Meet The Dogs Whose Names Are Too Long To Fit In This Headline
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Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Plenty of people like to use their dog's name in their passwords. Yet, for many of the owners competing in this year's Westminster Kennel Club dog show, that might be a tough proposition. Some of these dogs may be small — but just about all of their names are big.
Take, for instance, the border terrier who answers to the name Gizmo. His real name is actually McHill's His Royal Highness Prince Gizmo House of Gremlin. Then there's the basset hound named Easthill Broxden Woodland Lettuce Entertain You.
Oh, and don't forget the Pomeranian named Starfire's Spank Me Hard, Call Me Crazy.
And these lengthy jumbles are no exception; nearly every dog competing bears a title long enough to give medieval royalty a run for its money. According to David Frei, who's been co-hosting the TV coverage of the show for more than 25 years, the long names are a result of the registration process.
"They have names that are like 25 to 30 characters long for their registration name with the American Kennel Club," he says.
Most show dogs have two names: a short one, known as a "call name" like Spot or Fido, and a longer "registration name."
This Pomeranian isn't likely to give anyone the time of day — let alone the time to spell her full name.
"For example," he says, "we've got a Finnish Spitz named Rocket whose registered name is Champion DV-9 Canine's Red Hot Star."
The registration name is designed to be a record of the dog's lineage. Sometimes it includes the breeder's name, the dog's parents or the place the dog was born. It's similar to the way thoroughbred horses are registered. Thoroughbreds usually get named after their parents and maybe the breeder — but with horses, the final name can't be longer than 18 characters.
When it comes to dogs, Frei says, the more unusual name, the better. And as an owner himself, he's no different.
"People tend to remember a unique name," he says. "My great Afghan hound, Julie — her official registered name was Champion Storm Hill Who's Zoomin' Who, after the Aretha Franklin song. People remember that dog."
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Transcript
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
And a top dog was crowned last night at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Here's judge David Merriam.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOG SHOW)
DAVID MERRIAM: My choice for the best in show is the beagle.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: The beagle?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Oh, my God, another beagle.
MONTAGNE: The crowd going wild inside Madison Square Garden last night for Miss P, a beagle from British Columbia.
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
A purebred beagle. Mutts are not allowed in the show. Miss P, we should say, often goes by her formal name, Tashtins Looking For Trouble.
MONTAGNE: That's Miss P's registration name, the much longer official name that reflects a purebred's lineage. It can include the names of the breeder, the dog's mother or father or where the dog was born.
GREENE: Trying to cram all that in can lead to unusual names. Gizmo, one of the border terriers who showed up at Westminster, is listed in its guidebook as McHill's His Royal Highness Prince Gizmo House of Gremlin.
MONTAGNE: There's a basset hound named Easthill Broxden Woodland Lettuce - as in the salad - Lettuce Entertain You.
GREENE: And there's a Pomeranian named Starfire's Spank Me Hard, Call Me Crazy.
MONTAGNE: David Frei, who's co-hosted TV coverage of the Westminster dog show for more than 25 years, says for show dogs, the more unusual the name, the better.
DAVID FREI: I had a dog named Jukebox Hero, you know, named after a song. People tend to remember a unique name. My great Afghan hound, Julie, her official register name was Champion Storm Hill Who's Zoomin' Who, after the Aretha Franklin song. People remember that dog.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHO'S ZOOMIN' WHO?")
ARETHA FRANKLIN: (Singing) Who's zoomin' who? Take another look and tell me, baby. Who's zoomin' who? Who's zoomin' who? Who's zoomin' who?
MONTAGNE: And it's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Our names - easier to say.
GREENE: Indeed.
MONTAGNE: Renee Montagne.
GREENE: And David Greene.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHO'S ZOOMIN' WHO?")
FRANKLIN: (Singing) Who's zoomin' who? Take another look and tell me, baby. Who's zoomin' who? Who's zoomin' who? Who's zoomin' who? The fish jumped off the hook, baby. Who's zoomin' who? Yeah. Guess you believed the world... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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