(no subject)

[podling]

It bugs me somewhat that puppies don't have names for the first several weeks of their lives...

Comments

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

They have names, they're just dog names.

[bethynyc.livejournal.com]

Exactly, they have the names their mother gives them. We just name them whatever we mean to call them. They recognize it as their name signature, but I don't think we could ever know their True Names.

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

Um. A)I was joking. B)Why would their mother's name (if we allow blatant anthropomorphizing here, and ignore the logical flaws with this) for them be any more real than a name I gave them? And "because she's a dog" is not an acceptable answer here. C)My nickname is also just a "name signature," but it doesn't make it any less my name.

[littlefrogling.livejournal.com]

it's like "old possum's book of practical cats." they've got 3 names. the daily, family name. the name that only belongs to that one. and then the Secret Name.

and i think it's perfectly logical to think a mommy dog can name her pups.

[podling]

Oh, it's logical. And I guess it makes it slightly better that they might have a name (other than "you there!") from their parents, whether that name be a scent or vocal or whatever. But the names we give things are still their names as well. I answer to several different nicknames, and they are all "me" in some sense of the word. It's about identity really. Names of people shape their personality sometimes, I think it's less so for puppies though.

After all, Gwen is an individual dog with personality traits and such. So is Pooch. Granted, she responds to most things I call her ("Hey, bitchwhore! come here!" being a favorite) but still.