Dog Days

During Soviet era, dogs were often given names that described their character trait or colour.

So at dachas and on farms you might have found Молчан (Silent); or Буран (Snowstorm). Жучка or Жук is the name for a black dog (жук — beetle — is black). He might play with Белка (Whitey / Squirrel); Снежок (Snowy) and Каштанка (Chestnut, for brown dogs).

Other common Soviet dog names are derived from foreign words. For instance, Бобби is recognizably Bobby.

Cute dogs often would have nicknames like Тузик (Ace) or Шарик (Fluffy/Balloon).

Guard dogs had more spooky names — Клык (Fang); Гроза (Storm); Гром (Thunder) or names of planets and leaders: Марс (Mars); Зенит (Zenith) and Цезарь (Caesar). Guard dogs also get names that seem Middle Eastern to me: Казбек (Kazbek, a mountain on the Russian-Georgian border); Султан (Sultan); and Мухтар (Mukhtar, a common name in Central Asia and the Caucasus, and the name of a heroic dog in a television series — think “Lassie” only a German shepherd rather than a collie).

Hunting dogs is all about speed: Пуля (Bullet); Стрела (Arrow); Ветер (Wind); and Сокол (Hawk).

In the end, dogs are not our whole life, but they truly make our lives whole.