Dakharai, Dak for short, is an unusual name. It is a name that is not easily forgotten. Because it is such a unique name I am often asked about it's origin and meaning. So here it is. What it means and how it became my name.

The name Dakarai is African in origin, meaning "Child brings joy". It means "happiness" in Shona, a Bantu language native to the Shona people of Zimbabwe and southern Zambia.

I am a submissive. A boy. But most importantly, I am a puppy. (hence pupdak) A more in depth explanation of that can be found in the About the pup and About the boy pages (which will be coming soon). So I won't elaborate on that here. But as such, my relationships usually involve a Sir or Handler. As a new pup I did not have a name. While searching names, my Sir ran across a site and found Dakarai. It was very appropriate, as there were many things going on in his life, and the timing of our introduction could not have been better. It was the second choice, but ended up being the right one. After trying on the first choice, we settled for Dakarai.

As I became more involved in the leather and pup scenes, and found myself and my inner pup, Dak was the name I was introduced with. Everyone knew me as Dak. For a while it became somewhat of a game to see how creative people could be in finding out my real name. It was a nick name I used elsewhere. Even at work, everyone knew me as Dak. Dak was my puppy name, and puppy is an integral part of who I am. Not only when I was in that pup head space, but when I simply was. Puppy traits found their way into my daily life. I wag my tail (wiggle my butt, or legs when i'm sitting) when i'm happy. I growl at things when they frustrate me. I AM PUPPY! After looking into the process and the cost I decided to change my name. 4 months and $400 later my name was legally Dakharai Kristoffer Aldrich.

You may notice that there is an H in my name. That was added for the purpose of pronunciation. We thought that it would help guide people to a correct pronunciation. Well, that was a fail. To this day, the only people who can pronounce it are the FEW individuals who have seen or heard it elsewhere. None the less I do feel it a fitting name and one that I am proud of. One that my first Sir can be proud he gave me. It is a decision I do not and will not regret.