ANIMAL NAMES

When we do our workshops or book events, we always ask the participants to introduce themselves and tell us the names of their animal companions. This exercise gets a lot of laughs as people share the creative names they have given their furry friends. One of our favorites was a woman who named her two somewhat frantic cats, Schizo and Phrenia.

Literature often provides the inspiration for animals' names. Janice says that she and her husband named their five puppies after characters in THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS, a book Janice loved to read as a child. They called the pups Christian, Purity, Chastity, Tenacity, and Charity. Another woman recreated her childhood by naming her new kittens Papa Bear, Mamma Bear, and Baby Bear. They joined Bear, the adult cat, who already ruled their household.

Beverly says that Shana Punem, in Yiddish, means "beautiful face." The name had special significance to her, because this is what her father used to call his niece when the girl was little. Beverly says, "He would cup her face in his hand and say, 'Shana Punem.' It was such a sweet gesture." When Beverly adopted a dog nine years ago, she named her Shana Punem.

What name have you given your animal companion? Did you choose this name or did the animal choose it for you?

Allen and Linda Anderson
Angel Animals Network - Where Pets Are Family
www.angelanimals.net