Oklahoma Dog Gets National Recognition For His Wacky Name

At just two years old, Doc is already making a name for himself all over the country.

“He’s just a good boy, that’s all I can say,” said Amber Hodge, Doc’s owner.

From the beginning, Hodge knew there was something special about Doc.

“He was my favorite from when she started sharing all their litter pictures,” said Hodge.

So as soon as he was available, Hodge made the trip from Wayne, Oklahoma to Tulsa to get the Australian Shepherd that had stolen her heart.

“I knew that I was going to come home with him. She wanted me to just come meet him and see if I liked him, and I was like, I’m bringing him home, I know I’m bringing him home,” said Hodge.

Now two years old, Hodge has introduced him to dock diving.

“He loves it. He knows exactly what his toy is, when we get ready to go. He’s got one special toy that we throw in the water for him, and as soon as you pull that out, he is ready to go,” said Hodge.

When he’s not diving into the water, he’s diving into his toy basket looking for toys, looking for his favorite squeak toy.

When Hodge got Doc, his breeder was calling him Chewy, but on her way home she began calling him Doc.

“Oh, he could be Doc Pawlliday. Tombstone is one of my favorite movies, Doc Holiday is my favorite character,” said Hodge.

This is the origin of his wacky name, but how did Doc become nationally recognized for it?

“So, my job offered per insurance,” said Hodge.

She immediately signed up for a policy for her beloved Doc Pawlliday, but little did she know signing Doc up for the insurance would generate a very unexpected email.

“Saying that he had been entered as a finalist in their wacky name contest,” said Hodge.

Doc Pawliday won The Nationwide insurance contest for wacky dog names.

“I lost my mind, I thought it was so cool. And I thought, I know people think this is a really silly thing, but it’s just a happy piece of news,” said Hodge.

This is the first year for the contest, and Hodge never anticipated anything like this. Doc is now famous on social media.

“He’s got his own Instagram, he’s got his own TikTok,” said Hodge.

For his winnings, Doc got a celebrity photo shoot, a spot in a magazine, and a $100 gift card.

“I put it all towards a Chewy gift card for him, to get dog toys whenever he needs them,” said Hodge.

You can follow Doc Pawlliday on his Instagram and on TikTok @doc_pawlliday.