One of the really fun things about having pets is the art involved in choosing their names.
Some people choose names that are based on their favorite book or movie, and others choose pet-like names, like Spot or Fluffy.
But some people really love giving their pets “human” names, pointed out the “Am I the A**hole?” (AITA) subReddit.
Redditor PapaJonCenaSpriteMix was one of these latter pet owners, taking great delight in giving their dog a human name.
But when they saw their sister’s boyfriend’s reaction, the Original Poster (OP) wondered if they were somehow wrong for this.
They asked the sub:
“AITA for naming my dog Brad?”
The OP enjoyed giving their dogs fun human names.
“So I’ve always thought it’s funny when dogs have human names. Much more amusing to me than giving them obvious dog names like Spike or Jellybean or whatever.”
“Never had an issue with Brad’s name being what it is until recently.”
But the OP’s hobby backfired recently.
“My sister got a new boyfriend, and I’m sure you can see where this is going. I don’t think I even have to say his name.”
“Well, my sister came over the other day with him and we met for the first time. Everything was all fine and good until he asked what my dog’s name was.”
“I laughed a little and said that his name was also Brad.”
“He looked at me for a second and asked if I was joking or not, and I told him no, his name is actually Brad.”
“After that, his whole mood flipped and the remainder of the visit just had an uncomfortable vibe.”
“A while after they left my sister called me and started berating me for ‘disrespecting her boyfriend.'”
The OP was at a loss for words.
“Honestly, this seems like such a Brad thing for him to do.”
“I don’t think I did anything wrong here, but maybe I’m wrong?”
“Should I have lied about Brad’s name so I didn’t risk hurting his feelings?”
The OP also shared an image of their dog Brad, because, well, dog tax.
“Here’s a picture of “Default Brad” or “Brad #1”:
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
- NTA: Not the A**hole
- YTA: You’re the A**hole
- ESH: Everybody Sucks Here
- NAH: No A**holes Here
Some could not understand why “Human Brad” was so upset.
“NTA. My dearest friend of now 45 years brought her new boyfriend to my house to meet my parents 35 years ago. His name was Brian, the same name we had just given to our new puppy a few months earlier. My sister and I were huge Monty Python fans and named the dog after Life of Brian.”
“It was pretty d**n funny when we yelled at Brian to stop jumping up on Brian.”
“Good old Brian the dog lived to 18 and Annie and Brian just celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. I still give my pets people names. Derek & Timmy are the current furry tenants sharing my home.” – mimi6614
“He could have just as easily laughed and thought it was cute and funny. The fact that he was all uptight about it means he is extremely insecure.”
“Your sister also needs to get a grip on reality because you didn’t disrespect him. She knew that was the dog’s name before you ever met the new boyfriend.” – JHawk444
“NTA – This is hilarious that they are THAT offended over a pet you had BEFORE your sister even started dating a guy with the same name ad your dog.”
“If you had named the dog after a guy your sister dated him because you didn’t like him, it would be a different song and dance.”
“They shouldn’t take this so personally.” – EvocativeEnigma
“NTA lmao. That’s such a weird, petty thing for them to be upset about. You had the dog before your sister had the boyfriend, and there’s no way you could have known your sister was going to end up dating a guy named Brad. They need to grow up.” – brndnkchrk
“Both myself and my dog, George, think that Brad is disrespecting your dog. NTA. They seem a bit weird over it as well. Does he have a problem that Brad Pitt also has his name?” – ADG1983
Others agreed and said it would be an absolute honor.
“I’m a dog weirdo. I would be ecstatic if I walked into a home and found out I shared a name with the dog. Obviously, that means he/she sits with me and I get to give all the pets and cookies. Name twins!” – fsbbem
“I adopted my dog Sammy (I’m an extreme Supernatural fan lol) before I met my partner. Partner has a childhood friend named Sam, who gets so delighted by Sammy.”
“He asks to see him on FaceTime and says to him in a baby voice, ‘Hiiiii! You have my name!!’ Like, I used to think that’s the only reason Sam liked me is my dog, lol (laughing out loud).” – OddRaspberry3
“I don’t get it because, if I were single, finding out that a new girlfriend had a family member whose dog shares my name would make me want to date her even more. What an honor.” – peoplebetrifling
“My mum got two bonded cats from the shelter. One had the same name as my nephew the other did not have the same name as my niece.”
“Well, you can imagine the absolute meltdown that ensued. My mum of course renamed the second cat after my niece, because why wouldn’t you?”
“So now we have niece and nephew and cat niece and cat nephew. And that’s how it’s done.” – ACatGod
A few wondered what “Human Brad’s” endgame even was.
“NTA – what was your sister’s solution? Lie and then keep the lie up forever?” – Simon-Garths-Uncle
“That’s what confuses me most about this. What did the bf want OP to do differently? Is lying somehow less disrespectful? Should OP have guessed that the bf would have a fragile ego and lied in anticipation of this moron’s tantrum?” – Contero
“Did he want you to go back in time and not name the dog Brad?” – Phoenix_Magic_X
After the post was significantly upvoted, the OP made a discovery.
“Well, my sister saw the post and so did Brad #2.”
“They have been bickering and apparently split up.”
“Brad #1 and I don’t want any part of that nonsense, so don’t call me till you figure it out, Sarah.”
Oops. It seems sharing a name with a small dog was too much for Boyfriend Brad to handle.
The subReddit could not make heads or tails of this, as most of them would have found the coincidence to be funny or to be a shining badge of honor.
Hopefully, Sarah’s next boyfriend will be a little more open to quirky coincidences.