Whats in a name? by Jan Vasquez ©2014 There has been much discussion about renaming newly adopted retirees. From the perspective of adopters who are truly ambivalent or blatantly anti-racing, they may feel perfectly justified in changing their dog’s name if they don’t like the one he came with, as a means of erasing his former life as a race dog. Or there are occasions when dogs arrive at an adoption group with no indication of what their kennel names had been and, in many of those cases, the adopter may have no idea how to find out or maybe has no desire to find out. So those dogs get new names and, yes, they will learn them fairly quickly with no apparent distressful side effects. However, in the case where a dog arrives with his name known, please realize that this is the name he has been called for however long he has been racing and it may be the only thing he brings with him to his new life that is familiar. Some have indicated that their greyhound, now newly adopted and in an unfamiliar environment, doesn’t respond to his name. Well, did you ever think that maybe it’s YOU he’s not responding to because his life has just been turned upside down and inside out? No matter how loving and comfortable this new life, it’s not what he’s used to. Of course, there are always exceptions, but I can almost guarantee that if this dog’s trainer knocked on the door and called out his name, that greyhound would not only respond to his name but knock you down trying to greet his old friend. While there may be some greyhounds who were only called “hey you” or some generic moniker, please know that the majority of nicknames for greyhounds, as opposed to their official registered names, are given thoughtful consideration by owners, trainers and kennel workers. Out of respect, I would urge new adopters to keep your greyhound’s name – at least for awhile. If another name seems to suit him better, maybe try to introduce it gradually and use what works best. Most people are called by several names over their lifetimes – nicknames given by parents and friends, a partner’s endearment, a new married name. However, the original name is rarely changed. So please think about this when you add a new greyhound to your family and try to appreciate the love and respect that was previously given to your retiree, along with his name. For more great posts, please visit greyhoundfacts.org.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 23:34:58 +0000
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