Guardians of the Galaxy Inspired Dog Names

Directors have to draw inspiration from somewhere and in the case of Groot, James Gunn based him on his dog, Dr. Wesley Von Spears. If you pay attention to Groot, he has a puppy like innocence that is easy to miss amidst some of the more chaotic parts of the film. His eyes were a very important focal point for his dad/director as he wanted Groot to have the soulful eyes of his dog. Hop on over to Instagram to see some of his on-set antics. He has a cameo as a holographic as well as an actor's chair next to the director. Nepotism at its finest.

Von Spears is a rescue dog who hasn't let fame get to his head. No, he still fights with the cat, sleeps on the sofa, and wears the cone of shame just like the rest of the pups. He also gets to sit on Ronan's perch, sleep on the big bed, and it's the soft cone of shame. Not that big plastic thing. Tacky. He still goes to the gym and gets dirty. He has to get bathed and groomed before sessions with his personal photographer just like all of the other dogs. No? Not every dog has this? Hmm. Well, he's just a spoiled rescue with a movie credit, as it should be.

Just because Ronan was the bad guy in Guardians Vol. 1 doesn't mean it isn't a super cool name for a dog. Look at Ronan the Dog. Ronan started out as a stray and is a true rag to riches story. He was living on the streets when he met some friends. Their dad noticed he was hanging around a lot and took him to the Humane Society. After seven days his shelter buddy adopted him and now he's really set. He works with his mom as a dog educator, has earned his Canine Good Citizenship Certification and is also a dog model. Check him out on Facebook to see his story.

This would not be complete without the most obvious dog reference, Cosmo the Dog. Cosmo has a rather rich backstory and is an important figure in the Guardians, but his presence in the films themselves is rather minimal. He appears in the first film as one of the collections of The Collector. He escapes at the end and can be seen during the scene where Howard the Duck and The Collector share a drink. His presence in Volume 2 is of the Easter Egg capacity and without reading a ton of spoilers, it is difficult to say.