What’s in a name…?

Well, apparently, a lot!

Naming a pet is a big decision. Maybe not as big as naming a child, but still, you get the picture.

So you can probably understand why someone would get upset if they are in a relationship and they get absolutely no say at all in naming the new part of the family.

That’s why the woman who wrote this story is upset and she thinks that her boyfriend is being a bit of a bully about the whole situation.

Is she overreacting?

Or is she justified in feeling this way?

Let’s take a look!

AITA for refusing to let my partner name our dog after he said “I paid, so I decide”?

“I’ve (35 M) always been pretty indifferent to dogs.

My partner (36 M) really wanted them.

If I were single, I wouldn’t have one, but I agreed because it mattered to him. We got our first dog (which he paid for), and I’ve actually grown to love it, though balancing work and dog care hasn’t been easy.

Recently, we got a second dog (again, he paid for it). We have an agreement that I look after both dogs solo three days a week while working from home. It’s honestly quite full-on managing two, but I’ve stepped up because they’re meant to be “our” dogs.

There’s always some kind of fight when it comes to this stuff.

Here’s the conflict: he believes that because he paid for both dogs, he should get to choose their names. I don’t agree. I didn’t get a say in the breeds, and I’m putting in a lot of ongoing time and effort caring for them. If they’re truly family dogs, I think decisions like names should be mutual.

He’s set on naming the new dog “Coco,” but I really don’t like that name. I’ve said that clearly. His compromise is that he wants to spend a day “trialling” the name, calling the dog Coco to see if it fits.

These two might have some other issues lurking under the surface…

I pushed back because I don’t see the point. I already don’t like the name, so even if he ends up loving it after the trial, we’re still stuck in the same place. To me, it feels less like a neutral test and more like trying to push his choice despite knowing how I feel.

For context, we’ve been together 6 years, own a house together, and these dogs are part of our shared life.

AITA for not letting him unilaterally name the dog and insisting we pick something we both actually like?”

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a teen girl who went above and beyond for a friend, only to be berated about not spending enough money on a gift.

Let’s see what readers had to say about this.

This person said he’s NTA.

Another individual agreed.

This Reddit user shared their thoughts.

Another person spoke up.

And this reader said he’s NTA.

Call me crazy, but I think that this couple might have a few more issues than just the name of their new dog…

Are you picking up what I’m putting down?

It seems like these two need to have some serious discussions before they decide to embark on a life together…because they’re not on the same page at all!

Just a thought…

These two might want to get an mediator to help them figure this out…