The Name Game

What's in a name?  You'd be surprised how much a name can affect the adoption prospects of a dog or cat.

Like most shelter volunteers I cringe when I see dogs or cats turned in with names like "Danger" or "Demon."  I recall one particularly unlucky animal that was dumped with the name "No Chance."  And needless to say, names such as those are, and should be, quickly changed.  If the animal is responsive to the name, a like-sounding name is chosen.

Much of the public already views shelter animals as damaged or not as good as a "bought" animal - even in the case of obvious purebreds.  Recently, the General Manager of LAAS commented that the handpicked shelter animals in the new West Los Angeles adoption center were "store quality."  Huh?

The Name Game applies to rescue animals as well.  Rescues often change the names of their rescues to make them more adoptable. 

But what it really comes down to is:  The only name that really matters is the name given to a companion animal by a loving and caring owner.  Hopefully, someday all shelter animals will have one.

And that's Wednesday's Woof.