Duke's Dog

[sheeps44]

I feel like it does represent his simplicity and unusual nature, but you can't just base a personality off of a single instance, it lacks enough of a presence to be an establishing character moment.

[haleygerstenberg]

Interesting question. I did think this was kind of odd. Maybe it has something to do with an unwillingness to get too attached to anything. I'm curious to see other thoughts on this.

This was my thought, too. Attachment signs are something I’m always looking for with my kids, and an unwillingness to name something is often a sign of a difficulty attaching. I started wondering if this was because of the trauma in his life that he had difficulty attaching, and this was a symptom, even if the author did not fully intend it that way. The fact that he had been married and divorced a few times, while mostly due to his alcoholism, also seemed to be a symptom of this attachment difficulty.

I am glad you all pointed this out, I don't know that I would've caught onto it otherwise...

[crediblereading2]

Duke is such a funny chap that he decides to give his dog this name to keep himself smiling.

[Anthony Martial Tata]

I am opined that the dog's name is a minor detail and is of no real significance.

[Nma26]

Yes, it was quite interesting that he named his dog 'Girl dog'.For me, I believe it was just an expression of his masculinity.He probably had a soft spot for the dog.

[Ahlily]

Interesting question. I did think this was kind of odd. Maybe it has something to do with an unwillingness to get too attached to anything. I'm curious to see other thoughts on this.

I think you made a good point on Duke not wanting to get too attached to the dog. I've also seen others comment about how it's a way to showcase Duke's fun personality as well. I think both serve to be true, but in naming the dog, he still get emotionally attached to her, even if it's as silly as "Girl Dog." I have family/friends that have named their animals weird names, like D-O-G (DeeOhGee) for their dog, Little Cat for their kitty, and I have a cat named Kat, though his brother is named Kit...so not really the same. Anyway, my point is, if you name something, you're going to form some sort of attachment to it.

[mtsnel006]

I think it reflects Duke's humor and open-mindedness. He was not some strict man and traditional man, but was quite easy and relaxed.

[joycechitwa]

"Girl Dog" is truly an interesting way to name a dog. Naming your pets is largely a very personal and individual thing. I have a friend whose cat's name is "Cat". We once had a cat of our own whose name was "Mama Cat" - because she kept giving birth to litters and litters of kittens, practically all the other cats in that neighborhood were Mama Cat's kittens.

Having said that, Duke's personality also has to come into play when he named his dog. My view is that he sort of kept postponing getting a name for it, making do with the temporary name "girl dog" meanwhile. Well, the temporary name stuck. That's my view of how the dog's name came to be, though I do respect the view of those that suggest that he was hesitant to name her because of attachment issues.

[dbulkley]

I didn’t get too caught up with the dog’s name personally.

[jay_2]

I also wondered this. To me, it’s hoenstly an interesting question. But I agree with the above comments. Maybe it’s just some weird thing to do with attatchment.

[Adediran Israel]

Duke naming of his dog has nothing to do with the personality. I have seen many people naming their pet in the name of someone or something they don't want to forget rather something that directly affects their lives.

[samiam013]

Wow, I did not question the dog's name until I stumbled across this post. Now I would love to read the author's motivation, if any, on choosing this name for the dog. Personally, I feel as though there is no huge revelation on the dog being named "Girl Dog".

[Shrabastee]

To be honest, I never even gave this a thought before launching into this discussion. To me, it seems random, without any inherent meaning. Duke probably was not bothered enough to give the dog a name, or probably thought "girl dog" would be unique. However, it was interesting to know what everyone thought about this.

[Hiruni Bhagya 81]

I too think it might be because he didn't like to get attached to things. He lead a care free life. So, he might not want family ties even to a dog.