I love me a good challenge but today’s theme for Top Ten Tuesday, from Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl, is what character names might make a good name for a pet and I was like, what? This is nearly as funny as using book titles as song titles. And, to be honest, I had a friend who named his two dogs after Lord of the Rings characters. So I can see how this would already be a ‘thing’ IRL!
I mean, who wouldn’t want a dog called Gollum, or a cat called Cotton Malone. And I’m going to make you work to figure out which character names I’ve chosen are from which books I’ve read … what, that’s cruel okay, I concede, I’ll tell you which book I pillaged the character name from.
So here are my choices from some of my favourite crime fiction characters:
- GAMACHE — yes, my first pet name, straight out the gate comes from Louise Penny’s great Inspector Gamache series of Three Pines mysteries. This one would work equally as well for a cat or a dog. What do you think, would you yell at your dog Gamache?
- HARRY BOSCH — from Michael Connelly’s series of books could work too. I think Harry and or Bosch would be another great name for a dog, though I envision a tortoise named Bosch noisily chewing on its lettuce.
- TEMPERANCE “TEMPE” BRENNAN — you have a choice of all three or individual names from Kathy Reich’s famous character. I mean how about a cat named Temperance, or a bulldog named Brennan, or even a goldfish named Tempe? All sound choices right? Well, maybe.
- V. I. “VICTORIA” WARSHAWSKI — okay, so maybe it’s a little more difficult to use Sara Paretsky’s famous PIs initials, or even that great Polish surname for anything other than a die-hard fan’s pet python. Not sure screaming Warshawski out the back door to call the dog in wouldn’t go unnoticed by the neighbours. You might get some funny looks with that one.
- HERCULE POIROT — but of course I have to have Agatha Christie, and I cannot have Poirot without MISS MARPLE now can I? And these two would make a great dog and cat pairing in my mind.
- EDDIE FLYNN — so onward to Steve Cavanagh’s character, the ex-con turned lawyer, Eddie Flynn. Flynn is a great name for a pet and works well for a parrot or a budgie or any kind of feathered friend. While Eddie works equally as well for a dog or a cat. Eddie the cat definitely has a ring to it.
And here are my choices from some of my favourite SF and fantasy characters:
- NEMO — top of my list would be Captain Nemo from Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, especially for a cat or a favourite fish. I mean come on, this is a classic, right?
- TWEEDLEDEE or TWEEDLEDUM — I would have to choose one or other of these names from the ultimate in literary nonsense, Alice through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll. But again, more for a cat I feel than for any other kind of pet. Though I could see a pair of parrots being named after one or the other.
- GREEBO — yes, this is, in fact, a fictional cat who appeared in several of Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels, featuring first in, Wyrd Sisters. But while your kitty might be a big softy, Pratchett’s Greebo was a mean one-eyed tom who ate at least 2 vampires (while in bat form). Could be the kind of name to give your favourite white rat, maybe?
- TWOFLOWER — sticking with Terry Pratchett and the Discworld series of characters, I always had a soft spot for the amicable and out to lunch Twoflower who, while on holiday with the walking luggage, always made me laugh. He would be a fun name for pet. And his companion, RINCEWIND, would make a great pet name if you had a dog with bad flatulence.
A silly, fun set of character names for possibly the weirdest collection of oddly named pets you’re ever likely to come across, but you would definitely remember them. And you, what favourite characters would you choose as your next pet’s name?