Sun on the Street: Dog names

Our inquiring photographer walks through Sonoma and asks locals and tourists alike fun questions about themselves and the town! 

Question: What is the name of your dog and why did you choose that name? 

Carey Atwood, Sonoma: 

My dog is Buddy.  He is two years old now. During the pandemic, I needed a buddy. My niece fosters dogs down in San Carlos, California and she said, “I found a buddy for you”. And the name just stuck. That way everyone who sees him goes, “Hey Buddy”. He makes a lot of friends all over the place.

Nancy Snyder, Sonoma: 

His name is Murphy. And the reason I chose that is he looked like a Murphy to me. He had a different name when I adopted him that was Kodos. And I checked it out and it was the name of an executioner in the old Star Trek or something. I thought, “No, no, no. Not for my baby.” And I have Irish roots so Murphy sounded perfect.

Paul Bouret, Sonoma: 

Her name is Cookie, 2 ½ year old English Retriever. She thinks she is the mayor of Sonoma. Every Tuesday, she hangs out and reigns at the Swiss Hotel on the Plaza. She is named after my mother who passed of dementia. She is a service dog who works best with kids.

Claudia Amaya, San Francisco:

Her name is Zola. It fits her personality; very strong name for her. It’s perfect.

Daniel Saltzman, Sonoma:

His name is Waylon Jennings Saltzman. I am a big fan of country music and he is our first dog. So I decided that Waylon would be first and Cash and June would come later.

George and Medwin, Sonoma: 

Her name is Koda. We think she is an Alaskan Malamute. She’s a rescue. And when we got her, her rescue name was Dakota. We wanted to make sure it would not trigger any bad memories so we shortened it to Koda.

— Interviews and photos by Denise Webster