Scottish Dog Names

Of all the famous Scottish dogs, most people readily recall Jock the Scottie from Disney's 1955 animated feature, The Lady and the Tramp.  Jock epitomises the Scottish Terrier as a feisty, bone burying, fiercely loyal animation and captured many hearts.  The Scottish Terrier was already one of the most popular dogs by the 1950's, so it was only natural to add this much-loved breed to the film.

Jock's introduction to the world couldn't be any more Scottish.  He is first seen humming a Scottish tune while carrying a bone and at first, audiences may have expected to hear the Scottish folk song, "The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond," but Jock adds new words to this song.  Jock, whose Terrier tendencies include guarding and digging, sings a tune to find his hidden cache of bones where he intended to bury his new bone.  Audiences are both entertained and connected with the Scottish cultural through Jock's Song where he sings, "with a bonnie, bonnie bone that I'll bury for me own in the bonnie, bonnie bank in the backyard."  Jock is seen as a fiercely loyal and protective dog through his regard for Lady.  In his Scottish accents, he explains that Lady's owners are expecting a "wee bairn," the Gaelic experience for a child or baby.    

This Scottish caricature dog sported a red, green, and gold tartan sweater and spoke with a thick Scottish accent.  However, Jock was not confined to a single Disney movie, and he made numerous cameos in the 101 Dalmatians series, Oliver and Company, and was an Easter egg in a Lion King scene.  Jock's rise to fame came when the Scottish Terrier was considered one of the most popular breeds in the United States.  The Scottish Terrier was a family favorite as early as the 1930's, and everything from home decor to fashion and literature sported Scottish Terrier motifs and themes.  The Scottie dog theme is still largely popular in Scotland and the United States.    

Scottie dogs remained popular choices among celebrities and public figures.  An ad campaign asking people to help Joan Crawford name her Scottish Terrier puppy resulted in the name Woggles but we might call him Puppy Dearest today.  Winston Churchill also kept a Scottie dog named Fala and Humphrey Bogart had a Scottie named Sluggy.  While these names do not capture the Scottish name, dog owners today can pay homage to Scottish heritage, history, culture, and myth through renaming their dogs after these famous Scots.