Buffy and Bella, Rocky and Rambo.

There’s Freedom, in the form of a 1-year-old Akita mix, and Bill the cat.

And who can forget the Cat in the Hat?

Those are just some of the animals with unique names waiting at area shelters that put thousands of potential pets into their adoption programs every year.

That’s a lot of names.

Inspired by literature, pop culture, geography, baby name books and celebrities – or anything else that shelter staff can think of – the names can reflect a pet’s personality and help give it a new leash on life.

“They deserve a name. It becomes this creative effort to come up with (one),” says Peggy Bender, spokeswoman for Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control.

That’s how some shelter animals end up with famous fictional names such as Hermione, Optimus Prime, Sherlock, Odie, Pongo, Xena, Nala, Bambi and Thor.

And old-fashioned people names such as Lucinda, Octavia, Sherman, Nigel and Prudence, or traditional pet versions such as Shadow, Tiger and Max.

Or colorful ones such as Rainbow, Ruby Lu and Blanca.

“Sometimes the names are pretty out there. We’re naming hundreds and hundreds of animals; you have to stretch it sometimes,” Bender says.

Rhyming names are popular at the Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County, where cats include Teena, Nina and Gina, as well as Fae, Mae and Kay, according to the website, www.awl-warsaw.org. The shelter is also home to Sugar Cookie, Caramel Machiato, Meow Mix, Montana and Freckles.

Litters often follow themes. A dog that recently gave birth at the Allen County SPCA was dubbed Mama Mia, while several of her puppies were named after the Disney princesses.

“Picking out that name is one of the fun parts of our job. It’s definitely one of the highlights of our day,” executive director Sofia Rodriguez Mirwaldt says.

“Believe it or not, it does make a difference,” she says.

The shelter’s staff named three kittens after some famous rodents. The female, Theodora, was adopted first.

Another family took both males, Alvin and Simon, home together because they “didn’t want to break up the Chipmunks,” Mirwaldt says.

Coming up with new names is a never-ending team effort, she says.

“It’s kind of a mixed bag, sometimes literally. We do have a box of names,” where staff can add suggestions as they think of them, Mirwaldt says.

“I was just talking to the staff about how we need to jazz it up a little bit. We’re getting in a rut,” she says.

The owner-surrendered animals already have names, and most of the time, she says, the shelter staff will keep those. But occasionally, they’ll be changed to better suit the pet’s personality.

That’s how a peppy poodle became Popcorn. And a Chihuahua named Taco was renamed Fancy, which was found on a pet name website.

“It ended up fitting her perfectly. She’s so petite and cute,” Mirwaldt says.

Staff or foster parent volunteers might think of other pets they’ve known in the past, or characteristics that just seem to fit.

Bender sometimes turns to a pet name book, which has more than 5,000 options and gives their meanings, such as whether it has mythological origins or is an offshoot of a name in other languages, “if you want to mix it up a little bit,” she says.

Despite all those efforts by the staff, they understand if an animal’s name just doesn’t seem to ring true, in the eyes of others.

“We aren’t offended when our adoptive parents change the names,” Mirwaldt says, laughing.

Bender agrees, saying that an animal, especially a stray, doesn’t necessarily know its name anyway.

“You can change the name of any animal and he will adapt. Especially if you have food in your hands,” Bender says.

sscarlett@jg.net