IT has been claimed repeatedly online that France sets a letter for dog names every year; for example, that all dogs in 2016 must have a name that begins with the letter "M".
Is there any truth to this, or are those who are claiming it barking mad?
Verdict:
TRUE
This is actually true, however it only applies to pedigree purebreed dogs that are registered with the Société Centrale Canine in its Livre des Origines Français (LOF).
As explained by the online news portal The Connexion, the Société Centrale Canine keeps track of the genealogy of pedigree dogs and the rule was brought in to simplify listings.
Its writer Oliver Rowland then adds that the rule was introduced because some kennel owners would fail to register their dog at birth and the registers would become incoherent due to older dogs appearing after younger ones.
Rowland added that this system started with "A" in 1926 and moved through the alphabet and said that since its introduction, K, Q, W, X and Y are left out due to the scarcity of names in French.
He then said in his 2016 article that some names chosen ranged from Mimi and Mathilda to Ma P’tite Merveille, Mac Gyver, Macaroon, Moose, Milky Way, My Name is Bond and My Lovely Pet.
Rowland then cited advice from dresser-son-chien.com for those who have a dog who has already been listed with a name that they do not like.
"It adds that should the breeder already have listed the dog with a name that you do not like, you may add a nom d’usage (every-day name) to the listing on the LOF, such as ‘Macaroon dit [known as] Tommy’," said Rowland.
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