher than it is now, parents would often name children after a previous child that had died.

It is not as common these days, at least not in the more advanced nations, but that is largely due to the lower mortality rate in children due to more advanced medical technology.

I still wouldn't do it. Every pet has a different personality, they should have their own names.

No, you wouldn't do it. Neither would the OP. However, the dogs in question are not yours or theirs. Rather, they belong to (or will) the parents of the OP, who have every right to name their pets whatever they want, even if others do not disagree with it or find it strange or creepy. Personally, *I* wouldn't do it. But then, I am sure there are things that I (or you or the OP) do that the parents in question might themselves find odd.

Remember, you shouldn't always judge people's actions based only on what you think is acceptable.