Artie sits in a sweet spot between vintage and approachable — it's Arthur's friendlier face. A name a grandparent might have used in the 1940s that now reads as fresh rather than dusty. On a dog, it projects warmth and a certain harmless goofiness that tends to match the animal's actual personality.
The Grandpa-Name Pet Aesthetic
The fashion for giving pets "old man" names (Harold, Walter, Eugene, Arthur) has been building since the mid-2010s, driven by owners who find the contrast between formal vintage names and small fluffy animals inherently charming. Artie is the casual diminutive in that family, one step softer than Arthur. Beagles and Basset Hounds, breeds that already project a certain dignified mournfulness, seem to collect this name more than their share.
Human-Pet Name Crossover
Artie works as a human name too; it's been used for real people long enough to have its own baby name page. That double use is a feature for owners who want a pet name that doesn't register as obviously "pet" when mentioned in conversation.
Sound Fit
Two syllables, soft consonants, open vowel ending. Easy to say quickly in any emotional register, If you'd like calling the dog for dinner or warning him away from the couch. The "-ie" ending adds the diminutive warmth without making it sound babyish.