‘My dog’s name gets mixed reactions in the pub – especially when I say he likes to party’

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Mike Pick, 71, from Bristol, says his golden retriever dog Boris gets mixed reactions to his name in the pub – and has the ‘same scruffy blonde hair’ as the old PM

When Mike Pick adopted a puppy from a family seven years ago, he decided to keep the dog’s name – but never anticipated how much attention it would bring later down the line. The adorable golden retriever called Boris “suited his name” and the 71-year-old from Bristol didn’t think anything of it.

But after Boris Johnson became Prime Minister and Partygate sparked a nationwide political scandal, he started to get some rather funny looks in the park. Mike told the Mirror : “In 2016, everyone knew of Boris Johnson as the Mayor of London. As time went on, he became more popular and then our dog Boris really got a lot of attention.”

Mike and his partner, Susan Macarthur, love going out to local pubs and says strangers always want to greet their golden pooch.

Then when they ask his name, Boris is often met with laughter or “funny looks”.

“We tell them he’s called Boris and some people laugh. Our little joke now is that he likes to party,” Mike said, chuckling.

“We’ll hear strangers say ‘guess what – that dog’s called Boris’ and ‘oh no’. It’s always mixed reactions.”

Boris is their only dog and when they call his name out in the park, people will often look round quizzically or give him a peculiar glance.

But the couple would never change his name – because “he definitely suits it”.

“He has some similarities with Boris Johnson. They have the same coloured hair and it’s definitely scruffy. Boris also likes to talk a lot and sounds like he’s waffling,” Mike explained.

The seven-year-old pooch has two personalities according to Mike – he’s calm and friendly indoors and wild and energetic outdoors.

“He was brought up in restaurants and pubs so he loves meeting people and children. He enjoys playing with our four grandchildren and he loves a cuddle,” he said.

“We have a holiday home in St Ives, Cornwall, and he adores diving into the water and playing frisbee. He’s a bit of a maniac.”

Mike says Boris’ favourite treat is gravy on a roast dinner and he’s always scrounging for food, which can be problematic.

“Once when it was snowing in Bristol, he ate six carrots off the snowmen in the park and all the kids were laughing that he’d taken their noses,” he reminisced.

The 71-year-old says Boris stands out for his “cuteness and white fluffy hair”, and most definitely got more attention for his name during lockdown.

“He’s not just another golden retriever. He’s got a novelty name and it makes him stand out,” Mike added.

Boris isn’t the only dog with links to the old PM – Joanna Nicol, 42, from Kettering, Northants, made the decision to call her shih tzu ‘Boris’ because she thinks they look so alike.

Joana said: “When we went to view him as a puppy, we noticed this overwhelming head of blonde hair, so we decided to call him Boris from the get-go before Boris Johnson was even Prime Minister.”

The five-year-old pooch has a “grumpy personality” and also gets odd looks in the park when she calls out his name.

Does your dog have an unusual name? Email [email protected].