I think I've said before that both Bella and Chief were rescue dogs. They both had names before we got them, but they didn't yet answer to those names.
Bella was originally named Kira. But everyone said it differently. No one but me understood had to spell it. Because of her color, we tossed around Penny for a while, but that brought to mind a different breed of dog, like a terrier. Then because of her Italian Hound breed, the name Bella was suggested. Of course, "bella" means "beauty" or "beautiful". Perfect. Our little Italian beauty!
Chief had a name before we had the dog. Prior to losing our old dog, Barney, we knew we would get another. We also planned that the dog would be male. Since my family is filled with die-hard University of Illinois "Illini" fans who always revered Chief Illiniwek, I suggested that Chief would be a great name. Fortunately, when we met Chief, originally called Cooper, the name fit him. This decision was recently proven to be a good one. A neighbor met Chief a few weeks ago and said it was a great name. As soon as I told him the meaning by behind it, he unzipped his fleece jacket with a big smile to show off his orange t-shirt, complete with the Chief Illini symbol. It may not be considered politically correct, but an Illini would understand!
Barney, on the other hand, was a name that simply came to mind. No hidden meaning, or even creative thought (much to my chagrin), just a gut-felt, instinctive decision. One that fit for 16 years.
If your dog's name has special meaning, please share it in the comments.
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