Great Names for Pets
Obviously our profession introduces us to lots and lots of four-legged friends. Some have pretty unusual names. And most names seem to come with great stories so here are a few behind our own pets’ names. No laughing. Or judging. We think they are great names for pets. Obviously!
Lori Cherney, DVM
One of our dogs is named Festus. The kids at the time we got him were big Gunsmoke fans and thought with his beard and scruffy look he reminded them of Festus, the deputy. He still looks like him today!
Tom Taylor, DVM
Our dog Jade was named after the Alaska state stone (my wife is from Alaska) and we both always liked the name. Our oldest dog, Kenzie, has a much sillier story. When we first got her many years ago we were watching one of the Austin Powers movies. One of the characters was named Kensington and I liked the name so we shortened it to Kenzie. My first dog, a lab, was named Mickey because when we were out with him we saw a woman wearing a Mickey Mouse T-shirt and the name Mickey just clicked. Not so much because of Mickey Mouse, but it just fit.
Tracey Boyle, CVT
Our dog Jenni was to be Buttercup per my daughter. However, our family is always uses nicknames so my daughter realized that if we went with Buttercup, her nickname would be “Butt.” Welcome to the family…Jenni!
Kirsten Linney
Our most recent cats are Fred and Daphne. Despite the obvious guess, they are not named after Scooby Doo characters. Fred is actually named after Fred Hoiberg, the ISU men’s basketball coach (we are a huge Cyclone household). The day we brought him home, ISU won a key game and the name just stuck. Daphne is this sweet, little, delicate cat. I am the only female in a house of 3 boys, 1 husband and mostly male pets so I decided I would name her and I just liked the name. It sounded sweet, just like her. Our boys wanted to name her after a Pokemon and I wasn’t naming a cat after Pokemon.
Deb Tabor, Groomer
My grandson, Cole, named one of our dogs, Spot, because the dog has a spot of color on his chin. My other dog, Sully, is named after the famous airline pilot, Captain Sullenberger, who successfully and safely landed a US Airways jet in the Hudson River in New York City.
Rachel Shadle, Front Office
My cat, Scholar, got her name as she was found as a stray under my care on the UNI campus!
Jeana Brandes, CVT
Scrubs got his name because when I adopted him he looked so scrubby looking. His hair was a mess and thin so we thought the name fit. Keno got her name because she is from Las Vegas and Keno is a gambling game. Dyson got his name because my son loves vacuums!
Jennifer Gidley, Vet Assistant
My cat, Gizmo, got his name because when we first got him he was the scrawniest little kitten with gigantic bat-like ears. He looked like those little Gremlins from the movie.
