If you have a new pet and are unsure what to name them, maybe it’s best to avoid “Willow” and “Bella.”
Spot On Veterinary Hospital & Hotel is a highly-rated establishment that offers pet training, grooming, and veterinary services in Stamford, Connecticut. Staff there made a TikTok to share the pet names they are “sick of hearing.”
The TikTok comes courtesy of the popular Spot On TikTok account, @spotonvet, which boasts over 158,000 followers. Arielle Putter, marketing manager at Spot On, asks various of her co-workers there “what pet names they are sick of hearing.”
@spotonvet Keep my guy Brick and girl Willow out of your mouth #petnames #freebrick #vettechlife #vettechtok #veterinarylife ♬ original sound – Spot On Vet Hospital & Hotel
The first veterinarian Putter asks gives a non-serious response by naming three of the veterinarian technicians at Spot On, “Nursey,” “MJ,” “Tatiana.” Some of the more serious responses from other colleagues, however, include “Bella,” “Willow,” “Charlie,” “Brick,” “Bailey,” and “Tucker.”
According to Rover, Bella was the second most-popular name for a female dog in 2022. Bailey came out at no. 9. For male dog names, Charlie topped the list at no. 2.
Putter clarifies that it’s not that staff don’t like the names, it’s just hard to keep track of the pets when they have the same name. “Disclaimer: it’s more about common names being hard to keep track of. But I hurt my own feelings making this,” Putter dropped in a comment under the video.
Putter reiterated this in an Instagram direct message to the Daily Dot. “The vets say they hear those names every week, sometimes multiple in a day,” she said, adding that she made the video to showcase the staff and their personalities.
Some of the staff’s responses back this up. One said that he’s “sick of hearing the name Willow” because he had like five Willows come in that day, and it’s like, “Which one?” One of the Willows was actually still in the office at the time, and Putter asks the pup, “Willow, can you believe this?”
“They said they’re sick of hearing your name. I know. Oh, don’t cry,” Putter says to Willow.
Putter came to Willow’s defense in the caption, jokingly writing, “Keep my guy Brick and girl Willow out of your mouth.”
Spot On’s TikTok was viewed 4.3 million times. Viewers likewise came to Willow’s defense. “You apologize to sweet baby angel Willow!” one of the top comments demanded.
Spot On obliged. In a follow-up video, the workers share some of the “best pet name [they’ve] heard recently” and apologize to Willow in the process.
One worker shared that he likes “human names,” like “Steve.”
“Mother was a really good one,” he added, referring to a pet that came into the office recently. “We had a cat named Danger Zone.”
Some other responses include “Door Knob,” “Pepperoni,” and “Rigatoni.”
So if you’re wondering what to name your pets, the consensus seems to be that staffers—at least at Spot On—like unusual names, especially when they’re centered around food.
The filmer also gave some viewers closure by cornering a worker named James and making him apologize to Willow, specifically Willow Fitz (presumably the Willow featured in the first video).
“I apologize to Willow. That’s my favorite Willow, though. I’m sorry Willow,” James says.
