What's In A Name?

I've been thinking about this recently, it came up in conversation on Facebook I think and it got me wondering.

DzDad and I believe names have power and should be chosen individually based on our dog's personality traits. We don't like cliche names, or stupid names that people give their dogs to make themselves seem more tough. For example, Dante's original name was Diesel....I hated the name Diesel and we knew it had to go! Dante isn't a junkyard dog, or some wanna be tough guys dog, he's a smooshable, kissabull, snuggly mama's boy. And he's amazing.


Why did we chose the name Dante?

Dante is a Latin name, meaning: enduring, lasting, and steadfast.  It is also one of Dz Dad's favorite literary characters - Edmund Dantes from the Count of Monte Cristo.

While we ended up naming him pretty quickly, within the first day I think. He has certainly bore his name perfectly, he is my go to adventure dog if I just want to take one dog along on a trip. "Why" you might ask? He's reliable, I always know how he is going to act based on the situation. I've figured out both Ziva and Dante's triggers and they are completely different. Ziva gets nervous around strange dogs and can be leash reactive making it tricky for us to get by people at times.  Dante on the other hand loves meeting everyone and will find a friend in every situation, his only real trigger is if people appear to be sneaking. He's gotten better with gas station attendants because they give out treats, but he can get rather protective of the car when he deems they are sneaking up on us versus a confident stride up to my window. He's great with human body language in that way.

Click HERE to check out our trip up Broken Top, Oregon

One of the reasons we chose Dante and not some other dog, was because I like to go hiking by myself sometimes and I wanted a dog big enough to dissuade random strangers from talking to me. And in truth it works! People who look like trouble give us room to pass, and dog lovers swarm towards him with arms open and kisses which he enthusiastically accepts.  He also has his own pack and gets to carry his own gear and water which is quite convenient for me.

He's a mama's boy, lets be honest.

 And while his enthusiasm can get him into trouble sometimes, and he tends to challenge my training patience at times, I also love that he is enthusiastic about life. I like to joke and refer to him as my perpetual five year old. Because like a little boy, he is everything adventure, ruff and tumble, crazy excitement for life, and then ready for a good nap and kisses at the end of the day.

What Does Your Name Mean?