 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Roll over Rover - pet names are a changing
The days of Rover, Fido and Spot are giving way to Oscar, Ned and Elvis as Australians increasingly name their pets after their heroes from history and entertainment.
Many Australian pets are now named after famous people, favourite human names and according to their colour, looks or behaviour, a national study has found
Twelve per cent of Australian cat owners and nine percent of dog owners call their pets after a famous namesake. More so in the big smoke - 14 per cent of city people in comparison with nine per cent of country people named their pet after a famous person. The legends of Oscar (Wilde), Ned (Kelly) and Elvis (Presley) live on Štransmogrified into a four-legged, furry friend. Almost one in ten Aussie dogs are given a favourite human name such as Max, Simon and Ben rather than doggie names like Rover, Fido or Spot. And pet owners aged between 18 34 years were more likely to give their pet a person's name than those aged over 35 years.
Names inspired by a pet's colour, such as Ajax or Casper and Amber, Honey or Ginger were popular for 15 per cent of Australian cats. People in households with children were more likely to have named their cat based on its colour, 20 per cent, than households with no children, 12 per cent. One in 20 dogs were named after their colour or breed, such as Red and Blue (Red Heeler and Blue Heeler).
Older people were more likely to choose a name based on their pet's looks with 17 per cent of cat owners aged over 50 compared to only four per cent of cat owners aged between 18 and 24 naming their pet after its appearance. And unlike Australian humans with nick-names often based on the opposite of their appearance, pets and their names are more closely correlated. Eleven per cent of dog owners and 12 per cent of cat owners said their pet was named for its appearance, such as Slim (slight frame), Fluffy (long or thick coat), Butch (muscular build) and Chops (large jaw).
People in country areas were three times more likely to name their cat after the way it behaves than city people. Seven per cent of cat owners and eight per cent of dog owners used their pet's behaviour as a guide with names such as Beans, Flash and Bouncer given to energetic and active pets.
Celebrity television vet, Dr Katrina Warren said she considered a number of pet names before settling on Toby for her Bordie Collie dog and Milly for her Burmilla cat. "I made a checklist of what I wanted in a pet name. This included choosing a name that was easy for children to remember and one that the pet would recognise easily," Dr Warren said.
"As a general rule, animals respond better to two syllable words and this helps when training your pet. I also wanted a simple name that was easy to say several times a day and one that I would be happy to call out loud," Dr Warren said.