Courtesy of six Eli Manning dog owners

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By Steve Politi | NJ Advance Media

Let's get this out of the way first: We did not set out to build a photo collection of dogs named after Eli Manning. It just sorta happened.

I was writing a column about the Giants quarterback through the eyes of a fourth grader from Indiana who was named after him following his first Super Bowl MVP performance in 2008. That boy is growing up fast, another sign that Manning is running out of chances to pad his resume as an NFL passer.

But, I wondered, are there other kids out there like him? So I posed the question on Twitter:

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An odd request but here goes: If you know anyone who has named a son, dog, goldfish or anything else after Eli Manning, could you get in touch with me? — Steve Politi (@StevePoliti) July 26, 2018

I did find a second boy named after Manning following that Super Bowl win. But I also discovered that a lot -- and I mean a lot -- of Giants fans have named their pets after the quarterback. It doesn't matter if the dog is big, small, furry or, uh, a cat.

Eli is a good boy who deserves a treat and has a very proud owner. Because, in the hours after that tweet, something incredible happened.

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The replies kept coming ...

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Got him the day of SB42. My dad and I were at the game. My little brother and mom picked him out just before kickoff. pic.twitter.com/N8r1sLEtcB — Nj2StL (@Nj2Stl) July 27, 2018

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Here he is in his Giants gear ... pic.twitter.com/gRQ22HEDWJ — The Original G Man (@TheOriginalGMan) July 26, 2018

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it’s a bit old, but he’s got his colors on and all haha pic.twitter.com/X5YqU9BuMM — Tommy Pasquale (@super_tommy1017) July 26, 2018

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My family’s dog is named Eli after Eli Manning, he’s a 5 year old yellow lab! pic.twitter.com/EUJGsl87P8 — L A U R E N (@laurendennehyy) July 26, 2018

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... and coming ...

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Here’s my dog whose full name is Little Eli Manning pic.twitter.com/N9fZRHcrnd — Liz (@toomuchtime40) July 26, 2018

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My dog Eli...named after the 2x Super Bowl winner. pic.twitter.com/FvWJEAiyvG — Jeff Edmondson (@jedmonds_) July 26, 2018

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Our little buddy Eli! Got him before 2011 playoff game with Green Bay. @MattV_33 pic.twitter.com/r4JPEum1UQ — Keith Blazer (@keithblazer53) July 26, 2018

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This is Eli but depending on how the Giants are playing we will call him Peyton 😉 pic.twitter.com/I48ogDvUFm — Ben (@benkap5) July 26, 2018

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... and coming ...

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Eli Manning from Readington, NJ! pic.twitter.com/yR8uBVcZZ6 — NJ Giants (@SoxGMEN) July 26, 2018

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The quest spread beyond Twitter

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Courtesy Dan Harding

Hey Steve. Heard about your Twitter post today. I am a NJ native (now in St. Louis) and diehard Giants fan. Like Manning but have never loved him. My wife and I got our first dog this past December, right after the notorious benching. There was no other name for our cockapoo puppy than Eli. -- Dan Harding

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Courtesy of Matt Sanders

Hi Steve! I saw your tweet, and I wanted to share with you my family's 3 month old red fox lab, Eli! He is infact named after Eli Manning. Here are some pics... -- Matt Sanders

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One fan was skeptical

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Your passive aggression over OUR #1 QB is nauseating — Tom Mullen (@RottyTom) July 26, 2018

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Even he quickly came around ... and came clean

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LOL. I mean, really, Tom? Because I asked for cute dog photos? REALLY, TOM? — Steve Politi (@StevePoliti) July 26, 2018

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His name is Eli pic.twitter.com/IRJh8FiPbd — Tom Mullen (@RottyTom) July 26, 2018

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Dogs aren't the only Eli pets ...

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My cat’s name is Eli Manning pic.twitter.com/own01xPrmL — Anthony Atkins (@AnthonyJAtkins) July 26, 2018

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This is my cat Eli Manning Jr pic.twitter.com/QvDcjuAh05 — Michael Prousa (@mike_prousa) July 26, 2018

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Heidi Bell

From Heidi Bell (via email): "Being a family of season tickets holders since 1954 and third generation, the Giants are near and dear to us. My first cat was name after Phil Simms and when he passed, all my friends and family knew the name of my next little feline before I even told them: ELI!"

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And, of course, there were wise guys ...

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I named my dog Pick6. Does that count? — Michael Carbonare (@MCarbonare) July 26, 2018

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How about if I wanted to get a cat and name it Dave Meowthews. Does that sound like something you might be interested in? — Andrew Timoni 🇺🇸🇮🇹🇩🇪 (@AndrewTimoni) July 26, 2018

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True story: im actualy named after eli — PFTCommenter (@PFTCommenter) July 26, 2018

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But this might've been the winner

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May not be a dog, son or goldfish, but you can’t tell me Tree-li Manning isn’t an electric piece for the holidays pic.twitter.com/WHcVlCiryZ — nick bucci (@nickbucc) July 26, 2018

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Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevePoliti. Find Steve on Facebook.