Animals arriving at the shelter with no owner, "strays," are given names by the staff and volunteers and often do not even respond to these names by the time they go home. Animals brought in by their owners, "surrendered" to the shelter, keep their names unless deemed inappropriate for public use. Either way, a new name may be neither harmful nor helpful in getting a new pet settled in. Often animals respond to people's voices, and familiarity with sounds, not a specific name, are what helps a pet to recognize its friends and family. Renaming your pet should present no problem, especially when combined with soothing tones and familiar commands.