What’s with the names of the animals at the Humane Society?
Meet Ms. Mongoose, an 87-pound mastiff. Say hello to Boots with the Fur, a pet lizard. How about Baby Shark, a domestic shorthair kitten. Then of course there’s Craig, the guinea pig.
This is just a glimpse at some of the names animals have had at the Pikes Peak Regional Humane Society.
“They try to keep it lighthearted, try to give them a unique name that helps them stand out,” said Cody Costra, the Humane Society’s public relations manager.
Names are an important way to draw the attention of potential adopters, Costra said. The more memorable the name, the more interest is generated.
“Usually, a lot of times the wilder the name is, the more people notice them and it makes it even easier for them to find a new home,” Costra said.
Where do the names come from? It depends on how the pet comes in. If an animal is surrendered by previous owners, then it will keep the name it comes in with, Costra said.
“When somebody finds a stray, they bring them into our admission team and first they scan them for the microchip, they check to see if we’re able to find their family at all,” Costra said. “It’s a name that the animal already responds to, they already know the name.”
But, if an animal comes in without identification, like a microchip or tag, then the intake team at the Humane Society will name them.
“Once they are part of the shelter and they are looking for their new home, that’s when somebody on the admissions team will give them their new name,” Costra said. “A lot of times, they make unique names for each pet; that way it helps them stand out a little bit more.”
When groups of animals are taken in, sometimes they’ll be given themed names, Costra said.
“We get a lot of puppies at the same time from the litter, they’ll have similar names, to kind of give them an identity for that litter,” Costra said.
Some examples: Harry Potter characters, ’80s bands and even office supplies.
“I remember once we had a puppy called Three Hole Punch, and that puppy dog, a lot of people were talking about them, even though it’s a weird name that the family that adopted probably isn’t going to keep. It was still a cute thing where, you know, it helped them get noticed by even more families,” Costra said.
Names can come from distinct features of the animal or memorable events, too. For example, a dog rescued from a river named River.
“We had a dog that was called Flower, just because when it was here, it was rolling in the grass and posing in the grass, flowers and stuff like that,” Costra said. “When you think back on it, you really remember why they got that name, because it was something that defined the early part of their life.”
The staff also have a collection of names suggested by the public, Costra said.
“The general public will come in and tell us some things that they think we should use,” he said. “They always keep those in the back of their mind.”
So, even if the name is goofy, it doesn’t have to be permanent, and its an important way of adopting out animals, Costra said.
“People love to come in and meet a dog named after their favorite movie or a cat named after one of their favorite books. It’s one of the cool things that help you build a connection to the animal before even meeting the animal,” he said.
Two unnamed kittens wait at the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region. Humane Society staffers often give the animals that come into the shelter unusual names as a way to attract potential adopters.
Guinea pig Ginger hides with Soy Sauce (unpictured) in their enclosure at Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Thursday, August 24, 2023.
Handsome puts his paw on his enclosure last month at the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs.
Pit bull mix Moon Pie sits in his cage at Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Thursday, August 24, 2023.
Labrador retriever and pit bull mix Enono barks to the other dogs at Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Thursday, August 24, 2023.
Hamster King Kong sits in his enclosure at the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region.
Fork, Spoon and Knife sit in their enclosure last month at the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs, on Thursday, Aug. 24.
