Thursday, November 21, 2013

ON NICKNAMES...

I have no idea why some of my pets have a million nicknames while others have virtually none. Kaya, for example, has no nicknames. Even as a puppy she didn't really have nicknames. Zoey has no nicknames either, by me or my parents.


Norman, on the other hand, has a running list of about 5 to 10 nicknames at a time. The list seems to morph, change and grow over time. I use his nicknames so much that I rarely use his actual name except for recall.


Norman's retired nicknames are: Wiggles, Monkey, Chubs, Chubbie Wub Wubs, Wubbies and My Wubs. His current nicknames are: Bubba, Bubba Boo, Boo Boo, My Bubs, Boo Boo Bear and Bear.


In trying to figure out why I have conjured up so many nicknames for Norman and not for Kaya, I've come to a bit of a conclusion. I think it's because Kaya is so smart and confident, even as a puppy she looked more like a mini-dog than a squishy gangly pup and she has always been so clever and cool. In short, Kaya's too cool for nicknames.


I was joking with friends recently and said that I think of Kaya as more of a peer than my kid like most other pets. Norman, in life, has needed so much more encouragement, coaxing and protecting. He still acts very confused and concerned at times, while Kaya is always on the ball(often literally:) Kaya is also a very excitable dog and so I've learned to tone things down around her, using minimal words in training and using a quiet voice to connect with her, otherwise it's spazz city.


Gina also has plenty of nicknames. Her retired nicknames are: Squeaky-G, Sweet Baby G, G-Kitty, Squeaky Deaky, Fuzzy and Meow Mix. Her current nicknames are: Squeaker, Squeakies, Meow, Meowy, Little Meowy Cat, Da Kee, Kee Kat and Fuzzy Bear.


Both Gina and Norman respond to all their nicknames, which just shows me how much I use them!


I even have a nickname for Motlie and she is not even my dog! I call her Motliesauce...kind of a play on Mott's applesauce. My brother and sister-in-law call her Mots, Motzerella, Piglet and a bunch of other names.


Shaka only had one nickname, Honeybee, though I used it almost exclusively instead of her real name.


Though Kaya and Zoey don't have nicknames, they do each have phrases that I say to them often. To Kaya I say, "Kaya's a Kaya" or "Kaya so cute" or "Ilovekaya" - kind of like helloKaya with a weird accent. Why?! Who knows. And Zoey gets, "What Zoey says, Zoey?" or just "What Zoey says." Again, don't ask me why.


But lately I have tried out a few on Zoey, like Granny, Mamacita and Momma Bear. I don't use them a lot but they do make me laugh when I think of it. Maybe nicknameless Kaya will inherit them when she's an old lady.


Do your pets have nicknames? Some more than others?


Related Posts:
When They Hear a Nickname
Gina: aka Sweet Baby G, Squeaker, G-Kitty
Norman's Adoption Story

12 comments:

  1. I love their nicknames!! And that photo of Gina is adorable!! Our pooches both have nicknames that transform, although not quite as extensive of a list as yours! We actually call Edi Bubba, too!!

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  2. All of our animals have nicknames, though Boo Kitty has the least. Her actual name is Booger which morphed to Boo Kitty. Our "Bubba" is Jae, the rag doll looking one. I call him Bubby, Bub-bub, Bubba, Bubbers and Bubba-jae. I'd say Miko and the pooches probably have the most.

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  3. Boomer and Dottie have a ton of nicknames, almost too many to count!

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  4. we have so many nicknames I don't know how the pups remember them all

    Stop on by for a visit
    Kari
    http://dogisgodinreverse.com/

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  5. I joke that if we got a second dog, he/she would really be like our first dog. Rufus is clearly more of our roommate/my best friend. He's pretty darn self-sufficient and super easy to care for. That being said, the dude still has a ton of nicknames.

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  6. Love all the nicknames and pictures of your crew! Just the other day the Mr. was saying that all of our animals have at least 4 names each. :) Glad it's not just us!

    Maggie is Mag Wheels, Tater Head, Tater Pants, Tate, Margaret Mary, Picky Princess, FP (Fuzzy Princess), Punk Dog, Chicken Dog, Mean Girl, Big Sister and The Girl.
    Duke is Duke-a-luke, Puppy, Pup-pup, Hound Dog, Mr. Teefth, Punk Dog, Marion Robert Morrison and The Boy.
    The Dude is The Big Lebowski, Jeffrey Lebowski, the Fat Kid (18 lb cat), the Big Cat, Tiger Butt, Mr. Lovey, and Ti-gwah!
    Ozzy is The Goon, Blondie Tiger, Tiny Tiger (8 lbs), Ozwald McDougal Kitty, Tiger Tail Boy and Loud Cat.
    Cocoa is The Evil One, Evil Weasel, The Grouch, Grouch Pouch (can you tell she barely tolerates the other animals?), Cocoa Bean, Cocoa Mese and Cuddle Cat.
    Serena is Serena Maria Antonia Sanchez, Serena Beana Boo, Serena Bean, Panda Cow Bunny and the Muppet.
    Doug the lizard is just Doug, he might be too cool for other names also!

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    Replies
    1. Those are amazing! I think it is cool enough that you have a lizard named Doug at all:)

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  7. They are all so precious. I'm afraid all dogs have nicknames for me, and they are all the same nicknames, and most are too ridiculous to repeat! I do at some point refer to many dogs as Frito or Toasty, because their paws smell so fritolike to me.

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  8. You may or may not remember a post I did on the same subject, so I won't bore you with all of our names, but this did make me laugh out loud!! :)

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