Funny Vet

We had a large amount of submissions this year and it was very gratifying to hear from each and every one of you!  It is enjoyable hearing from others in the profession and getting a different point of view and experience from them.  Thanks to everyone who participated!  Though your particular idea may not have won, I foresee many of the submitted ideas being posted as the year goes on and you will each get your proper acknowledgement.  We hope to post this month's 'toons (including the winners) within a week.  The competition was very tough this year; no one should feel badly if their idea did not make the top three.  There were so many good ones that you made it tough on our FunnyVet judges!  The official winners of the 3rd Annual FunnyVet.com Cartoon Idea Contest are: (insert dramatic drum-roll here)

1st Prize Stacy Pritt

2nd Prize   Marilyn Swisher

We’ve all had our share of Labradors named Max, Beagles named Shiloh, Chow Chows named Bear, and white Persians (or anything else white and fluffy) named Snowball. I’m not here to talk about them. Instead, I’d like to talk about the random thoughts that cross my mind in regards to pet names. Now, since I’m more of a dog and cat veterinarian, this discourse will be a little skewed. Certainly, if anyone out there has thoughts and experience in naming iguanas, horses, or ficus, feel free to drop me a line.

I find the naming of dogs based on their historical background a bit dubious and unquestionably overdone. For instance, after all of the Chicos, Diegos, and Pacos, I’d really like to meet a Chihuahua named Bob. Just Bob. That would be refreshing. And what about German Shepherds named Hans, Rommel, and Wolfgang? Are such names supposed to remind people or the dog about their heritage? In that case, some good names for a Polish Tatra Sheepdog could be Kowalski, Łukaszewicz, or Młynarczyk. It just seems redundant. How about a German Shepherd named Pedro? See, that works for me. Nothing like some cognitive dissonance in a name.

And what about naming pets based on their supposed profession. I speak, of course, about Boxers named Tyson. Please stop. Come on, folks, some originality! If you absolutely must, due to some deep-seated compulsion, how about showing some regard for notables such as Braddock, Marciano, or Carter? Isn’t it funny how no one names female Boxers after……oh, I don’t know, female boxers? There’s a 1980s female featherweight champion with the last name Canino. It doesn’t get much more perfect than that. I’d like to see someone name their Pug after a famous boxer since the original term used for the sport was pugilism. That I could respect. Since we’re on the subject, why aren’t there more Portuguese Waterdogs or any other water-sport breed for that matter, named Lougainis, Phelps, or Thorpe?