A woman has been left gobsmacked after her brother's girlfriend ordered her to change her dog's "offensive" name. Confused, the 26-year-old explained how she adopted a rescue dog after moving back to her hometown.

After walking into the animal shelter, she says she fell in love with a German Shepherd mix named Dixie. She said on Reddit: "I knew she was the one for me. I quickly adopted her and moved her in with me where she has been adjusting nicely to her new home."

She excitedly invited her brother, 24, and his girlfriend, also 24, over to meet her new addition - but was shocked at his girlfriend's reaction to the five-year-old pooch. She added: "Now, I have never been the biggest fan of my brother’s girlfriend. She has always been passive-aggressive towards me and is the type of person who likes to complain just to complain.

"Within minutes of her entering my home and introducing her to Dixie, she tells me that I should really change the dog’s name. She tells me that it is offensive to black people and that it is a word that should never be spoken."

The term Dixie is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. According to the Dictionary of Americanisms on Historical Principles (1951) by Mitford M. Mathews, the term may have derived from Jeremiah Dixon, a surveyor of the Mason–Dixon line - a demarcation line that informally became known as the boundary between the Southern slave states and Northern free states.

According to The Atlantic, the term was popularised by the song 'Dixie’s Land', composed by Daniel Emmett, an Ohio-born member of the blackface minstrel troupe. Due to the term's history, country trio Dixie Chicks changed their name to The Chicks in 2020.

The Reddit post continued: "I explained to her that Dixie was already named when I adopted her, and she already responds to that name so it would be confusing to start calling her something else. I also think the name is cute and fits her well.

"My brother’s girlfriend then started telling me that I was racist and offending black culture (we are both half-black) and that she felt unsafe in my home and would not be returning until I changed my dog’s name. I told her that’s fine with me, and she grabbed my brother and stormed out."

Wanting to know whether she was in the wrong, she took to social media to ask users their thoughts. In response, one said: "Some people don't understand how to pick and choose their battles. There's absolutely zero reason for her to feel unsafe at your apartment, that's just regurgitating talking points."

Another user added:"Just to clarify I know the name Dixie has a negative history, but to be honest the first thing I think of when I hear 'Dixie' is paper plates and cups. That being said, does the brother's girlfriend storm out of parties if they are using Dixie paper plates and cups? [...] Language is a powerful thing and we have to be careful how we use it, but ultimately we are in control of how we let it make us feel."

A third user said: "I know a person named Dixie. She's not changing her name either. It's a cute name and if you like it, there's no reason to change it. The name of a group or a team is a different thing than the name of an individual. A group or team name is more symbolic and meant to convey an image or a brand. That's different than the name of an individual (person or dog)."