Bosnian Dog Names

One of the greatest things about the Balkan peninsula is the fact that all countries on it used to be one big country called Yugoslavia. Back in the day, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Montenegro all used to be happily married into a large country and lived harmoniously. Well, maybe not so harmoniously. As we all know, siblings like to fight amongst themselves, and the case was no different for the Balkans, as slowly these countries started separating, being in a poor political state. However, since politics is not life, the people of the Balkans still stayed pretty much in love, happily sharing each other’s pop culture and collaborating on movies and TV series. One such series is the Serbian soap opera called The Lucky Ones, which featured many Bosnian actors and aired in Bosnia for a long time. 

The show follows the life of the Golubovic family, struggling to find a better life in the gloomy 1990s in Belgrade, a time of horrific inflation and instability. The youngest member of the family, a boy called Neca, bullied in school for being poor, finds an adorable dog and names him Sima (pronounced as see-mah ['si:mɑ]). The two of them become instant friends, and Neca decides to take Sima home, even though his family was against that. However, Neca fought hard to keep him, and the family realized that the dog has a good influence on their youngest member, as his confidence grew, and he was not as sad as he used to be. 

Sima and Neca went everywhere together. Sima followed him to school, walked him home, and protected him from bullies. However, one day, muggers attacked Neca and Sima and he had to split up. This is where Sima got lost and couldn’t find his way back to his owner. Neca searched and searched, but there was no sign of Sima anywhere. Luckily, a sweet old lady saw him in heavy rain. He was soaked and starving, and she gave him food and shelter, nursing him back to health, and finally, returning him to Neca, even though she grew attached to the adorable Epagnel Breton.

What about Sima’s name? Well, it is an old Slavic name with Hebrew roots, derived from the name Simeon or Simon. It means “the one who listens” and it is a popular name in the Orthodox Christian world and a popular choice all over Bosnia.