I (26F) have a dog named Charlie. Charlie is a golden retriever I adopted four years ago, and he’s my best buddy. Recently, my sister Emily (29F) had her first child—a baby boy. She and her husband decided to name him… Charlie.
At first, I thought it was funny and didn’t give it much thought. But during a family gathering, Emily pulled me aside and told me it was “confusing and disrespectful” to keep calling my dog Charlie now that her son shares the same name. She asked me to rename my dog.
I told her no. Charlie has had his name for four years; he knows it, responds to it, and it’s on all his records. Changing it now would be confusing for him (and honestly, for me). Emily got really upset, saying it’s unfair for her son to “share” a name with a dog, especially during family events. She worries it’ll cause jokes and confusion as her son grows up.
My parents are split on this. My dad thinks it’s ridiculous for Emily to expect me to rename my dog, while my mom says I should “consider it” for the sake of family harmony. Now Emily is barely speaking to me, and some other family members think I’m being stubborn.
I don’t see how I’m in the wrong. I love my dog, and it’s not like I named him to spite anyone. It feels unfair that I’m being asked to change something that’s been part of my life for years because they chose a name already in use in the family. AITA?
