...
By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
A woman who was supposed to serve as her sister's maid of honor but backed out over her sibling's choice of dog name has been backed online.
According to Stanley Coren, an expert in canine behavior and human-animal bonding at the University of British Columbia, a dog's name is "the single most important word that they will ever learn."
"A dog lives in a sea of human sounds and, with only the language ability of a human 2-year old, it has to decide which words are directed at it and which are not," Coren told Psychology Today.
Read More on Family & Parenting
"A dog's name becomes a signal which tells him that the next sounds that come out of his master's mouth are supposed to have some impact on his life."
...
But while dog names might be important, most would probably prioritize the wishes of their family over their choice of canine moniker.
That's not the case for one woman, posting to Reddit under the handle u/firakti, who took to social media to detail the circumstances that led her to walk away from her duties as her sister's maid of honor.
According to the post, she is currently expecting her first child with her husband "after years of trying." She wrote: "It's been a really emotional journey—there were some fertility struggles, a miscarriage last year, and honestly, we weren't sure if we'd ever get here."
Now six months along with a baby girl on the way, the woman said she had been planning on naming her daughter Lila.
"It's my dream name for a daughter, and I've talked about it so many times that my whole family knows it's 'my' name," she said. "It has a special meaning to me—my late grandmother was named Delilah, and it's my way of honoring her."
However, things took an unexpected turn when, six months ago, her younger sister Emma introduced them to her new puppy, saying: "This is Lila!" The OP initially thought she was "joking" but when she challenged Emma, reminding her it was her baby name, her sister told her: "It's a name, not a copyright. I thought it was cute for a dog."
Though she tried to brush it off, matters came to a head during their recent baby shower when, after hearing she was planning on naming her daughter Lila, one aunt laughed and asked incredulously: "You're not actually naming your baby after Emma's dog, right?"
Humiliated, the Redditor decided to speak to Emma privately to explain how she felt. But Emma dismissed her feelings, responding: "oh my god, you're seriously still mad about this? It's just a dog's name. You don't own Lila." Now, with Emma's wedding fast approaching, the Redditor has decided to back out of her role as maid of honor.
"I don't want to stand up there and celebrate her when I feel like she doesn't respect me or care about my feelings," she said.
When she told Emma of her decision her sister "lost it" and accused her of "ruining her big day" over something "stupid." At present, her immediate family are siding firmly with Emma with her parents telling her "family is more important than a name."
The Redditor's husband is furious though and feels Emma has been "dismissive and mean" in her decision to keep the name for her dog.
Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert and the founder of the Protocol School of Texas, acknowledged it was "clearly insensitive that the sister would give the dog the same name as her soon to be new niece."
However, she felt the Redditor's decision to back out of the wedding was "a bit extreme." Gottsman said: "This is a lifetime of resentment that may take place on both sides. While we love our animals as much as we love our children in many cases, naming your pet or even your own child after a soon to be born niece is insensitive."
Those commenting on the Reddit post sided firmly with the Redditor over her bride sister. One wrote: "If family were more important than a name, Emma would have named her dog something else."
Another said: Emma is loving that it hurts and annoys...there is literally no other explanation, because any remotely reasonable person would have changed it straight away."
A third added: "In a family respect and love should be given. While you don't own the name, she doesn't own you attending her wedding or respecting her as sister. She has shown you that mutual respect doesn't matter in your sisterhood."
Newsweek has reached out to u/firakti for comment but could not verify the details of the case.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines