My daughter’s name is [name]Annabelle[/name] and most of the time we call her [name]Belle[/name]. On [name]Saturday[/name] my cousin who I am very close with just got a puppy and named her [name]Belle[/name]. When I heard they named their dog [name]Belle[/name] I thought they were joking but apparently not. When I asked her why she would name her dog [name]Belle[/name] when that’s what we call our daughter she said “It’s not like you own the name.” My daughter isn’t even one yet and when we were there they kept call the the dog “[name]Belle[/name], come here [name]Belle[/name]. Good [name]Belle[/name].” and my daughter was getting really confused. Everyone seems to think I’m being ridiculous but it really gets to me. Am I being crazy?
Well, what she did might be rude, but no one owns a name. Maybe to avoid your daughter from being confused, you could ask them not to bring the dog over? Or if you were at their house, not sure which, you could just not bring your daughter over until she is old enough to understand that the dog shares the same name as her.
You could also use another nickname for your daughter such as [name]Anna[/name] or [name]Anne[/name] or just use [name]Annabelle[/name].
I wouldn’t say you are being ridiculous, but at the same time, you can’t tell them what to name their dog no matter how rude it may be. Sorry for your situation, hopefully things will work out.
I think that is a little rude…when your daughter is a little older, she might think it’s fun to share a name with a puppy, but at the moment, when she’s so young, it’s just confusing! It’s true that no one owns a name, but still.
I understand that no one owns a name. I was just shocked that she would use that name. We see them 2 or 3 times a week, (sometimes their house, sometimes ours) I’m not going to stop seeing my cousin over it or anything.
We do call our daughter [name]Annabelle[/name] a lot but most of the time it’s just [name]Belle[/name], especially because our 2 year old can’t say [name]Annabelle[/name], it sound’s like she is saying “I’m a [name]Bell[/name]” (Which I must admit it very cute) When I was growing up my best friend named her cat [name]Jazz[/name] (My nickname) and I thought it was cool. I was 13 though so I understood when they were talking to their cat and when they were talking to me.
Oh well, there isn’t anything I can do about her calling the dog [name]Belle[/name]. I would never ask her to change the name or anything I just thought it was a bit weird.
You aren’t ridiculous, she is. [name]IMO[/name] what she did is rude. It’s true, no one owns a name but that was a stupid thing for her to do. I would tell her that and get a gold fish and name it after your cousin lol… but really I would put my foot down that she rename her dog as you cannot rename your child.
What tina said! I would be so offended!! There are thousands of other names she could use (including all kinds of guilty pleasure names you wouldn’t give a kid) so why go with what you called your daughter, especially when she’s that young. It must be so confusing for her!
I’m shocked! This is crazy rude of your cousin. I’d never name a dog the same thing as a friend or cousin’s baby! Especially if you are close and see each other more than once every few years. It’s degrading. I’d put my foot down as well. You can be nice about it, but it’s absurd for you to change the primary nickname of your daughter or have to avoid seeing the dog because of this. If you ask me, your cousin is picking a fight.
On the bright side, she likes your naming style. If I were you, I’d be very very nice and open up about how hurt this makes you feel. She could be clueless, so try the benefit of the doubt thing first. Explain how confusing it is for (the real) [name]Belle[/name] and how some might view naming a dog after someone offensive. But however you get there, the dog’s name has to change. End of story.
I agree, this was very rude of her. If it was someone you knew but didn’t really socialize, it wouldn’t matter, but if nothing else, this will be a source of confusion. I could understand if she had a baby and had always loved the name and wanted to use it, but at this point neither a baby or a dog is going to grasp the concept that the same name applies to them both. With all the names there are–even more so for a dog, where pretty much anything you call them is appropriate–it just feels personal.
Kind of a strange choice… I mean, she’s right in theory, but with so many names to choose from, why pick one shared by anyone you’re close with?
A couple of years ago, some friends of ours had a female foster dog they were thinking of adopting, and used my (secret) favorite boy name for her. I almost let go of said name over it, and probably would have had they kept the dog… even though it’s been “my future son’s name” since I was 12 and hubby and I have been on the same page about it – and NO other name – since early in our relationship!
So it’s hard for me to imagine choosing [name]Belle[/name] under the circumstances. Perhaps there are some jealousy issues there.
i don’t think you’re being ridiculous. It’s very weird. My dog is named [name]Sam[/name], but if when naming him, my cousin had a child named [name]Sam[/name] (young or not) I would never named it [name]Sam[/name], even if I did love the name. It’s very rude. I’d bring it up -no, you can’t force her to change the name, but you should NOT have to change your daughters nickname over it. A baby’s name has so much thought and consideration put into it… I’d atleast broach the subject and let her know you’re upset.
It is really weird that she would do that…hugs
I’m glad that I’m not the only one who think’s it’s rude!
I spoke to my Aunty about it because I was really shocked and didn’t understand why my cousin used the name. She said that apparently my cousin forgot that we call [name]Annabelle[/name] [name]Belle[/name]. She said that the dog was named after the Disney princess [name]Belle[/name]. The part about her being named after the Disney princess I think is true as they have a cat named [name]Ariel[/name] and a bird named [name]Snow[/name] White. The part about forgetting that we call [name]Annabelle[/name] [name]Belle[/name] seems a bit of a stretch.
Now that you mention that about [name]Ariel[/name] and [name]Snow[/name] White, it just seems likemaybe she was on a Disney [name]Princess[/name] theme and one would think that she would remember that your [name]Annabelle[/name] goes by [name]Belle[/name] but who knows.
Now that you know she’s using a Disney princess theme to name her pets, why don’t you suggest other Disney princess names as a compromise? Calmly and rationally explain that it upsets you and ask if she’d be willing to change her dog’s name - especially considering you’ve had your daughter for over a year. You could make a list together. It could be a bonding experience!!
Here’s a few to start you off:
[name]Anastasia[/name] (duh!! - although [name]Anastasia[/name] is not a Disney princess, we’ll let that slide for this topic’s purposes!!)
[name]Briar[/name] [name]Rose[/name] (Sleeping Beauty)
[name]Cinderella[/name] (duh!!)
[name]Esmeralda[/name] (The Hunchback Of Notre Dame)
[name]Giselle[/name] (Enchanted)
[name]Jasmine[/name] ([name]Aladdin[/name])
[name]Mia[/name] (The [name]Princess[/name] Diaries)
Mulan (duh!!)
[name]Nala[/name] (The [name]Lion[/name] [name]King[/name]; probably more appropriate for a cat)
[name]Rapunzel[/name] (Tangled)
[name]Tiana[/name] ([name]Princess[/name] and the Frog)
That was just princesses. You also have other fab female Disney characters, like:
[name]Aurora[/name] (Sleeping Beauty)
[name]Calliope[/name] ([name]Hercules[/name]; muse of epic poetry)
[name]Clio[/name] ([name]Hercules[/name]; muse of history)
[name]Daisy[/name] (Duck; [name]Donald[/name]'s girlfriend)
[name]Hera[/name] ([name]Hercules[/name])
[name]Lilo[/name] ([name]Lilo[/name] and Stitch; although, this is fairly synonymous with [name]Lindsay[/name] Lohan these days, which she may not be too keen on.)
[name]Melody[/name] (The [name]Little[/name] Mermaid 2; [name]Ariel[/name]'s daughter)
Melpomene ([name]Hercules[/name]; muse of drama)
[name]Minnie[/name] (Mouse)
Sarabi (The [name]Lion[/name] [name]King[/name])
Terpsichore ([name]Hercules[/name]; muse of dance)
[name]Thalia[/name] ([name]Hercules[/name]; muse of comedy)
[name]Ursula[/name] (The [name]Little[/name] Mermaid)
[name]Wendy[/name] ([name]Peter[/name] [name]Pan[/name])
I hope that sparks your interest!! Good luck!!
xx
Well it’s true that you don’t own the name and she can really name her dog whatever she wants, it still is a bit strange/rude that she used [name]Belle[/name] when you see eachother so much. It’d be obviously different if she was a cousin you never saw. Disney princess names or not, there are many other Disney names to choose from…
Thank you [name]Laura[/name]! That’s a great list. I think I will talk to her about it and try to not get her offside about it. If my daughter was older I wouldn’t care but she isn’t. Maybe if I explain it to her from the angle of [name]Annabelle[/name] getting really confused she might understand.
A couple things you’ve said make me think that your cousin maybe a bit begrudged to you actually. Because she loves disney princesses so much, enough to name all her pets after them, and her rude comment about “you don’t own the name” makes me think she may have wanted to name her daughter [name]Belle[/name] if/when she has one. You don’t say snide comments like that unless you feel wronged. I think it was uncalled for and offensive but I think she is the one who may feel that you “took” one of “her” names. Is [name]Belle[/name] a name she mentioned loving before?
My aunt named her dog [name]Lucy[/name] when my sister is named [name]Lucy[/name]. My sister isn’t young (she was a teenager), but we were all kinda weirded out. I think your reaction is understandable.
I would be furious. Not cool.
I would also be a bit peeved. It is rude of her to not take your feelings into consideration about this. Of course, no-one owns a name but she should still put herself in your shoes. If she was still being rude about it, I would cut off hanging out with her until she was able to compromise and possibly name the dog something else. If that doesn’t work than you probably won’t be seeing her too often.