Dog Names Meaning Beloved

Coronation Street, the popular soap opera that has been airing on ITV since 1960, is well-known for its down-to-earth depictions of the working class. It has had several animals throughout it’s run, including cats, dogs, horses, a pet rat, a racing pigeon, and even two sea lions. A Yorkshire Terrier with a beloved name, David, was recently introduced to the show, when his owner, an elderly customer of the fictional “Audrey’s Salon” passed away and bequeathed the tiny dog to a hairdresser of the same name. While the dog did cause some trouble initially and was confiscated by a neighbor, the two Davids later bonded and now share their home at 8 Coronation Street.

In September of 2017, a beloved navy detection dog from Mexico by the name of Frida was highlighted in the news and on social media for her work during the 2017 earthquake that rocked Mexico City. Frida is a Golden Lab who, like the many other service dogs for the Mexican Navy’s Canine Unit, was chosen as a detection dog at just two months old. The training from that point on determines if they will go into detection for narcotics, explosives, or people. Dogs train three hours a day for a year before they are sent out to work disaster sites in Mexico and other nearby countries. Detection dogs like Frida are not only able to sniff out both deceased and living individuals during natural disasters they are also able to access areas that human searchers cannot. 

In order to safely navigate the rubble and other hazards, the dogs are outfitted in special harnesses that allow them to be lifted and easily carried if needed, wide canine goggles that keep water, dust, and debris out of the dog’s eyes, and booties that keep their feet from getting cuts and scrapes. In her career, Frida has worked at the sites of many natural disasters, including those at locations other than Mexico, such as Ecuador and Haiti. She has located over fifty people in her job with the Navy, upwards of a dozen of them still alive. Since Frida’s exposure on social media, she has become a symbol of heroism and hope for her shaken country and her popularity has inspired stuffed animals, printed t-shirts, tattoos, and even a mural as well as a Facebook campaign to have her image replace the current image of Diego Rivera on the 500 peso note.