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Re: Naming dogs and honoring people + cultural sensitivity
I suppose it can be tricky, but a lot will depend on where you live. Say there's recently been a spate of violent crimes committed by a black person named Ebony. Many people would be rather put off by a black dog named Ebony suddenly appearing in the same community - either because if if was a Chihuahua it would look like derision or because if it was a Rottweiler it would look, well, too close to the bone.Or, if you live where I live, in South Africa, a white family naming a black pet after a black politician often attracts the wrong kind of attention, accusations of racism etc, though they tend to explain that it's a sign of admiration for a prominent and powerful person. For my part, I currently own a black cat named Dinah, but when we got her, we had an older cat named Alice so we went for the Wonderland connection. Dinah doesn't have black associations here, at all. Almost all the dogs I've ever owned have been black, mostly Scottish Terriers and currently a part-Border Collie mutt who was named Matilda when we adopted her. Dinah is my second black cat. Here, there is a very real fear that black animals are associated with witchcraft, so they are seldom adopted and often victimised - in some communities more than others, of course. I usually give human names to animals, but not always. I find Angel rather silly on an animal. Surely there must be a suitable character in the Harry Potter series to name her after: Minerva, perhaps, or Siria instead of Sirius? Even Harriet! I do hope you adopt her - she sounds lovely.
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