---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a long time I called it Otter as I…"
description: "\"“For a long time I called it Otter as I had called Rontu, Dog. Then I decided to give the otter a name. The name was Mon-a-nee, which means Little Boy ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afa/scott-o-dell-44353_dog_for-a-long-time-i-called-it-otter-as-i-h_13294.png"
---

#  For a long time I called it Otter as I had called Rontu…

![“For a long time I called it Otter as I had called Rontu, Dog. Then I decided to give the otter a name. The name was Mon-a-nee, which means Little Boy with Large Eyes.” quote by Scott O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afa/scott-o-dell-44353_dog_for-a-long-time-i-called-it-otter-as-i-h_13294.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afa/scott-o-dell-44353_dog_for-a-long-time-i-called-it-otter-as-i-h_13294.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afa/scott-o-dell-44353_dog_for-a-long-time-i-called-it-otter-as-i-h_13294.png)

> ““For a long time I called it Otter as I had called Rontu, Dog. Then I decided to give the otter a name. The name was Mon-a-nee, which means Little Boy with Large Eyes.””

[Scott O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-o-dell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker recounts renaming an otter, choosing a name that captures its distinctive, expressive eyes and youthful appearance.

**In simple terms:** Renaming an otter to reflect its traits.

Key Takeaway

Names can embody observed qualities.

Themes

identity observation naming perception nature

Mood

curious affectionate playful

Type

personal anecdote nature reflection

When to use this quote

- wildlife observation
- pet ownership
- storytelling
- educational settings

Key Concepts

animal behavior personal connection cultural naming

Practical Applications

- creative writing
- animal education

Questions to Reflect On

- How does naming affect our relationship with animals?
- What does the otter’s eyes symbolize?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Boy Large](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boy-large-374001/) [Called Otter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-otter-373998/) [Decided Otter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decided-otter-374000/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Little Boy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-boy/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Otter Called](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/otter-called-373997/) [Otter Mon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/otter-mon-373999/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [Jung Min made my nickname. An animal called otter. At first I didn't know what exactly an otter was. So I didn't like it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heo-young-saeng/jung-min-made-my-nickname-an-animal-called-otter-at-first-i-didn-t/)

[Heo Young-saeng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heo-young-saeng/)

> [“My brother Ramo was only a little boy half my age, which was twelve. He was small for one who had lived so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-o-dell/my-brother-ramo-was-only-a-little-boy-half-my-age-which-was-twelve-he/)

[Scott O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-o-dell/)

> [I used to do little sketches into my cassette tape recorder when I was a little boy. I would just turn it on and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harland-williams/i-used-to-do-little-sketches-into-my-cassette-tape-recorder-when-i/)

[Harland Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harland-williams/)

> [Being in the body of an African-American woman, I prefer animation. I get to be everybody. I don't have to always be the white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cree-summer/being-in-the-body-of-an-african-american-woman-i-prefer-animation-i/)

[Cree Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cree-summer/)

> [And if I were a naughty little boy, the idea is to spank me into good behavior?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/and-if-i-were-a-naughty-little-boy-the-idea-is-to-spank-me-into-good/)

[Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/)

> [ “He \[James Cain\] is every kind of writer I detest...a Proust in greasy overalls, a dirty little boy with a piece of chalk and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/he-james-cain-is-every-kind-of-writer-i-detest-a-proust-in-greasy/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [“Here is a good joke. The little boy walks into an ice cream store, He asks for a sundae with extra hot fudge sauce.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-magsamen/here-is-a-good-joke-the-little-boy-walks-into-an-ice-cream-store-he/)

[Susan Magsamen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-magsamen/)

> [Biggest man law - be a man. Simple: be a man, definition of being a man is being a man. And don't let your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-griffin/biggest-man-law-be-a-man-simple-be-a-man-definition-of-being-a-man-is/)

[Eddie Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-griffin/)

> [My little boy, West, and my wife, they're my rock and that's the thing that keeps driving me to do better at what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-houser/my-little-boy-west-and-my-wife-they-re-my-rock-and-that-s-the-thing/)

[Randy Houser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-houser/)

> [My uncle Claude was my favorite uncle he was also my godfather. He and I were really, really close. He used to take me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smokey-robinson/my-uncle-claude-was-my-favorite-uncle-he-was-also-my-godfather-he-and/)

[Smokey Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smokey-robinson/)

> [Manchester United breathe football. When I have to make hard decisions, I always listen to little boy inside me and what he wants. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-van-persie/manchester-united-breathe-football-when-i-have-to-make-hard-decisions/)

[Robin van Persie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-van-persie/)

> [“If you aren't in love, Willow Vaughn, then my name isn't Miriam Brigham." Willow started out of her daydreaming and glanced up from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mcpherren/if-you-aren-t-in-love-willow-vaughn-then-my-name-isn-t-miriam-brigham/)

[Charlotte McPherren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mcpherren/)

> [As a little boy of eleven I entered the Cadet Corps. I was not particularly eager to become a Cadet, but my father wished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manfred-von-richthofen/as-a-little-boy-of-eleven-i-entered-the-cadet-corps-i-was-not/)

[Manfred von Richthofen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manfred-von-richthofen/)

> [When I was a little boy, I was reading Dante and I was saying to myself 'Bravo, Dante, Bravo.' It's so beautiful, the music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-benigni/when-i-was-a-little-boy-i-was-reading-dante-and-i-was-saying-to/)

[Roberto Benigni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-benigni/)

> [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

## More by Scott O'Dell

> [“My brother Ramo was only a little boy half my age, which was twelve. He was small for one who had lived so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-o-dell/my-brother-ramo-was-only-a-little-boy-half-my-age-which-was-twelve-he/)

[Scott O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-o-dell/)

> [“After that summer, after being friends with Won-a-nee and her young, I never killed another otter. I had an otter cape for my shoulders,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-o-dell/after-that-summer-after-being-friends-with-won-a-nee-and-her-young-i/)

[Scott O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-o-dell/)

> [The annual award of $5,000 goes to an author for a meritorious book published in the previous year for children or young adults. Scott…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-o-dell/the-annual-award-of-5-000-goes-to-an-author-for-a-meritorious-book/)

[Scott O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-o-dell/)

> [Many of our tribe went to the cliff each night to count the number killed during the day. They counted the dead otter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-o-dell/many-of-our-tribe-went-to-the-cliff-each-night-to-count-the-number/)

[Scott O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-o-dell/)

> [More than anything, it was the blue dolphins that took me back home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-o-dell/more-than-anything-it-was-the-blue-dolphins-that-took-me-back-home/)

[Scott O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-o-dell/)

> [They were black like a lizard's and very large and, like the eyes of a lizard, could sometimes look sleepy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-o-dell/they-were-black-like-a-lizard-s-and-very-large-and-like-the-eyes-of-a/)

[Scott O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-o-dell/)

> [Below me Rontu was running along the cliffs barking at the screaming gulls. Pelicans were chattering as they finished the blue water. But suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-o-dell/below-me-rontu-was-running-along-the-cliffs-barking-at-the-screaming/)

[Scott O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-o-dell/)

> [“I REMEMBER the day the Aleut ship came to our island. At first it seemed like a small shell afloat on the sea. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-o-dell/i-remember-the-day-the-aleut-ship-came-to-our-island-at-first-it/)

[Scott O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-o-dell/)

[Explore all 9 Scott O'Dell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-o-dell/)

## More Dog quotes

> [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/)

[L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/)

> [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/)

[Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/)

> [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/)

[Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/)

> [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/)

[Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/)

> [It is a fool of a shepherd who culls his dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-smith/it-is-a-fool-of-a-shepherd-who-culls-his-dogs/)

[Jefferson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-smith/)

> [“Flattery looks like friendship, just like a wolf looks like a dog.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice/flattery-looks-like-friendship-just-like-a-wolf-looks-like-a-dog/)

[Oscar Auliq-Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-auliq-ice/)

> [Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/brothers-and-sisters-i-bid-you-beware-of-giving-your-heart-to-a-dog/)

[Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/)

> [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/)

[Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/)

> [A shoe dog is somebody that really loves shoes, and that was me. I was a runner... that became important to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-knight/a-shoe-dog-is-somebody-that-really-loves-shoes-and-that-was-me-i-was/)

[Phil Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-knight/)

> [“I rub the ears of my dog, my stupid goddam ruddy great dog that I never wanted but who hung around anyway and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/i-rub-the-ears-of-my-dog-my-stupid-goddam-ruddy-great-dog-that-i/)

[Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/)

> [The sound man, immune as to a sacrifice of straw dogs, faces the passing human generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-sound-man-immune-as-to-a-sacrifice-of-straw-dogs-faces-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [ “A hasty dog always burns his mouth. \[192\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/a-hasty-dog-always-burns-his-mouth-192/)

[Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/)

> [And if the big dog ain't me, then the house won't get guarded - period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/and-if-the-big-dog-ain-t-me-then-the-house-won-t-get-guarded-period/)

[Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/)

> [“A year-long study by the University of Pennsylvania, ending in 2009 and published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science (Elsevier), showed that aggressive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-custo/a-year-long-study-by-the-university-of-pennsylvania-ending-in-2009/)

[Edward Custo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-custo/)

[Browse all 6,836 Dog quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“For a long time I called it Otter as I had called Rontu, Dog. Then I decided to give the otter a name. The name was Mon-a-nee, which means Little Boy with Large Eyes.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Scott O'Dell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-o-dell/for-a-long-time-i-called-it-otter-as-i-had-called-rontu-dog-then-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dog"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-o-dell/for-a-long-time-i-called-it-otter-as-i-had-called-rontu-dog-then-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afa/scott-o-dell-44353_dog_for-a-long-time-i-called-it-otter-as-i-h_13294.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afa/scott-o-dell-44353_dog_for-a-long-time-i-called-it-otter-as-i-h_13294.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afa/scott-o-dell-44353_dog_for-a-long-time-i-called-it-otter-as-i-h_13294.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For a long time I called it Otter as I had called Rontu, Dog. Then I decided to give the otter a name. The…” — Scott O'Dell",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Scott O'Dell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-o-dell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“For a long time I called...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-o-dell/for-a-long-time-i-called-it-otter-as-i-had-called-rontu-dog-then-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-o-dell/for-a-long-time-i-called-it-otter-as-i-had-called-rontu-dog-then-i/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
