Mamma Mia! Inspired Dog Names

Mia is a common name, seen in many cultures. The Danish and Swedish people use it as a pet form of the name Maria, meaning bitterness or rebellion, whereas in Israel it is often seen as a shortened version of the name Michal, a Biblical name referring to the youngest daughter of King Saul, and in Italy and Spain the name itself means simply mine.  It is a short, sweet name that works well for dogs and one that has made some headlines in the recent past. For instance, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever in Hudson, CO made news in 2016 when she decided to play with a paring knife she found on the counter. When her owner tried to convince her to drop the knife by offering her treats, the dog got excited and ended up cutting her owner, leaving her with a four to five inch long gash in her forearm. The staff at the medical center had a hard time believing the story and sent deputies to investigate as a possible domestic violence case, but they were able to determine that she and the dog had been home alone as her husband was at the DMV renewing his license at the time. The owner ended up with several stitches and an interesting story to tell, and Mia hopefully learned that knives aren’t fun to play with.

In 2017, Mia Moore, a Cockapoo from Florida with a talent for counting, got her fifteen minutes of fame when she auditioned for America’s Got Talent. She was able to bark the correct number of times when prompted verbally, then impressed judges further by responding correctly to a number written on a flashcard as well. She impressed those watching and was initially sent to the Judge Cuts, but fell short of the top eighty shortlists and was cut from the competition.

Mia was also the name of a therapy dog that made headlines in 2018, when her owner, Darren Schook, was carjacked in the parking lot of Taco Bell. While the police located the stolen vehicle shortly after the incident, the dog, a ten-year-old Pit Bull-type dog, was not found with the vehicle. Darren and Mia spent much of their time visiting local hospitals to help patients cope, she was his greatest joy in life, and he was desperate to find her, so he posted flyers and turned to social media for help, posts were shared thousands of times over the next few weeks. Fortunately, a good Samaritan saw the dog being pushed out of the vehicle and took her in, eventually spotting the social media posts and returning her to her home, where she resumed her role as a comfort dog.