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There is nothing wrong with common dog names like Spot, Rex, Fido, Patches and Buddy, but many people choose to try something different. They might go with a more "human" moniker like Samantha or Charlie, or perhaps they opt for a name that is more unique. Well one man chose a name that seems harmless enough, but it wound up absolutely humiliating him.
He shared his story on Reddit, explaining that he named his pup River, which had never been an issue... until he took her on a hike with his family in a popular vacation spot. While cooling off in a river, his pet ran off after catching the scent of something. Not wanting her to go too far away, he started yelling for her.
In his post, he explained, 'Today I [messed] up by calling out my dog's name, River, loudly and theatrically while standing in a river. We were on a cycle trail along a river which goes over a number of bridges. Beautiful day, the scenery is amazing. My dog, River, heads off downstream, obviously has a scent of something. After a few minutes you can barely see her in the distance. She's not coming to the whistle, so I go and stand on a prominent rock, and start shouting her name. For a solid minute and in multiple tones, I loudly bellow: 'RIVER! RIVERRR! RIVERRR!' There are people on the bridge above, there are family's around me having picnics. My family are laughing at me on the bank and I have no idea why."
The pooch returned and the man's family pointed out to him, "You're just shouting River at the river and none of these people know why."
He took it pretty well, noting, "I have been laughing on and off since."
It turns out he is not the only one to suffer this kind of embarrassment. One commenter explained they had a neighbor whose dog's name was Danger. They wrote, "Riding my bike past their house when suddenly, 'Danger! Danger!' I had a good laugh after my initial fear for safety." Another stated, "My dad’s dog was called Echo - an unfortunate name for a dog with a tendency to run off. Got some rather odd looks wandering round a park shouting Echo with no dog anywhere to be seen." One other explained, "We had a dog named Thunder. He went missing in the middle of a thunderstorm. Here was my dad in the middle of the street that night yelling for Thunder."
You can read more here.