See Spot Skype TEXT AND PHOTOS BY DAN SAYERS Dog Names Are a Reflection of the Times
Fanciers of a certain age may remember learning to read with help from a Parti-Color Cocker Spaniel named “Spot.” In “Fun with Dick and Jane,” a series of children’s books created by
William S. Gray and Zerna Sharp, a tail- wagging purebred helped teach millions of American children the basics of grammar through phrases such as “See
Spot Run.” The Spaniel’s carefree days, spent in the company of a pair of human siblings, documents a generation whose children no longer needed to work on farms or in factories. Mid-century American kids were allowed a childhood, complete with an education and a faithful friend named Spot or Bandit or Duchess. Before the 1940’s, kids and dogs were expected to earn their keep, and both were given names with a certain degree of seriousness. By contrast, today’s kids are dependent on technology to learn and they’re often given the very same names that “pet parents” bestow on their own “kids.” If names are a reflection of the times, then today’s Colin and Chloe might well pick up an e-reader at school to read, “See Spot Skype.”
Pet Names with a Pedigree The very first name recorded in Volume I of the American Kennel Club (AKC) Stud Book is that of English Setter “Adonis.” Owned by Mr. George Delano of New Bedford, Massachusetts, the black, tan and
English dog was thought to have grand style and, befit- ting his quality, was renamed “Sensation” in the U.S. Another early English Setter import, a blue belton dog by the name “Druid,” came to this country in 1877. Mr. Arnold Burgess of Hillsdale, Michigan — consid-
ered the “Father of the Stud Book” — brought the three- year-old to America. Though not especially successful on the bench or in the field, Druid was neverthe- less a prolific sire. His sons “Gilderoy” and “White Cloud” and daughters “Lavalette” and “Countess Druid” were well-known among the shooting fraternity of the day. Their dramatic names were typical for dogs expected to compete
white birddog is listed as having been sired by “Leicester” out of “Doll,” a bitch imported in whelp. Each of these names is typical of the monikers given to dogs during the period when canine competitions were in their infancy. A Greek god, a place name and a child’s toy were acceptable sobriquets for dogs considered worthy of the title champion. So too were words that evoked a positive — even sensational — per- formance. In 1876, the
The model for Westminster Kennel Club’s distinctive logo was given a ‘sensational” name. Photo courtesy the Westminster Kennel Club.
members of the Westminster Kennel Club arranged for the importation of a lemon-and-white Pointer named “Don.” (Although a nickname for Donald, Don is also an honorific title in both Spanish and Italian used tra- ditionally to address members of the nobility.) The
and win. However, common girl’s names were not at all uncommon at the time. (Some of Druid’s best- known daughters were named Lizzie, Lee and Peg.) In Burges’ first volume of the Stud Book, the names of 55 English Setters are inscribed. Also included are 50
56 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , O CTOBER 2017
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