RelationshipsDEC 3, 2023

Man Thinks His 2 Y.O. Daughter Deserves Her Name More Than A 6 Y.O. Dog, Demands It Be Changed

The idea to give a pet a name that many humans have shouldn’t be an issue at this point, right? After all, pets are family, and family should be given the same amount of love and respect as any other person.

Not everyone is of that opinion, unfortunately. A guy recently had an issue with their neighbor who happened to have a dog who shares a name with the guy’s daughter—Charlotte. And it soon turned into a bit of a neighborly feud.

If you think the hardest part of naming your pet is figuring out what to name it, you might be surprised to learn that, alas, it's not

Image credits: Pixabay (not the actual photo)

The hardest part is dealing with the "aftermath" of naming a dog Charlotte and a neighbor now demanding you change it because it's the same as his daughter's

Image credits: maria_symchychnavr (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Fatal_Foxtrot

The Redditor thought it's unfair for him to be the one who changes names, especially if the neighbor was so rude about it

The story goes that OP, Reddit user u/Fatal_Foxtrot, recently turned to the Am I The A-Hole community for some perspective on an issue.

Long story short, OP has a dog named Charlotte. Incidentally, the new neighbor next door has a daughter of the same name. So, whenever the dog goes out for their potty stroll, OP eventually calls her inside.

Well, one day, the new neighbor shows up at OP’s door and starts asking questions. Apparently, OP calling his dog over might also attract the attention and unsolicited visit of the neighbor’s daughter. To remedy this, he suggests renaming the dog.

OP thought that it was, if anything, unfair to ask for something like this, let alone that it’s just flat out entitled to think that humans have priority over dogs.

The post wound up garnering 9.1K upvotes and folks thought the Redditor was in the clear

And so the question was passed on to the AITA community. They immediately recognized that OP is not in the wrong here, leading to an appropriate NTA verdict.

Most were of the opinion that the new neighbor was an entitled moron or maybe even unhinged. Some even suggested getting some security measures in place just in case.

Others flipped the situation on its head for perspective—would it sound reasonable if OP suddenly started demanding the neighbor change his daughter’s name to something else? It sounds just as ridiculous.

And yet others suggested possibly talking to the neighbor’s landlord if they’re renting. But OP responded that he does have that idea in mind in case the situation escalates. However, they live in a relatively poor neighborhood and the guy clearly can’t afford to be evicted.

OP was actually very active in the comments, providing context to the story: he has cameras, he considered the police, but is holding on to that idea just for now, his dog is tagged and trained not to impulsively eat treats of indeterminate origin, and even listened to ideas for other names.

For the record, changing a dog's name doesn't have a negative impact on the dog, and in some cases, it's quite the opposite

According to Bob Ryder, a certified dog therapist, it is perfectly fine. A dog’s sense of identity is not vested in their name as it is with humans. For them, it’s a sound that they have learned to associate with something that’s happening that includes them.

What they do react to more is how you say it. If you say it in an upbeat tone, they will definitely start expecting a treat or a game or a display of affection. If it’s a scolding tone, they will catch that too, and think they’re in trouble.

If you do end up wanting to change a dog’s name, classical conditioning works best here: get a treat or a toy, say the name, give the treat, rinse and repeat.

There’s also the upside of renaming an adopted dog because their old name might already be tarnished by an abusive ex owner.

There are certain situations when it’s not recommended to change a dog’s name, namely when the dog is old or has health issues so as to not add stress to existing issues, or if the dog’s name was already changed in the past as it would just be confusing.

So, what are your thoughts on any of this? Who do you side with and what are some of your fave dog names? Share all of it in the comment section below!