Why would someone refuse to name their pet?

Be it a dog, cat or fish.

Why would someone refuse to name their pet?
It is my judgment that someone who cannot name a dog or a cat is probably someone who cannot bring himself or herself to really love. Perhaps their self-esteem is so low they can't even love a pet. Even farmers, who may have many dogs, name them unless they are puppies or kittens they intend to sell or give away.





If someone has a whole tank of very small fish, I might understand why they do not name them.
Reply:All of my pets have names. and my pets are part of my family. they are considered my kids too. If someone owns a pet and dont treat it good than they dont need one. They are good to there owner the owner should be good to them. Most who have replied with unplesant remarks are animal haters or are just on here to be dumb. I think all animals and anything living if it has a owner should have a name. animals learn there name just like humans do. some ppl need to give animals a little more credit than they do.
Reply:well u get really attached if u name it!!!
Reply:I name my dogs and cats but my fish don't have names. To call them I tap on the table to let them know that I am going to feed them. I don't have to worry about them running away so having a name is not important to them. My cats come when I call their name just like the dogs do.
Reply:Animals don't have names. That's a human thing.
Reply:b/c it's really ponitless unless u take the tame to constantly call it my that name and not change it or use a differnt name around it.
Reply:I think it is silly not to give them a name. My animals are part of my family, and generally listen better than my children. But a name is important. How would you call your dog...Hey you come here?? My dog would just sit there and look at me if I didn't use his name.
Reply:someone dont see pets as...well....pets. they simply see them as simply an animal, or a guard dog, so on ...sad, pets are great companions and they are part of my family
Reply:maybe because they don't want to name their cat and it'll be easier if they just call them kitty
Reply:who refuses to name their pets? I mean. okay when I think pets, only dogs come to mind... cause I'm a dog lover... But like, a fish? What good is that? Except, I would probably name any kind of pet I had. I have no idea why someone WOULDNT. Why have a pet if you are not going to include it in the family by giving it a name....
Reply:They shouldn't, that's stupid.
Reply:Welcome to the other side of America. I know some of the people you are referring to. Here are a few of the reasons people keep animals, but never name them:





* On the "other side" of town, a man is fortunate to have a dog. It is fortunate because that dog provided security for his home and family. He didn't have to worry about, nor watch his children as carefully as someone who had no dog. Name? He doesn't know how to train his dog nor about vaccinations and dog diseases. Therefore, the dog never saw a vet where someone would ask, "What's his name?"





* When faced with a question, "What's his name?" an adult might say, "I think the kids call him Bobo." These people got the dog for their children - like a stuffed animal, but better. These adults don't name their children's toys or stuffed animals, either.





* Many cats are kept in feed stores, in barns or hen houses to keep rodents away from the feed and snakes away from the hens. They have a purpose in the scheme of things, but rarely ever have a name bestowed upon them. Nobody ever calls them as they roam the area at will. The people that have such cats will often tell someone, "I call him the barn cat because that's what he is." That's not to say these people don't take care of their animals - they just don't name them. These people will likely have children who will grow up knowing about the cat - possibly even have the task of caring for it and feeding it - but know it only as the barn cat or the feed store cat. They will continue the practice when they are on their with families of their own.





* Many people have very poor memories. They can't remember the names of their children or relatives - much less their dog. On the bright side, their dog is probably the only member of the family who won't fault an owner for not being able to remember their name. And of course, these people with poor memories will likely have children who will grow up with a dog with no name. Doesn't mean they are incapable of loving their pets - just that they never learned the naming of their dogs in childhood and continued that in adulthood. It wouldn't matter - except for other people who judge them harshly because they never named their own pets.





* Folks in the backwoods will often have hunting dogs - a dozen or more. They attach collars to the dogs to identify it's owner in the event one or more get lost on a hunt - so someone can return the dog to the owner. But a name? Too confusing when working with so many dogs. The dogs are all trained to point, or to fetch or to track or to return to them with the same whistle, hand signal or command. The dogs work in the field as a team rather than individually.





These people will often have children who grow up knowing the dogs have no names and will continue the practice as adults with their own families.





* Some believe a dog's name is insignificant. A name doesn't make the dog any more or less responsive to it's owner's call. So why name it? They might answer "What's his name?" with he doesn't have a name, he's just my dog."





* Dogs are often raised and trained for later sale. This is esecially true with Dobermans, German Shepherds and other protection dogs. The naming of the dog should be left up to the final owner - so all through it's training, the dog learns commands but not necessarily any specific name to go with it. The children of these protection dog trainers will learn that even though these are valuable animals, their parents never named them. So even in their own families later in life, naming the dog - regardless of it's purpose - was never practiced.





Some people bond with animals much more readily than with other people. Some may be social misfits or suffer mental issues. They may or may not give the animal a name. It's good enough to them that their dog likes them and keeps them company.





In the case of fish, I can honestly tell you that although I have kept many aquariums in my time, I never named a single one. Or perhaps, with one or two large fish such as Oscars, I called them quite simply, "Oscar." Fish tend to resond to their owners without verbal communications. So why bother naming them?





It's a free country and in this country, there are all manner of people - all different walks of life and variations of raising our children. Children are often mirror images of their parents and although their parents never thought to name the family dog, the children were never inquisitive enough to ask why. They didn't name the trees in the yard, either.





Surely, to the rest of us, it seems cold and indifferent. But appearances are often very deceiving. Just because someone chooses not to name their pet doesn't mean they don't care for it just as much as the rest of us who do name them.





Be tolerant of others and the way others choose to live their lives in all respects. We are not all clones of each other - we are individuals with different backgrounds and upbringing. It doesn't bother me that someone I know never bothered to name their dog. It doesn't affect me in the least.





Live and let live.