History ADogNamedDog / Literature

** Beorn the werebear has a name that means "bear" in Old English.

* In ''Literature/{{Stray}}'', Pufftail is confused to meet a cat who calls himself "Tom-Cat". When he questions this, he's told by another that "there is only one Tom-Cat". Tom-Cat is also called "Our Father Tom-Cat" and "Our Tom" by others in the Commune.

* Almost all the child characters in Wilmar Shiras's ''Children of the Atom'' have pets. The only name we learn for any of the pets is Pup-Dog.

* ''Literature/PahuaMoua'': Pahua's friend is a cat spirit she named "Miv", meaning "cat".

* "Literature/TheEmissary": The titular character is literally a dog named "Dog."
* ''Literature/{{Evolution}}'': Three of the first protagonists of the story are a ''Purgatorius'' named Purga, a ''Plesiadapis'' named Plesi and a ''Notharctus'' named Noth. Purga's nemesis in the first chapter is a ''Troodon'' named Wounding Tooth (which is what ''Troodon'' means in Greek). Of course, none of these characters actually call themselves by names; they are simply labels used by the story to refer to them.
* ''Literature/TheMuddleHeadedWombat'' revolves around a trio of friends: a wombat named Wombat, a long-tailed bush mouse named Long-Tailed Bush Mouse ("Mouse" to her friends), and a tabby cat named Tabby.
* ''Literature/ThePrincessBride'': Buttercup's horse is named Horse. The narrator even snarks about it, noting that "Buttercup was never long on imagination."
* ''Literature/PrideWars'': Leo the [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic]] lion.
* Inverted in ''Literature/YoungWizards'', where a [[spoiler:dog]] turns out to be a [[spoiler:{{god}}]].
* ''Literature/ItsLikeThisCat'' is a 1960's children's novel by Emily Cheney Neville about the exploits of a teenage boy, Dave, and his cat, Cat, and their exploits and encounters while living in [[BigApplesauce New York City.]]
--> '''Dave''': I know he's a cat. He knows he's a cat. And his name is Cat.
* As well as one specific horse in the ''Literature/{{Belgariad}}''.
* ''Literature/RaptorRed'': The eponymous character -- a ''Utah'''''''raptor''''' of the '''Red'''-Snout species -- comes from a species with no names or real language, so the author gives her this nickname for reference. Other characters have similar "names" like "Raptor Red's sister" and "the old dactyl".
* Interestingly averted in ''Literature/TheLastDragon.'' Yorsh, Sajra and Monser find a dog, and Yorsh names him Fido. Monser exclaims that that's a ridiculous name - dogs are called Paws or Patch or some such, not ''Fido.'' Yorsh later names a horse Lightning, to similar consternation. It's implied that humans are not particularly imaginative about naming, at least not with animals.
* ''Literature/{{Endling}}'': Renzo has a dog named Dog.
* ''Literature/WinnieThePooh'':
** Piglet, Owl, and Rabbit.
*** The narrator even questions why some characters have proper names while others are named after their species.
** Played with via mother and joey kangaroo pair Kanga and Roo.
** Narrowly averted with Tigger, though not averted in the other adaptations; Tigger is a tigger and he's the only one of his kind. Also in some translations (such as the Hungarian), Tigger is named (the local equivalent of) Tiger.
** Even Pooh is sometimes referred to as "Bear".
** Then there's [[CanonForeigner Gopher]] from the Disney cartoons.
* ''Literature/TheWindInTheWillows''. Mole, Rat, and Badger. Mr. Toad himself is a borderline case between this and SpeciesSurname; we're not sure if he has a forename or not.
* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfAncientDarkness'' features a wolf called Wolf.

* Most of the characters in ''Literature/TheJungleBook'' as well as its related stories are named after their species names in Hindi:
** Baloo the bear, Tabaqui the jackal, Mang the bat, Chil the kite, Hathi the elephant, and so on.
** Then you get Father Wolf, who isn't given even that, and Grey Brother is nearly as bad.
** A rare human example: Mowgli the man-cub's nickname is Man-Cub. They also call him Little Brother, which works for Bagheera, but sounds odd coming from a porcupine (Ikki calls him that in "How Fear Came").
** Kotick's name from "The White Seal" (Russian, in this case).

* Adam's [[{{Hellhound}} dog]] in ''Literature/GoodOmens'': "I'll call him Dog. Saves a lot of trouble, a name like that."
** According to the narration, the Dog-to-be is of the opinion that his name will define the core of his nature (being, as he is, a magical HellHound servant to the Antichrist). So when his owner names him Dog rather than, say, Killer...
* The Moles' dog in the ''Literature/AdrianMole'' books.
* A ''The Royal Diaries'' book about Cleopatra mentions this, after Cleopatra's sister obtains a baby baboon: "I do love this sister, but she is not very imaginative. What did she name her little pet? 'Baboon'. That is it. Berenice might be beautiful, but she would not make an interesting queen."
* In the trilogy that started the ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' novel series, Sam Verner names the stray mutt he adopts "Inu", which is "dog" in Japanese.

* Everyone from the ''Literature/SweetPickles'' books.
* The children's book ''Literature/TightTimes'' has a mild aversion: the boy wants a pet dog. Eventually he adopts a hungry kitten and names it "Dog".

* Almost all the child characters in Wilmar Shiras's ''Children of the Atom'' have pets. The only name we learn for any of the pets is Pup-Dog.

* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'': Aslan is Turkish for "lion".
** In ''Literature/PrinceCaspian'', Caspian's horse is named Destrier, which literally means "Great Horse".
* ''Literature/TheBlackStallion'''s title character is referred to as "The Black" throughout the novel.
* Played with in ''Literature/LukaAndTheFireOfLife''. Presumably, the dog had originally been named Dog and the bear Bear, but they came to Luka with their collars swapped, so the book refers to them as Bear the Dog and Dog the Bear.
* All of the animal characters in the ''Literature/IfYouGiveAMouseACookie'' and associated spin-off books and animated series are this. Mouse, Dog, Cat, Pig and Moose.
* Justified in ''Literature/JamesAndTheGiantPeach'', since the characters are mutated insects who presumably didn't have names when they were normal insects, and they apparently haven't seen the need for a name more descriptive than their own species. After all, anyone can tell the difference between the only giant spider in the world and the only giant earthworm in the world, without needing to give them any kind of personal name.
* Coyote, the BigBad from ''Literature/TheWildOnesMoonlightBrigade'', is a coyote.
* In ''Literature/MortalEngines'' there is a pet called Dog, although technically he's a wolf.
* ''Literature/{{Dog}}'' by Daniel Pennac has the main character named... well, Dog. Other names had been suggested for him, but his owner Plum didn't like any of them.
* In the rabbit mythology of ''Literature/WatershipDown'', there's a hedgehog character named Yona. "Yona" is Lapine for "hedgehog".
* In ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' there's the sentient, [[TheQuietOne rarely-talking]] hound Huan that plays a big role in the tale of Beren and Lúthien (going so far as to fight the [[ShapeShifting wolf-shaped]] then-[[TheDragon Dragon]] [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Sauron]] face to face and make him retreat). Yes, his name means "hound" in Quenya.
* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' the King of Rohan is named Théoden, which is essentially the Old English word for king. It is said to be a translation of the Rohirric word/name Tûrac, which again simply means "king." The long list of names of previous kings of Rohan (Fengel, Walda, etc.) are also essentially Old English words with related meanings (lord, ruler, etc.)
* Haplo in Literature/TheDeathGateCycle simply calls his dog "dog". He also refuses to call Alfred by his name for a long time, referring to him simply as Sartan (Alfred's race).
* ''Literature/WarriorCats'':
** There is a tomcat named Tom in ''Literature/WarriorCatsDawnOfTheClans'': ''Thunder Rising'', who eventually becomes the father of Turtle Tail's kits. Gray Wing finds it really weird that someone would name an animal their own species name. This continues in ''The First Battle'', where after a scuffle, Thunder is introduced to Tom. The latter introduces himself, and Thunder thinks he's dumb, saying "I ''know'' you're a tom. What's your name?"
** Similarly, in ''Daisy's Kin'', Daisy meets a tom named Tom-Tom, and she thinks that it's not really a name, that it would be like being named "She-cat-She-cat".
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
** Septon Meribald, a wandering priest in the Riverlands, is accompanied by a dog which he only calls Dog, claiming that he can't name it as the dog doesn't belong to him, and it has not bothered to tell him its name.
** There's also Shaggydog, but he's a wolf. The name is explained by the fact that Rickon Stark was only three when he named him.
* All the wild dogs in ''{{Literature/Darkeye}}'' are named their species name from their country of origin- i.e., "Mhumhi" means "African wild dog" in Shona.
* In the books on which ''{{Series/Longmire}}'' is based, Walt unofficially adopts a dog from a victim who died and, because he doesn't know the dog's name, calls him Dog. He lives in the sheriff's office and follows Walt everywhere.
* ''Literature/SurvivorDogs'' has Alpha himself, who's been called Pup, Dog, and Wolf all his life due to being a wolf-dog.
* The Burbling Sack Of Babyshit in ''Literature/TheVaginaAssOfLuciferNiggerbastard''.
* ''Literature/LittleHouseOnThePrairie'' has a cat named Kitty.
* In the short story collection ''Literature/ABirdInTheHouse'' by Creator/MargaretLaurence , the grandmother doesn't believe in naming pets. She calls her canary "Bird."
* Squirrel, in ''Literature/TheKnightInRustyArmor''.
* Tod in ''Literature/ThePlagueDogs'' by Creator/RichardAdams. "Tod" is an old English/Celtic word for a fox.
* There is a Russian nursery rhyme, in which old couple wants to name their kitten after something great and mighty. Following a long sequence of Main/TacticalRockPaperScissors logic, they decide to call the cat "Cat".
* Vulture the vulture spirit in ''Literature/ShamanBlues''.
* Common in ''{{Literature/Redwall}}'', where several characters have first names related to their species (the Badger Lords Brocktree, with Brock being an old word for badger or Boar the Fighter, boar being the term for a male badger) or scientific name (Gulo the wolverine, from ''Gulo gulo'', or one hare with the middle name Lepus).
* ''Literature/PixieTricks'' has a [[OurFairiesAreDifferent sprite]] named Sprite.
* ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'': Ella the Harpy. Her name is apparently Latin for..."harpy", as she says:
--> Ella. Aella. 'Harpy.' In English. In Latin.
* A slight variation appears in ''Literature/{{Brotherband}},'' where the dog is not named "Dog," but rather "Kloof," since that's the sound she makes when she barks. (Which she does. Often).
* ''Literature/MansfieldPark:'' One early indication that Lady Bertram is a dim bulb is that she has a pet pug named “Pug”.
* ''Literature/WhatTheHellDidIJustReadANovelOfCosmicHorror'': John's dog is named Diogee. Knowing John, its name is likely pronounced "D O G," even though the audio book apparently missed the joke and pronounces it "Dye-Oh-Gee."
* In ''Literature/TheBarbarianAndTheSorceress'', Rom refuses to name his horse, not wanting to get attached to the animal, only to find himself calling it "Horse" as a name.
* ''Literature/DinosaurVs'' features a dinosaur named Dinosaur as the protagonist.
* The main characters of ''Broken Gate'' with their names being Nezumi (rat or mouse), Toramaru (called "Tora", tiger), and Ryuuji (two dragons), leaving their sister Miyako the OddNameOut, as her name isn't necessarily an animal one.
* In ''Literature/SwordOfShadows'', Vaylo Bludd, [[RedBaron the Dog Lord]] keeps a pack of five war dogs, all of whom he simply calls "dog" (or by description if he needs to single one out, ie "the wolf dog"). Apparently Vaylo has owned so many dogs over the course of his life, and his identity so strongly tied to that fact, that naming them would feel as strange - and unnecessary - to him as naming his limbs. Vaylo's grandchildren, however, don't share his restraint and named the wolf dog - the largest and most aggressive of the pack - "[[FluffyTheTerrible Fluff]]". Vaylo considers the fact that the wolf dog actually answers to that name to be the funniest thing he's ever seen.
* In ''Literature/TheLeastOne'', protagonist Boy's father hated his given name, so he decided his children would choose their own names. (Boy had an older brother who was called "Son" until he selected the name John for himself.) Adolescent Boy, obsessed with choosing the right name for himself, remains undecided until the very end of the novel. His choice is not revealed.
* In ''Literature/{{Stray}}'', Pufftail is confused to meet a cat who calls himself "Tom-Cat". When he questions this, he's told by another that "there is only one Tom-Cat". Tom-Cat is also called "Our Father Tom-Cat" and "Our Tom" by others in the Commune.
* In the ''Literature/PippiLongstocking'' books Pippi's horse is named Horse.
* The unnamed protagonist of ''Literature/HowToBeComfortableInYourOwnFeathers'' has classmates named Hummingbird, Chicken, and Sparrow.
* In ''Literature/NakedCameTheStranger'', the hippie couple Arthur and Raina Franhop named their cat Cat.
* Emma from ''Literature/BecauseOfTheRabbit'' names her bunny Lapi, short for Monsieur Lapin.
* ''Literature/AnimalInn'': Book 3 features Little Leo, a lion cub.
* ''Literature/AmongTheBeastsAndBriars'': Cerys decided to name the fox she saved "Fox".
* In Creator/DavPilkey's ''[[Literature/TheDragonSeries Dragon]]'' series, the main character is a dragon named Dragon.
* ''Literature/HauntedHomeRenovationMysteries'': Late in book 1, Mel gets rescued by a dog, whom she takes home. She starts just calling him "Dog", thinking he's just a temporary housemate, but he winds up becoming permanent. Her father winds up renaming him "Doug" a few books later, but hardly anyone can remember this, starting to say one name and switching to another midway through, and Mel ends up sticking with just calling him Dog to avoid the confusion.
* ''Literature/{{Crictor}}'': {{Downplayed}} — Madame Bodot makes sure that her new pet snake is a non-poisonous boa constrictor before deciding to keep him and name him. "Crictor" is a foreshortened form of '''c'''onst'''rictor'''.
* Skye from ''Literature/OrangeCloudsBlueSky'' gives her sister Starr a kitten, which she appropriately names Kitty.

* ''Literature/LaszloHadronAndTheWargodsTomb'' features a catgirl named "Isis [[GratuitousSpanish Lagato]]".

* ''It's Like This, Cat'' is a 1960's children's novel by Emily Cheney Neville about the exploits of a teenage boy, Dave, and his cat, Cat, and their exploits and encounters while living in [[BigApplesauce New York City.]]

* Pig from ''Kipper''.
* Everyone from the ''Sweet Pickles'' books.
* The children's book ''Tight Times'' has a mild aversion: the boy wants a pet dog. Eventually he adopts a hungry kitten and names it "Dog".

* ''Dog'' by Daniel Pennac has the main character named... well, Dog. Other names had been suggested for him, but his owner Plum didn't like any of them.

* In the short story collection ''A Bird In The House'' by Creator/MargaretLaurence , the grandmother doesn't believe in naming pets. She calls her canary "Bird."

* In ''The Least One'', protagonist Boy's father hated his given name, so he decided his children would choose their own names. (Boy had an older brother who was called "Son" until he selected the name John for himself.) Adolescent Boy, obsessed with choosing the right name for himself, remains undecided until the very end of the novel. His choice is not revealed.

* In the short story ''The Emissary'' by Ray Bradbury the titular character is literally a dog named "Dog."

* In ''Literature/ThePrincessBride'', Buttercup's horse is named Horse. The narrator even snarks about it, noting that "Buttercup was never long on imagination."

** Baloo the bear, Tabaqui the jackal, Mang the bat, Chil the kite, Hathi the elephant, and so on. Subversions include Bagheera the panther, actually meaning tiger, and Shere Khan the tiger, actually meaning King Lion.

** In a particularly bizarre quasi-subversion of this trope, Mowgli is explicitly stated in the book to be named after the word for "frog", but Mowgli does not actually mean frog in any human language.

* Subverted in ''Literature/WaysideSchoolGetsALittleStranger'' where one student has a cat named "Dog" and another has a dog named "Cat."