There’s no one secret sauce for an award-winning Wacky Pet Name. However, many of our winners are likely so paw-pular because they have a wacky origin story to match their unique moniker. American Cheese is one of those lucky pups. Found as a stray on the highway by two hikers, this mixed-breed pup was lured away from danger with a cellophane-wrapped snack that became her calling card (or calling curd, if you will).
“The hikers could not get her to come to close as she was very scared and skittish,” says Nationwide member and pet parent Morgan B. “They went back to their car to see if they had anything to lure her to safety, and there they found some American cheese slices from their lunch. Cheese, the dog, jumped right into the car. Because of the story, the Watauga Humane Society named her American Cheese, and we chose to keep it when we adopted her!”
We sat down with Morgan and Cheese to talk about adopting a wacky stray, being a Wacky Pet Names nominee and more.
What is your pet parenting background?
When it comes to pet parenting, this isn’t Morgan’s first rodeo. “I think for my 4th birthday, my present was a dog,” she says. “Then, my 21st birthday is when I got my first dog [as an adult]. Cheesy is our second dog for our little family.”
Originally, Morgan set out to meet American Cheese in search of a companion for her first dog, Lite Brite (an equally Wacky Name, if you ask us!).
“When we went to the Humane Society, they told us the story of how they found her and everything,” Morgan remembers. Cheesy’s backstory melted Morgan’s heart, but there was another fromage-related friendship working behind the scenes, too.
“I have a friend who has a dog named Cheddar Bay Biscuit. So, I saw her name and was like, ‘They could be friends, you know, Cheddar and American.’” While the two pups didn’t end up becoming besties in the end, their names make them a unique pairing nonetheless. “They follow each other on Instagram, though, so they're friends in that capacity,” Morgan says.
She adds, “My favorite part about being a dog mom is coming home every day and seeing how excited they are to see me. They're super loyal and super cuddly. I lucked out with both of mine.”
What are some of American Cheese's favorite things to do?
“Cheesy really loves going on walks on the greenway. That's probably one of her favorite things to do,” Morgan says. Beyond that, she sticks to the basics—a focus on the same snack that brought her fame: “She loves eating American cheese.”
She continues, “Other than that, she just loves getting some love. She loves pets, she loves cuddles. She's a tiny dog, but she has this big loving, ‘I’m here, everybody!’ energy. We always say she acts as if she's like a Hollywood star. If she had a car, it would be a white convertible, and she would wear huge sunglasses and have a bedazzled flip phone and everything. She is a diva at heart.”
What was being a Wacky Pet Names nominee like?
“I told my co-workers, and they were like, ‘You guys deserve that,’” Morgan laughs.
When it came time to get the word out, Morgan reached out to her social network for help: “I posted it on my Instagram for all my friends to see,” she says. “I also posted it on Facebook for more of my close family.”
“I know there were a couple of exotic pets had some really great names in there,” Morgan continues, specifically calling out nominee Ferret Bueller.
With stiff competition like that, Morgan wasn’t so sure American Cheese would stand out. “I remember going through that list and thinking, ‘I don't think Cheesy is going to have a shot in this because some of those names were really good.’ I was very surprised, when they would give the updates on Instagram for who’s leading, and American Cheese was on there one day! I'd like to think that her story gave her the edge.”
Would you say that American Cheese has lived up to her wacky title?
“Oh definitely! She's a wacky girl. We call her ‘silly’ a lot of the time, because she'll do things or make little noises—I swear we get a new noise from her every day, whether it's like a little a new bark we've never heard or a squeak noise that she's making.”
To add to the wackiness, there’s the affinity Cheesy seems to have for her name, first in cheese slices and then in their natural match: A cheeseburger dog toy. “She carries around her little cheeseburgers around a lot and will just kind of obsessively squeak them.”
Any tips for choosing an award-winning wacky name?
Sometimes, the most important part of finding the perfect name for a pet involves seeking outside guidance. American Cheese was named by the shelter, and Morgan knew she had the right wacky name for her new wacky pup. That ability to trust her instinct while relying on other sources comes in handy on many occasions.
“If I can't think of a name for something, I'll pull up one of those random name generators and just refresh, refresh, refresh until I find something that I really like, and I think fits whatever I want to name,” Morgan says.
Any other words of advice for pet parents?
“I think pet insurance is really important. Having grown up with dogs my whole life, I've seen how quickly a random injury can happen. Something that you're not really thinking about. It's very important to have that back up if anything were to happen,” says Morgan.
“With my previous dogs, I learned that the bills can really rack up quickly, especially if there's some kind of injury. It's nice to know that we're not going to be stuck with a bunch of expensive bills.”
Testimonial provided by an actual Nationwide member. Views expressed by the member belong solely to the member and not Nationwide, its affiliates, or employees. Actual insurance plan availability and coverage may vary.
