NEW YORK—Urging animal owners to pay closer attention to the day-to-day psychological welfare of their pets, the ASPCA released a report Wednesday warning that many Americans are not giving their dogs the correct name. “We found that nearly 60 percent of canines are given a name that does not reflect who they really are,” said ASPCA president Matthew E. Bershadker, noting that an appalling number of dog owners still believe that a clear and obvious “Patches” could just as easily be a “Trousers.” “This is deeply troubling, as choosing the wrong name for a dog can quickly erode their sense of identity. Now, in most instances, these errant names are the result of simple ignorance—an owner simply mistaking a ‘Coco’ for a ‘Ralph’ or even a ‘Zeus’ for a ‘Kevin’—but, unfortunately, there are still dogs being named with malicious intent. This is especially the case with the name ‘Fido,’ which, as everyone knows, is actually a horrific slur.” The ASPCA specifically recommended that Great Dane owners think long and hard before naming their dog anything other than “Max.”
ASPCA Report Warns That Many Americans Are Not Giving Their Dogs Correct Name
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