name that pet

Try this for fun: Pretend you have a new dog that hasn’t been named yet. What’s the first name that comes to mind? Rex? Buddy? Coco? Those are good! They’re popular. They’re very doggy.

Now try this: Same scenario, new dog, no name yet. Clap your hands a couple times, softly, and call out “Come, Cedar.”

Does it sound good? (This is a totally personal question.)

Is it short, simple, and easy to say?

Do you like it?

Yes, yes, and yes? Then you’ve done it (or we’ve done it, together). A new name for your next four-legged friend.

At Banfield Pet Hospital^®, our veterinary teams take care of millions of pets, with all kinds of names. We love them all, no matter what they’re called. But we thought it might be fun to call out some new categories of names that might be worthy of exploration. Just in case you needed some inspiration – or just have a few minutes to relax and think about something that doesn’t directly involve social distancing.

Let the bark inspire you

Tree names are a natural choice for dogs. (You know why.) Some choices are more fitting than others, but it seems like a potential trove of possibilities: Cedar, Crape Myrtle (just go with “Myrtle”), Maple, Pecan, Aspen, and, duh, Dogwood! Any one of these would be an original and exciting name to call out at your local dog park. On the other side of the ledger, Bitternut Hickory might not be ideal. And although Shagbark could work, it might be too on the nose.

Look up in the sky

And how about celestial names for cats? It’s not uncommon for people to refer to cats (some, not all, of course) as “mercurial,” meaning felines are sometimes unpredictable and their mood may change without warning. The term comes from the element mercury, not the planet. But it got us wondering: could planets, stars, and other night-sky phenomena work as cat names? Short answer: sure. Mercury, Jupiter, and Neptune are wonderful options. Halley (like the famous comet) is cute, as is Catalina, which is the name for an astronomical survey at the University of Arizona.

This is fun, and we’ve just scratched the surface. Bet we’ll do this again.

And whatever name you choose, congrats on your new pet! And don't forget to get them started on year-round petcare at Banfield Pet Hospital.