'I gave my dog an unusual name and everyone gives me weird looks in the park'

Irish Daily Star

23-04-2025

While Luna and Baileys are common names for canine companions at the
dog
park, one woman's
golden retriever
has been turning heads with its unique name that stands out from the pack. Posting on Reddit, the owner expressed her intent behind the name selection.
She said: "She's my first dog as an adult, and I put so much thought into naming her, wanted something elegant, unique but not ridiculous, a little literary but still cute." She detailed her choice of naming her dog Ellowyn, which conjures images of "forests, old poetry and a fairy-tale".
Speaking about the unconventional pet name of Ellowyn, she added: "[It's] not made up, not trendy-trendy, just... whimsical."
However, this unique name has led to quite the reaction when called out in public, with some even asking her to change the moniker for the sake of her pet.
Describing reactions from those closest to her, she recounted: "Here's some of the feedback I've gotten from people I thought would be supportive. My roommate, 'Oh. That's... a name. Are you gonna call her Ellie or something normal?'"
"A pal from uni days queried, 'Is that, like, Elowen? But spelled wrong? Or... Tolkien?' Her brother's reaction was to shoot over a meme about modern pet-naming tropes: 'My brother sends me a meme about white girls naming their pets like Renaissance babies.'".
Even her mum chimed in with practical concerns, with the Redditor adding: "My mum, 'Are you sure that's not going to confuse people at the vet?' She's a dog. Not enrolling in kindergarten!'".
Despite offbeat responses, the fact remains that Ellowyn is responding well to her name and embodies its whimsical nature. The dog lover added: "For what it's worth, Ellowyn responds to it already, and it suits her perfectly.
"She's calm and a little goofy and loves pinecones. Anyway, lesson learned: maybe I won't announce the name next time until it's on the dog tag and too late to argue."
Thankfully, people in the comments section reassured the dog owner there was nothing wrong with her pet's name. One said: "I think if it were a child it would be [bad], but pets kind of have different rules. They don't need to know how to spell their name and they won't know if anyone makes fun of them. The only person who will have to correct people on spelling is you!
"I mean, my cat is called Inspector Clawseau. And the dog is Bruce Springersteen. And many pet rats with silly pun names. If it make you happy then who cares?".
Another user chimed in: "It's a dog. Name as you please, but from years of experience with dogs it's not a name that rolls off the tongue when trying to train them or call their name from danger.
"That can be the official name but I suspect that Ellie will get a better response from the dog."
Meanwhile, a third user shared: "My dog was named Elphaba three years ago, way before the movie came out and only theater nerds knew who she was.
"I caught so much cr*p from family and friends who were convinced the dog would never learn her name. She got the last laugh though. Elphie answers to Elphaba, and every nickname you could make from it, and the whole family still said it wrong until the movie was popular (insert eye roll here, you're welcome)."