Seychelles Dog Names

In 2016, Seychelles hosted the nation’s first pet funfair on the west side of its main island, Mahe. According to Ella Rene, the chairperson of the Seychelles Animal Welfare Society (SAWS), the idea of the event was to raise awareness about the animals as well as fundraise for the group. Dogs are one of the most popular pets in the country; kept as a guard dog, family member or companion. The event included a myriad of breeds of all sizes. The show chose the dog that was seen as the best representative of the local breed. Another award was given for obedience to the dog best at executing commands like sit, stay and come.

Leo, who was adopted by Dennis Hardy from a rescue center, was the winner of the local dog category, and was chosen as the judge’s favorite. A dog named Boy, owned by Jean-Marie Croguennec, was the overall obedience winner. Many of those who attended the event saw it as a fun way to spent time with their dogs. Rene explained that money raised would be put towards building a new animal shelter as dogs are being fostered in different homes and there is no space to work with them all.

Bertauf Reef is an island located in the Outer Islands of Seychelles. Bert is also the name of a pup who has received a lot of attention. A Pomeranian, Bert was surrendered by a breeder because it was believed he was too large to sell. Fortunately, Kathy Grayson, who is the founder of a contemporary art gallery in New York City called The Hole, rescued the pup, who is now the gallery's mascot. Grayson had been looking for a pup in 2013 when she encountered the pup on PetFinder. She was immediately attracted to the pup, who was named Jasper at the time. According to Grayson, “the look on his face really spoke to me”. 

Grayson flew to meet the pup and immediately fell in love with his personality. As soon as she brought Bert home, she introduced him to the art world. Bert spends his days at the gallery, where he is the official greeter while also involving himself in numerous day-to-day activities. The pup enjoys when art students and art collectors come into Grayson’s, where he is bound to get plenty of attention. Sometimes, visitors bring their dogs to play with him. Bert travels all over with Grayson, having visited Miami and the Hamptons for art fairs. Outside of his life in the art world, Bert enjoys being a dog, visiting local parks, hiking and even going for a swim.