Man Lands Himself In The Doghouse Over The Name He Gave To His Puppy

Apparently his sister has a bone to pick

Kylin

• Published in Interesting
• November 9, 2022

“What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.”

This famous line by William Shakespeare for Juliette’s soliloquy argues that names are overwhelmingly meaningless in the grand scheme of things. However, a name can be extremely important to people.

While, yes, a name has no bearing on a person, animal, or thing, (and words in general are all made up), a name tends to be one of the most integral points of identity. It’s why some people are very sensitive about their names, or the names they’ve given to those they care for.

And just as people can be attached to a name, they can just as easily be turned off from a name due to bad interactions with someone. Logically, all Steves aren’t the same, but that one Steve may have been a big enough jerk to ruin future connections with other people with that name.

Alongside that thought process, no one owns or has sole rights to the use of a name. Sure, it can be annoying if someone you know also uses a name you may have gifted to your child or pet, but it’s a stretch to accuse someone of “stealing” your name.

Regardless, emotions are always rational and some folks struggle to move past an emotional reaction. Take for example this recent situation a Redditor found himself in after naming his puppy.

While he claims the name is technically different, it is very similar to the name of his sister's dog, and her meltdown over the closeness has left him completely blindsided. Turning to Reddit’s AITA community, he laid out the story and asked for validation on whether or not he was in the wrong.

Keep scrolling to read the full story and how the community reacted to this name breakdown.

OP explains that he has been very close with his sister, that they haven't had any serious fights or disagreements in their adult lives

And that after he and his wife adopted a puppy, he shared the name with the family in a group text.

Turns out, the name he chose for their new puppy is similar to the name of the dog his sister has had for the past 5 years

Which did not go over well. His sister actually asked him to change it!

In spite of the similarity and his sisters annoyance, OP and his wife like the name they chose and do not intend on changing it

Totally reasonable, tbh, especially after he explained that he doesn't even see his sister in person all that often, and her dog even less.

OP tried to work through this issue with his sister, but has been met with avoidance and aggression

Since his sister wont actually talk to him about it, OP is struggling to understand why she is so hurt by this

He has been trying to find a way to reconcile with her, but she has continued to put him off

It eventually turned into her competely blocking OP and his wife out

Along with her wanting to get a freaking therapist to "mediate"

Well...

Apparently this has been going on for MONTHS

Understandably, OP is upset over what he considers a minor disagreement

The whole situation is really bizarre, which led OP to turn to AITA for judgment

There may be something deeper going on with their sister

Sister definitely showed an inflated sense of entitlement

Yes

No one has sole rights to a name

Some people really are weird about names

Pick a name

While sister has been taking her time to "process," the dog has obviously gotten used to the name

Similar doesn't mean it's the same

It was an odd choice to name them similarly, even if her reaction seems disproportionate

If this is her biggest issue, then maybe things aren't so bad overall

Maybe she feels like he's stealing from her in a weird way

Who gives a fluff

This was my thought too - there must be something deeper going on with his sister than he let on or even knows

I truly wonder what OP either left out or may not be privy to, because his sister's reaction does not strike me as a rational response. Regardless, I do hope the two are able to eventually reconcile, especially if they were as close as he believed they were.

How would you feel if your sibling (or close friend) named their pet similarly to your beloved fur baby, would it be a relationship ruiner or no big deal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Kylin