"Fido" and "Fluffy" are out

The name you choose says as much about you as it does about your pet. It shows how you view your pet and your relationship with it. Some names can cause people to judge a dog and react positively or negatively/fearfully when meeting it. It is important to use a name that conveys the proper image of your pet, such as if you have a search-and-rescue dog or a lazy hamster. Happy searching! Popularity:

The most popular dog name in North America is Sam, Sammie or Samantha (which means "listener"). The second most popular is Max, Maxie, Maxwell or Maxine (which means "the greatest" in Latin). Third is Lady, followed by Bear, Maggie, Buddy, Tasha, Chelsea (or Chelsie), Holly and Shasta. Other very popular names are Brandy, Ginger and Taffy.

A study was featured in the San Francisco Examiner exploring the types of names certain people give their pets. Observations researchers made include:

1) Men give manly names and women don't.

2) Men aren't afraid to give ridiculous-sounding names to pets.

3) Young Asian women are willing to give their pets names that sound embarrassing, like Pooky or Booboo.

4) Yuppies give serious names like Miles or Wallace.

5) Dogs who bite are often named Rocky.

6) Disney has had a big influence on the names children give pets. Several "Simbas" has emerged over the years.

7) Some owners name the dog based on the breed's country of origin. For instance, if it's a German breed of dog, people want to give it a German name.

Pandecats.com came up with these points:

*Latest movies or song titles are a popular place to look for names. After Gladiator, a pet buyer named his handsome kitten Caesar. And when they came back to me for a baby brother, the new kitten was named Julius.

* Choose an official name that relates to the "call" name of your pet

* Choosing a name with one or 2 syllables is usually easier for the pet to recognize then a longer name

* Choose a name with which both you and your spouse are comfortable

* Consider if the name you choose will suit your pet when it's full grown

(from "The Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats")

The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter, It isn't just one of your holiday games; You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES. First of all, there's the name that the family use daily, Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James, Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey-- All of them sensible everyday names. There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter, Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames: Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter-- But all of them sensible everyday names. But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular, A name that's peculiar, and more dignified, Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular, Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride? Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum, Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat, Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum- Names that never belong to more than one cat. But above and beyond there's still one name left over, And that is the name that you never will guess; The name that no human research can discover-- But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess. When you notice a cat in profound meditation, The reason, I tell you, is always the same: His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name: His ineffable effable Effanineffable Deep and inscrutable singular Name.