Woman Randomly Guesses Foster Dog's Real Name and Is Just as Shocked as Everyone Else

Rescue pets are often given new names simply because nobody knows what they were called before they were rescued. We have a rescued Pit Bull mix named Savannah, after the Georgia city, and her siblings were all named after places in our state, too. We're not sure how the rescuers who found this dog named Hoboken came up with his name, but it's pretty clear he's not exactly attached to it.

In this video, Hoboken's foster mom, Nai, casually tries to figure out what his real name might have been before rescue. She starts with "Hoboken," then shortens it and tries different variations. But the second she lands on the name that instantly grabs the dog's attention, both Nai and viewers everywhere are left completely stunned by the unbelievable coincidence.

@its.nai__

who ever named him Hoboken, ihy #fosterdog

Tchaikovsky "Dance of the Reed Flutes"(1257471) - kzy

Nai joked in the caption, "Whoever named him Hoboken, I hate you..." We'll agree that Bo is much cuter!

Commenter @Shiomara pointed out, "His little crawl!! He's like, 'Hello. Yes, that's me!' Ugh, so cute!"

@Miss Mizz shared, "If it isn't Bo, it's something extremely similar that he recognizes in the tone and pronunciation." We loved @Molly11's comment: "Bó is Cow in Irish and it suits him!"

Related: Shelter Dog's Precious Smile When Reuniting With Foster Mom Is Warming All of Our Hearts

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Do Dogs Really Know Their Own Names?

If you have a dog at home, they probably respond not only to their name but also to all the random nicknames you've given them over the years. According to PetMD, research from the American Psychological Association suggests dogs can understand more than 150 words, with mental abilities comparable to those of a 2-year-old child.

That said, dogs don't necessarily understand their names the same way humans do. For dogs, a name functions more like a cue that signals it's time to pay attention. They can also recognize nicknames because the sounds are similar to the names they already know.

"Dogs also read our body language and listen to our tone as we speak to them, which helps them decipher what we are telling them," PetMD explains. "This indicates that they also use both sides of their brain to understand human words. So yes, dogs are capable of knowing their name and nicknames."

So Hoboken's reaction makes a lot more sense once you realize just how much dogs actually understand.

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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 7:00 PM.