For now her name is Puppy
.....
UPDATE: Just talked to Carol (Monday afternoon), and they have narrowed it down to a couple of names. She assures me they will have a decision by tonight, and I will let you know the minute she tells me. If she doesn't choose one by tonight I'm going to go over to her house and pee in her orange juice.
.....
Last week I started volunteering for the Humane Society of Utah, something I've been wanting to do for years but have never kicked myself hard enough in the butt to do. I announced this to Jon, just like that, hey, I'm going to the Humane Society, I'l see you in about three hours. And I thought it would go in one ear and shoot right out the other because he was reading political websites, and when he gets in that mode the only thing that can distract him is the sound of the dishwasher opening because that signals I am either loading it or unloading it and within seconds he's in the kitchen groping me.
But he instantly shook his head as if a fly was stuck in his ear, and he was all, you're what? And I was all, but the dogs, they need me! And he was all, WOMAN, IF YOU BRING HOME A DOG I'M MOVING TO MONTANA. BY MYSELF. So I promised him I wouldn't, and I had no intention of doing so, except I fell in love with a dog. In fact, I fell in love with the first dog that I walked. And I wanted to adopt that dog right then, but then I thought, hmm... I kind of like Jon. I would miss him if he moved. Who would leave computer cables all around the house and buy hundreds of dollars worth of unnecessary crap when allowed to shop at Costco alone?
So I didn't adopt the dog right then and instead spent the next three hours being knocked over by 120-pound boxers and pit bulls who were more than a little bit excited to be let out of their cages. I'd open a cage and it was like a humpback whale would fall right on top of my head. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and one dog was so out of control that he worked his way out of the leash and headed for Montana. I had to chase him a half-mile down the road, and I was losing steam when it suddenly occurred to me to yell out in my high-pitched dog voice, the Make Coco's Head Explode voice, and it worked because the dog did a 180 and tackled me to the ground. The cuddling we did for the next five minutes right there on the sidewalk made me feel like I had cheated on my husband.
Yesterday when I showed up to do a few more hours of work I noticed that the dog I had fallen in love with was still there, had not been adopted, so I dove into her cage to take her for the first walk of the day. Bad idea, because my love had only deepened with the distance. Trying not to fall over in a bawling mess I took her out to one of the dog runs and let her play while I made an important phone call. Not to Jon, no, this story does not end in our divorce. Or with a long legal battle over custody of our espresso machine.
My friend Carol mentioned that they had been thinking about getting a dog, and did I have any advice since they'd never had one before. Advice? STAY AWAY FROM MINIATURE AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERDS. Also, I'd be doing some work at the Humane Society and I'd keep an eye out on a dog with a temperament and size similar to Chuck's. And this was that dog. A 27-pound black lab mix, one year old, submissive, adorable, cuddly. Doesn't jump up on people. Great with kids. Loves to play with other dogs. The only way she could be more perfect was if she could balance a pitcher of beer between her ears.
She made a few phone calls to her husband, called me back, I called her back, and six hours later I had her and her three kids in my truck on the way to the Humane Society. Luckily the dog was still there when we arrived, and I tell you what, she could not have put on a better show for that family. She snuggled up to each kid, jumped around the dog run happily, ignored all the other maniacal barking dogs nearby, and basically stole all their hearts. Within the hour she was in the back of my truck and we were all trying to figure out what to call her:
When she was dropped off two weeks ago she did not have a name and so the Humane Society just called her Blackie. None of the kids liked that one, so they started throwing out their own ideas: Isabelle, Pepper, Charlie, Dusty, B.B. Carol's eight-year-old son is pretty sold on the name he came up with and insists that no matter what the final name is he will call her Car.
No one could agree on anything, and this morning when Carol brought the dog over to play with Chuck and Coco she revealed that they still did not have a name. And I said, you know what? I bet I know some people with a few ideas and asked her if I could take this dilemma to you.
Internet, we need a name for this dog.
Carol has only a few criteria. It has to be two syllables, shouldn't be too girly or too hard to say, and it should definitely roll off the tongue. Carol's husband suggested that maybe the name should reflect their lifestyle. They're very outdoorsy people, love to hike and bike and ski. They love the blues (thus B.B. that was suggested above). Also, they're from the Midwest and pronounce everything the wrong way, so maybe it could be a name that would allow me to make fun of them endlessly when they say it.
Any ideas?
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Heather talks about public tantrums (from kids) on today's Momversation.
- Bedtime, Leta lingering defiantly in the hallway. Jon: "If you want fart stories, you better get in bed RIGHT NOW."
- RIP Louis Mortimer Armstrong: http://bit.ly/1R4tv6
- Hugs and kisses to you, too! RT: @Monkey_Tree: @dooce he probably committed suicide because he was tired of LISTENING TO YOU WHINE.
1500. Lene said:
I know this one may have unfortunate political connotations, but I'm a big fan of naming animals based on feel, letting the name come by itself. And the only name that's in my head when I look at this beauty is Sarah.
1501. Laura said:
Nalgene!
1502. Jaimee said:
sundance, sunny for short (as in sundance kid, the)
cubbie (as in cubs, midwest hollah!)
eeyore
1503. Allison said:
Such a sweet looking dog!
Pepper
1504. Anonymous said:
LUNA
1505. Anonymous said:
Carrie.
1506. Catie said:
I donate to you my Mom's Favorite dog name ... Bohanny, cause then you can call her Bohanny Wanny. If it doesn't make sense just say it out loud and see if it doesn't make you giggle.
1507. Amy said:
I suppose with so may readers you're bound to run into coincidences. Like the mini aussie currently terrorizing my house, or the fact that after FOUR MONTHS of application process and training and orientation and more training, I finally walked my first dogs at the Humane Society last weekend. (Four months. really? To walk a dog?) But really, stop freaking me out Heather. If your next post is about the Tom Petty XMX show I listened to last night, I'll be convinced something fishy is going on.
My suggestions, one of which is a mini aussie discard so maybe Carol shouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole:
Bella
Shadow
Cinder
1508. Charlene said:
Luna
1509. Catie said:
Plus fun to hear people with accents say (My mom is from Ohio)
1510. Anonymous said:
We named our most recent shelter acquisition Hope...and call her Hopie, so that has two syllables. And for any shelter dog, Hope about sums it up.
1511. rooth said:
C is my understanding is the best heard syllable by dogs and cats or K's So Kodak? Cody?
I'm PROUD to be a member of the 1st 1500 responses club!
1512. Megan from Montana said:
How about Rocky? As in, the Rocky Mountains? They love to hike and ski etc...so why not? Plus, there was that hole MONTANA issue...
1513. Marlo said:
Given that you did chose Jon over that sweet puppy face, I'm going with pre-nup. :)
1514. Jasmine Marie said:
Shadow
(I love the movie Homeward Bound. Only your dog looks more like a Shadow than the one in the movie.)
1515. Rebecca said:
She looks just like my dog, my Molly.
Some great suugestions here!
1516. Megan from Montana said:
How about Rocky? They love to hike and ski, and there was the whole MONTANA thing. :)
1517. Ivy said:
I say Chloe and my hubbie says Marlie.
1518. Anonymous said:
She looks like my old dog Samba.
I miss her still.
1519. Singalma said:
Carla
1520. Anonymous said:
Tana
1521. Dawn said:
Sorry, no name suggestions. That's really a personal choice. But I would like to ask how you yell out in a high-pitched dog voice, that makes dogs turn around and come back. See, while I love my pound dog, Cooper, he will run off from me and not listen to my cries and pleas for him to come back for nothin'. Even though I'm the one that feeds him, walks him, and buys him treats. Ungrateful.
1522. Megan from Montana said:
Rocky (as in Rocky Mountains...)
I think this is the 3rd comment I've left by mistake. I wasn't sure it the others went through. Sorry if I'm being a crazy repeditive blogger, but dammit, the dog needs and name.
1523. Amy said:
1) Canyon
2) Loved BooBoo was back there.. for Yogi's sidekick. Cute
3) Bessie
1524. Anonymous said:
Davie, like the girl version of Davy Crockett!
1525. Ellen said:
Coltrane (Cole)
1526. Carrie said:
Sammy :)
1527. Rachael said:
Bella. Or Roxie.
1528. Rebecca said:
Our hypothetical next dog, the one who lives only in my heart:
Brisket
1529. Sweetpolly said:
Moxie
1530. Larissa Gaston said:
I had a dog that looked just like this too - the animal rescue found her on the side of the road and had called her Abbey (for Abbey Road) - and I kept it. Might be an option.
I kind of like Annie though. It's sweet and fun. Or Andie? Obviously I'm into A's.
1531. Heidi said:
Rosa Barks
1532. sally said:
Prancer?
FLicka?
1533. Mary said:
Jasper
1534. Tabitha said:
Eva (like on Wall.e)
Mona
Bella
1535. pageslap said:
BILLIE.
1536. Anonymous said:
Bowser came to mind.
But I saw Hedgepig in another comment and loved it.
and just FYI----I ADORE DOOCE.COM!!!
1537. pageslap said:
JUNO.
1538. lorabora said:
Giselle
Echo (like Echo Mountain in CO)
Shiloh
Cricket
Onyx
Delta
1539. Jewelee said:
I love the name Mica (which someone else suggested) She certainly is shiny enough and it is an outdoorsy/nature based name.
I love that you did this. It would be great if you did a shelter dog of the week post -- your photos are probably much better than what the shelter posts. In no time all Utah's strays will have homes. Then Maggie can do a MightyMutt site for all the dogs in San Franciso and so on.
1540. Kat's Mom said:
When I saw the pictures, I was inspired to shout "Lou Lou!" (pronounced Loooooo Loooooooo!) It's sweet, two syllables, and easy to say.
She also looks like a "Lovey" to me. That was the nickname that evolved from one of the most beloved dogs in my family. His name was Zerick, but he had such a wonderful personality and was simply, such a lovey, that that was what we called him.
Lou Lou or Lovey.
1541. sally said:
Echo
1542. jewed said:
Duh...Barack of course!
1543. sally said:
Shadow
1544. kellie said:
I always wanted to have a baby and name the baby Hunter - unisex and great name. My ex husband said I better get a dog and name it that because no kid of his would be named Hunter
I adopted a black lab mix from the pound and named her Hunter - she was the best dog ever - and lived to the ripe old age of 18 - LONG TIME for a lab - she passed away last year -
Hunter
I also like Sierra
Blanca (spanish for white - just a fun spin)
1545. Finch said:
Telemark... Markie.
Carabiner... Biner...
Merrill, like the shoe company.
1546. kim at allconsuming said:
Every day you post makes my day that bit better.
Names:
Hippo - because it's like the fact Jon won't let you adopt one of those either. God woman. What you're NOT doing for feminism.
Digby
Lulu
I'm letting my 1 year old play in a bowl of cereal to type this. Such is my devotion.
Just so you know. No pressure. when it comes to choosing.
1547. lesley said:
hi from vancouver! i think her name should be Ochre for her beautiful golden eyes - trying to imagine how this could be mispronouced with a midwestern accent..
1548. Laura said:
Dixie.
1549. Nancy said:
My daughter, Elizabeth, suggests Cookie!!
1550. the1stNoL said:
I love the volume of responses you have on this- there is no way I am reading 1,534 or whatever posts- I am sure someone has suggested it.
Karma
(also gets the kid's "car" in the there.)
I think it is fantastic Karma that you were able to bring the dog/family together.
1551. Ashley said:
She looks like a Lola to me. Very cute. We have a similar dog--Cosmo--black lab mix. Nice job finding a home for her!
1552. Tracy said:
I haven't weeded through all 1500 comments, but I'm voting for India. As in the ink.
She's a beauty...so glad she's found a good home!
1553. Michele said:
I have a black lab mix and you described her to a T. Since I live in Florida and you on the other side of the country and it is such a cool name. Roxie. I have no idea if the other 1500 comments suggested this name, but it's a cool name. (She came to me with that name, I rescued her also.)
1554. Anonymous said:
Greta
Nellie
Sierra (since they like hiking)
and we had a little black pound dog named Sadie. She lived to be 17 1/2 and was awesome! There is a great bluegrass song:
"Sadie, Sadie, oh what a lady,
Sadie, Sadie, oh what a girl,
Sadie, Sadie, oh what a lady,
Sadie, Sadie, Sadie you're my girl."
We used to sing her that and she would spin in circles with joy.
1555. Brea said:
Kiley
1556. Adrienne said:
He looks like a "Percy" to me.
1557. Anonymous said:
I had a dog that looked just like this when I was a little girl, and his name was Prince. I am assuming it's a girl so what about Princess! In that last picture she sure looks like a Princess!
1558. Melissa said:
coming back to post more:
Etsy
Lala
(I love Lola--it also means Grandma in filipino)
Yoko
Stevie
Frieda
1559. Anna Lefler said:
Two-syllabed outdoorsy, huh? Well, then what about:
Autumn (Safe and seasonally appropriate.)
Sunset (You know, you go right to Sunny from there and that's good stuff.)
Rocky (Hey, don't judge. She could be kind of butch.)
Onyx (Hmmm, could make for tricky nicknames, though. "Here, Nyxxy! C'mere girl!")
Lands' End (Very outdoorsy and fleece-ish, yet affordable.)
Black Dog (Fierce and minimalist. Reminiscent of the Bauhaus [Bowhouse?] movement)
Xena, Warrior Princess...or just plain Xena to her friends (A very powerful name. It's important to build up the self-esteem of girl dogs, who often are viewed in dog society merely as objects whose principal value lies in performing domestic duties. There are also those who say that the girls dogs are not as good at math as the boy dogs, which is complete pucky.)
So, anyway...hope those suggestions are helpful and best of luck with all that!
1560. anna said:
may
romy
pickle
butt'a bayybee
shug
1561. Maggie said:
Please don't let them name her Maggie.
1562. Kim in GA said:
I have a friend who once had a dog named DOG...pronounced DEE-O-GEE. All rolls off the tongue like saying Diego. What an adorable hunk of Love!
1563. Anonymous said:
Truffle!
Barky!
Autumn!
I love the other suggestions of Keeper, Cinder and Fargo.
1564. Maggie said:
Ditto. No Maggie.
1565. Anonymous said:
She is totally a Roxie. Hands down. Or Olive, because it sounds so sweet.
1566. Kaite said:
Sela. She looks like a Sela to me.
1567. Jennifer said:
Onyx!
1568. Lulu said:
I second Lulu!!!! hehe!
Abbey? (Our pups name)
Saffron
Mika
Jasper (I know it is a boys name but it would suit her!)
Stevie
Such a cute doggy- I love labs!
1569. Michelle said:
What about Panda (since she's black and white) or Charlie?
1570. Elizabeth said:
I think two names could be appropriate for this dog! One is Birdy, which is outdoorsy and two syllables. another could be Perdy, which is the main woman dog on 101 Dalmations, short for Perdita!
1571. MomBecka said:
like in Negro (spanish for black) Bupkus (yiddish for bean) .... Black Bean!!!
1572. Kellie said:
Jazzy
1573. Dave said:
I don't envy you sifting through all these names. My vote is for
Sasha
If they're really leaning toward the blues and B.B. King, I would suggest
Nadine or
Lucille
1574. Anonymous said:
I think she looks just like a Chloe
1575. Tara said:
IMHO, the best possible name for this dog is: Karma! That way, the little one can still call her *Car*, plus invokes the serendipitous way she entered the lives of the family. So that's my vote!
1576. Tanzie said:
Ski-inspired:
Rossi (pronounced "Rozzi" as in Rosignol)
Leki
Roxy
Hike-inspired
Merrel
Kelty
Coleman
What a beautiful story by the way! And Kudos to you Dooce for the most effective and self-inflicted kick in the butt!!
1577. Katherine said:
Abby
Maggie
Skipper
Poppy
For the Blues lovin
Mamie
Sippie
Lizzie
And of course! -- Billie
1578. kate said:
How about SASHA?
She looks like a SASHA to me.
Very cute dog, I must say.
1579. proccers said:
We had a dog named *Dilly* growing up. She was an amazing dog, and your puppy reminds me of Dilly. My dad always said a fairy came and whispered her name in his ear in the middle of the night. She was dumped as a puppy on the end of our dead-end street and adopted us.
Homepage link is her pic.
from Merriam Webster (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dilly)
Main Entry: dil·ly
Pronunciation: \?di-l?\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural dillies
Etymology: obsolete dilly, adjective, delightful, perhaps by shortening & alteration from delightful
Date: 1935
: one that is remarkable or outstanding (had a dilly of a storm) (for a practical joke, that was a dilly)
1580. Kellie said:
Coltrain
1581. Mara said:
Greta
or
Happy
1582. Danno said:
They like the outdoors, right? I'd go with Kelty.
1583. Anonymous said:
Pogo
1584. James Turley said:
Guybrush
or
Threepwood
1585. kellie Herring said:
Crap, I had my hubby type that in for me. He didn't spell Coltrane correctly. So, Coltrane, not Coltrain.
1586. Melissa said:
There are a few comments about naming her shadow. I had a dog that looked similar to "puppy" and we thought about calling her shadow, and for the first week everyone thought our dog was a boy.
So we changed it to Shady. You could call her Shady. Although whenever we told her to sit it always came out "Shit Sadie!!" I like Missy and Lyzette, too.
1587. Anonymous said:
What a heart-breaker!
I second (or 3rd):
Annie
Radar
Josie
And they should practice yelling it outside (didn't I just read/hear that about kids' names?)
1588. Toni said:
Token
That way, you talk your friend into getting a white dog and this one will be the "token black dog".
Yea, stole the name from South Park. But I have a Kenny and Tweak so I can't help myself.
1589. Erin M said:
I suggest Pixel. I named one of my horses that because he thinks he is a tiny black dot that can curl up in your lap. Not!;)
1590. Anonymous said:
butt munch
does she not look like she's going to take a chunk out of coco? Oh yea!
1591. Christi said:
Lulu. Well, that's my dog's name, so i'll stick with it...
1592. Deeples said:
Shiloh. (Midwest-ish. Brad/Angelina-ish. River-y)
Simone. (As in Nina... oh, bluesy love....)
Kaya. (essentially, kayak with out the ending "k" that makes one sound like one is barfing up one's lungs)
For those pronunciationally-challanged: Kai-uh
1593. Katie said:
Hmmm...I've discussed with my roommates and we think:
Dakota
Pooka
Sammy
Or if you really want to go midwestern... how about Bubbler? (a drinking fountain...but still, very midwestern and two syllables!)
1594. Stacie said:
Our rescue dog is named Layla. Eric Clapton, is not 100% blues, but the name is a classic!
1595. Anonymous said:
If they like the blues how about Betty?
1596. Jaime said:
I have four suggested names:
Camper
Ryder
Holly
Palin (ha ha! KIDDING. I don't drink the Palin Punch)
1597. Evie said:
Riley!
1598. Anonymous said:
Billie (as in billie holiday).
1599. busymomma66 said:
Lucy. Her name is Lucy.
1600. Anonymous said:
Are you sorry now that you asked?
I have also always liked Setjie. It just sounds cool.
1601. Jen said:
My daughter wants to throw out some names. She likes:
Riley, Ginger, Pepper and Mitzy (since our dog's name is Fitz after Cerro Fitzroy).
We also like Indy and Dakota (especially fun to hear upper-midwesterners say).
1602. Leslie said:
How about Midnight or Noche? Sorry of those have already been suggested. I do not have the patience to read through all these comments. But love the blog :)
1603. Anonymous said:
Nice story - congratulations to Carol & family on their new addition.
My philosophy is that pets should have pet names, and people should have people names (though it is a lot harder to separate those now).
I have heard that dogs learn their name faster when it has a hard consonant, especially at the beginning.
We had a wonderful dog named Biskit. But also like the names Bullet, Frisco, and Briscoe.
1604. Amy said:
i like piper... and ryan
1605. Kris said:
I'm a foster "mom" for a golden retriever rescue, and I get to name my foster dogs. I ALWAYS follow the "two-syllable rule" when naming them as well. So far, I've had a:
Bailey
Oakley
Charlie
Cody
Jesse
Gracie
but for this girl I'm feelin' MARLEY!
1606. Carolyn (frau CowTown) said:
Oh, I saw a name someone mentioned early on in the comments that I thought would be great too. Willow!
Congrats and good karma and all that for your volunteer work.
1607. Dawn said:
Ohhh, I want a puppy so bad! I'm also thinking about volunteering at the humane society or a dog rescue... I might just have to make a phone call tomorrow.
I'm seconding the following:
Aspen
Billie
Tahoe
Piper
Pepper
1608. Carrie said:
Anna Banana!
1609. jen manuele said:
how about Groovy?
1610. Julie Smies said:
She's obviously Raven.
1611. Julie said:
Hazel and Sadie are my top two choices. :-)
1612. Kelly said:
She is a sweetie.
And she is definitely "Lucy".
1613. Anonymous said:
Oprah.....she'll propbably gain weight as she ages....
1614. DanaKay said:
Definitely Lola.
1615. Ulrika said:
Tovah. It means 'sweet' or 'good'. Seems apt.
1616. superkittn said:
I like Spanky
1617. Lucy, 4 years old said:
Helga.
1618. katy said:
Carson. Then Harrison could call her "Car" for short.
1619. Anonymous said:
Afra.
I had a black sweet dog with that name.
Talking about dark and sweet what about Choco?
1620. Anonymous said:
Denver
1621. hilary said:
She reminds me of our Humane Society dog, Katie, who just turned 14 this month and who has been with us for 13 years.
So Katie it is.
1622. Jessica said:
Maggie.
1623. Rori said:
Gidget
Gidget was a surfer. Gidget also danced. So... Gidget.
1624. jill said:
With the family being from the Midwest the dog needs 2 names,like:
PATTY LOU...
OR
SADIE SUE...
Or you could just go with OREO
like a cookie you just want to eat all day long. Or is that just me?
Good luck, you have a TON of choices!!
1625. Melissa S. said:
I will let Carol borrow my future dog's name seeing as I am all the way here in D.C. ;)
Buckley
Once we are out of this small apartment and can have a yard we are going to get a rescue dog and name it Buckley (after the musician Jeff Buckley and also the name of the dog in the Royal Tenenbaums movie).
She looks super sweet and I would have wanted to take her home as well!
1626. Catherine said:
Ripley or Molly are two of my favs.
1627. Tara said:
Carly (car-lee)
Sadie
Luna
1628. Rori said:
Mylo
Short for My Love.
That's my better idea.
1629. cori said:
she's a beauty!
2 suggestions at the moment:
rocket, or bingo. you could also call her ninja (which is the name of my dog), since she is all black, but it would depend on how stealthy she is.
will you announce the final name?
1630. JB said:
Pokey
1631. The Domestic Goddess said:
Sorry, but that dog is the SPITTING IMAGE of my dog Shadow.
Two syllables. Black dog, goes with her persona, since she no doubt follows them everywhere (as labs do.).
Shadow.
Or Bandit. One of the two.
1632. Jennifer Lowry said:
She looks like a Darby to me. (The Julia Roberts character in The Pelican Brief).
1633. Susan Pertierra said:
Maggie Mae
1634. Peggy said:
Noodles
Star
Coal
Nell
Penny
1635. Susan said:
We have a dog similar to that description - a lab, but not quite a lab... black as black - Shadow.
But when I saw pictures of her - Dakota came to mind. Then throw in some of those silly pronunciations of South and North to it... and you have a fun name to pick on.
1636. goodfather said:
Nice pic! He looks like a great dog.
2 syllables, blues, hmmmm.
How about: (Count) Basie?
1637. Anonymous said:
They like B.B. huh? I'm from Mississippi too. So I'd have to go with Lucille, or Lucy Car.
1638. Antigone said:
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for doing what so many people are afraid to do and spending time at the Humane Society.
Mix breed and formerly stray or abandoned dogs make the best family members.
1639. Sarah said:
Jackson! Or Izzy. And I totally may have double commented. Oops.
1640. Charlotte said:
Layla! Pronounced lie, like lie down, la.
It means "night" in Hebrew.
1641. Tania said:
Billie. That little lady has seen some hard times so she's probably been singing the blues.
1642. Anonymous said:
I live in Texas and someone in the hurricane lost a black lab named MOJO and I think that would be cool since you are saving this adorable dog.
1643. Ryan said:
She looks like my cousin's dog - Zoey. I always like to use names from movies or songs. We had a Shelby and now I've got a Layla.
1644. Anonymous said:
It's a boy's name, but I must share...my little black poodle is named Sancho Panza. (Sancho for short)
!
1645. tzrb said:
Moxie
Roxy
Sierra
Ginger
1646. martina said:
Flash, Zippity or BB are our nominations.
1647. Melissa said:
Wow. That could be a picture of our dog, Emmy, complete spitting image. We called her that because of the performance she put on at the Humane Society - no way were we able to leave her behind either.
She was a wonderful dog. We had to put her down 2 years ago at age 14, and these photos bring back some great memories of when she was little. We never did figure out what her mix was - lab and border collie maybe we thought.
She'd always 'point' when we were out walking in the bushes, though never knew what to do next. Half a bird dog, but all around a great dog. I miss her!
I've read Dooce for 3 years now and of all the things I've seen, this is the first to ever make me comment!
1648. margaux said:
Parker
1649. eve said:
bessie (as in bessie smith)
billie
lola
...?
1650. Ginger said:
What about Zeta or Xena???
1651. Kristin said:
Lefse.
It's a potato pancake often rolled up with butter and sugar. Like a little sweet puppy all curled up on the hearth.
Midwesterners know how to pronounce that.
1652. Christin H. said:
Lola
Fandango
Beatrice (just kidding!)
1653. Joanne said:
I don't know if it rolls off the tongue, exactly, but as soon as I saw her eyes, I thought "Amber". She's a pretty little girl.
Kudos to you for volunteering for the Humane Society. I've been toying with the idea of volunteering for our local Humane Society for a long time, but I'm trying to get over becoming overly-emotional (read: a big fat, cry-baby) every time I'm around the dogs there. I'd end up bringing dogs home and my husband would probably end up in Montana, too.
1654. Kerry said:
I just adopted the yellow lab version of this dog, 27 pounds...her name is Barley...named by my husband and she is the color of. The adoption people called her "minilab"
Maizie
Cassie
Cassidy
Zuzu (from the little girl in It's a Wonderful Life, she will have one now)
Daisy
Pearlie
Boingo
from above...I like Stella, but there are two dogs on my street named Stella, I think it must be popular right now.
1655. megan said:
I think Willa would suit her...
1656. TXMama said:
She is a beautiful dog!!
How about EMBER.
Enjoy!!!!
1657. Anonymous said:
my dogs are sophie and zoe.
I like Toby.
1658. Katie said:
Runner
Starts to sound cooler the more I say it in my mind.
I always thought I'd let a pet "reveal" their name to me, but then it took a year to name my cat so I just freaking picked one. I love my Lola.
1659. Jennifer said:
Gracie, as in "Say goodnight Gracie."
1660. Sunshine said:
I can't read through all these to see that this has already been suggested... but she looks so gorgeous with those brown eyes. I think she looks like a Lady.
1661. Melissa Shea said:
Cedar
1662. Carolyn said:
Samwise
1663. Jill said:
Raina
Maple
Lotus
Rosecakes
Sasha
Beauty
1664. Katie said:
Sundance?
1665. Ashley said:
Places out west:
Leidy
Payson
Nyssa
Rigby
1666. stacey b said:
fargo is BRILLIANT.
also, i have a midwestern accent, and people love to make fun of the way i say "tahoe," so that's a good suggestion as well...
manvel is the little town in north dakota where my family is from. thought i'd throw that out there in case they like that name. :)
1667. Laurie said:
Rudy
River
Maple
Olive
Willow
1668. Amy said:
So my husband decided on the perfect name for our dog. So I had him come in and give it a shot. The name he came up with?
RACKLES I don't know why. But he's sticking to it.
As for me... CLEA.
1669. Rachel said:
How about Carly? 2 syllables, music related, sounds good with a midwest accent, the one kid could still call her "Car"..it totally fits all the criteria
1670. Jen said:
gumbo?
1671. Sara said:
Lucy gets my vote.
1672. audrey said:
Bella.
Simply ...Bella. I don't know why but that was the first name I thought of when I saw those adorable pictures.
1673. Anonymous said:
Please, for me ... since I can't have a dog but have always wanted one, name the dog JoJo.
1674. Jean Ann said:
Ranger
Oakley
Ally
1675. Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves said:
Sugar or Cupcake
1676. Anonymous said:
Howsabout Pickles?
1677. Sheryl said:
Lola!
We have a Lola who has a similar sweet face. And I just love the ears. My Lola is a bit mischievous though, so watch out if you go with it.
1678. Rachel said:
How about Carly? 2 syllables, music related, sounds good with a midwest accent, the one kid could still call her "Car"..it totally fits all the criteria
1679. cori said:
rocket
bingo
ninja
1680. Anonymous said:
Sasha.
1681. Dylan said:
Spirit. First word that came to mind. Well, "Spike" was the first one, but that dog doesn't look like a "Spike", and it's only 1 syllable.
1682. beyond said:
astra
inky
skipper
1683. Beth said:
Olive - Ollie
Murphy
Izzy
1684. Anonymous said:
Some options for you:
Lulu
Gertie
C.C.
Nola (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Baby
Zazu
Sadie
Trixie
Scout
1685. Lisa said:
MOJO
Best dog name ever.
1686. sarah said:
ooh, i agree with #29, i really like piper!
i'm happy you found a home for a great dog! hope the kids enjoy their new pooch :)
1687. mark said:
Kingston
1688. Razzle said:
When I was in college, I had a great dog that looked similar to her. His name was Jamie. I have 4 rescued dogs- 2 golden retrievers and a chow/shepherd/golden and a chow/golden/yellow dog something-or-another. I want to name a dog Alice. You don't see many Alices. Also Coalby- since she's black. Sambo but then the NAACP will have a cow.
I volunteer socializing dogs at the SPCA. It's FUN!
1689. Jill said:
Sparky. Sparky the Wonder Dog.
1690. Katie said:
I vote for Ebony. I had a lab named Ebony. I always thought it was kind of creative, but I see that it's been mentioned already. Anyway, it's a great name. You can shorten it to Eb or Ebby or elongate it to Eboneezer Scrooge when she's grumpy.
Other names:
Ella
Riley
1691. laura said:
Sweat Bear
or Pear.
1692. patty said:
you are an angel. i don't know if you know it or not, but black dogs often do not get adopted, so that makes what you've done extra special.
ok, for the name. i have three black dogs, all adopted from our local shelter. your friends nameless dog looks just like one of mine, taffy, must have looked like when she was young. my other dogs are named bebe (b.b.!) and ozzy (who was named 'puppy' during his 12 months at the shelter). so anyway, i vote for the name taffy. yep, it's a bit girly, but it's such a sweet name for a very sweet and special dog!
1693. Jenni said:
Acer - the latin genus for maple.
1694. Jule said:
How about Dara, like Dara Torres, rhyming with Laura ;-)
1695. Bob said:
Hm. Pronounces everything wrong, two syllables and flows off the tongue. How about crayon?
1696. Allison said:
They should name her NANCY.
Nancy is a good name. :]
1697. sarah said:
oooh, i LOVE LUNA! nicknames: "LULU" for when she's cute...and "LUNATIC" for when she's being not so cute. :)
congrats!
1698. Mocha said:
Trixie
or
Widget
1699. Christy said:
How about Carly, so that Car as a nickname makes sense.
1700. Jane (Harold) said:
Another blues suggestion is Koko (Koko Taylor).
How about Arthur (because Blind Arthur Blake sang Black Dog Blues). I'd prefer Blake, but it's one syllable, at least in my accent. "Black dog, black dog, you caused me to weep and moan..."
Continuing the Black Dog song theme, Zeppelin. Or Jimmy - nice name for a girl, I think, but then my Mum christened me Harold.
How about a black comic book character? Betty after Betty Clawman. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Clawman)
If you want outdoorsy, how about Kara Dog, for Kara Dag - Black Mountain in Turkic.
1701. Karen said:
Trapper!
1702. Laura said:
I know, it's not two syllables, but she looks like a Scout to me. If you need a longer name, go for Jean Louise.
1703. Anonymous said:
Snowball, just to be contrary.
Also, I know you said two syllables, but Barq's is a Midwestern root beer, and then whenever they talk about it you can say "A what beer?" and they'll be all "ruht! ruht! ruht beer!" and you'll be all "you mean rooot beer?" and they'll be like "whatever" and you can be "yeah, what kind of soft drink is that" and they'll begrudgingly say "pop" and you'll be all "HAHAHAH! YOU SAID POP!" and it'll be loads of fun for everybody.
Plus, Barq's sounds like Barks, which, dog-appropriate.
Congrats to you and them and Puppy.
1704. Moop said:
I like Keeper, that's a great name for a Dog!
1705. Eva said:
I like Margie too.
1706. Sarah said:
I love the name...Raven
1707. GennieJane said:
My new favorite dog name is Biscuit. It's just so sweet. I have a Maggie and a Lou.
1708. Stacey said:
-Sawyer
-Sophie
-Cheyenne
1709. Jacqui said:
Wow, she looks SO much like my Maxwell Smart! Tell her to prepare to be manipulated by those topaz eyes.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2011/1969617547_d5c5f14a0a_o.jpg
I vote for Xena.
1710. kristy said:
Moab
or
Canyon
1711. Jane (Harold) said:
Just noticed that if they went for Kara Dog, the child would be able to call the dog "Car". And probably nobody would notice he wasn't saying "Kar". Even with that accent.
Jane, from King's Bollege, Bambridge.
1712. Laura said:
Some of my favorite dog names:
Sooner - both dogs (yes, my family were some of THOSE people) I've had by this name were male, but it could totally work for her.
Cady
Neko
1713. mandy said:
Dolly
1714. Julia said:
My childhood dog, who was terrific and sounds just like this one, looked EXACTLY like this one. Her name was Cricket. So I agree with As #25, 103, 126, 319, and whoever else.
Go CRICKET!
1715. Erin said:
The black lab we adopted from the humane society was called Lilly. She refused to answer to anything else so she got to keep her name.
1716. Kristin said:
Fiesta
Sushi
Penny
1717. Amanda said:
Heather-
How wonderful to have found a home for her. I had a black lab when I was younger, and she was the most gentle and docile black lab.
Her name was Lady.
Perhaps not exactly the name Carol and family are looking for as it is the exact opposite of outdoorsy.
But, just looking at her sweet face reminds me of Lady.
I'm so glad she has a home.
1718. tlh said:
gracen, xoxo
1719. Anonymous said:
From the picture of her chasing CoCo - Springer!
1720. Anonymous said:
After a horrendous week in finance, my heart skipped a beat when I saw "her" picture. I am the proud owner of a wonderful, sweet, 13 yo black lab mix, who is graciously stepping aside. The next "Lex", short for Lexington, lovingly called "Lexi". If not, go with Ed, for a female, because it's funny.
1721. margot said:
How 'bout Lovie? Sweet, and she looks like quite the affectionate puppy love!
1722. Stacey said:
Or Bucca
1723. Kari said:
Kona :)
1724. Michelle said:
I haven't read through all the comments, so I am sure these are repeats, but my two ideas are:
Avery
Maisy
Whatever the name, that dog is 100 percent delicious ... in a completely non-edible way.
1725. Katie said:
How about Zuzu? (Jimmy Stewart's daughter in It's a Wonderful Life)
1726. Julie S said:
Schatz! The name of my pup, which I am pretty sure means sweetheart or treasure in German. "Shots Zee" is how I pronounce it, but others call her "Shots".
1727. Anonymous said:
Otter.
Midwest pronunciation - "ahhh-ter"
1728. Ms.Carson said:
I vote for Lucy.
Car could be for Carson.
1729. Anonymous said:
I haven't read the other million comments, so this may have already been suggested. Trixie? She looks like a Trixie.
1730. Anonymous said:
She is gorgeous and she looks just like a Lucy!
1731. Sandee said:
Hannah
1732. Carmen in SD said:
Can't even imagine reading all of these answers...so I am not sure if anyone has suggested these names:
Blues related:
Bessie- for Bessie Smith (Blues singer of the 20 and 30s)
Lucille- for B.B. King's guitar...
Riley- B.B. King's real name...
other than blues...
I like:
Shadow
and Ebony...
By the way, thanks for volunteering. That is something I have been wanting to do but cannot handle it emotionally. Maybe one day...
1733. Muldoon said:
I've always wanted to use "Turbo"
1734. Rachel Anna said:
Chessie, like from parent trap. Wow, I'm lame.
Our old dog was Sadie, and I think that's a sweet name for a girl, although I'm not sure she looks like a Sadie. Ellie is also cute too. I'm naming my next dog Maude (as soon as I persuade my boyfriend) although that's only one syllable.
1735. Julie said:
Freya - it means love and she is the Norse goddess of love and beauty.
1736. Anonymous said:
Indy.
1737. Janet said:
Bessie Smith!
1738. erin said:
Please name her Shadow! She looks just like my old dog, Shadow! That or Rosie.
1739. Kristine said:
I didnt have tome to go over all of them, but has anyone suggested:
Lucille
BB Kings guitar was named that, it has two syllables, and they can call her Lucy for short . . .
BTW, she is too effing cute!
1740. Lacey Jane said:
My dogs name is Michael Jackson, and I am all for naming dogs after famous people. This one is tough because she's a girl, though...hmmm...
If she were a guy I would think DEFINITELY James Brown. Perfect name.
But um.
A girl.
Joss Stone. Or Jossy? I guess? For short? It wimps out the name, but it's kind of cute.
Joss Stone Ferocious
1741. Deb said:
I think you should call her "fluke"...considering how her adoption just sort of fell into place.
Deb
1742. SUSAN said:
PLEASE .... CAR IS THE PERFECT NAME
1743. Deb said:
Ella, as in Cinderella (Princess tie-in for Leta!). Cinderella was sometimes covered in black soot.
Sable
Allie - she looks like an Allie or an Ella to me. She is absolutely adorable.
1744. SareyV said:
Fontaine. Yes after Steve and Pre who is a guy but that dog looks like a runner!!!!
Good for you for putting the two of them together.
1745. Kate said:
Shelby. She just looks it.
1746. E said:
Lola
Ethel
Mertyl
1747. Stacy said:
Her name should be Supper.
1748. kelley d. said:
She looks like a
Scout
or 'Bama (as in our next Pres)
1749. Elaine said:
How about Magic?
1750. Melissa said:
How about Poto?
There is this great (true) story about these twin girls who lived with their deaf German grandmother. They didn't learn language from their grandmother so they made up their own language, a whole comprehensive one with inflections and a consistent vocabulary. In their twin language, they named each other Poto and Cabengo. I always thought those were good names.
1751. Sandy said:
She could be Hepburn. She could be Oakley. Maybe Rosie. Ya gotta know her to understand which one fits. Congratulations to her for finding a good home!
1752. Anonymous said:
Gamble
1753. TxSuzyQ said:
Tilly
Her name is Tilly.
1754. Stephanie said:
If you manage to make it this far....
Sidney
1755. Lori said:
My personal favorite is Bailey. Others I like: Morgan, Emma, Rosie, and in honor of Lady Day, Billie.
1756. Rick said:
Hooray for rescued dogs!
I like Pepper. It works with the black fur and with how peppy she looks chasing Coco around.
If they didn't have kids I'd suggest Jager.
If not for the two-syllable requirement I'd suggest Taj (as in blues guitarist Mahal). Wonder might work for that too, if you stretch the definition of "blues" to include funk. Oh, or Billie.
1757. Melissa said:
Or you could call it Dash!
1758. Maddnessofme said:
Farley
after Chris Farley and his tendancy to bounce all over the place and act crazy and love anyone and be funny as hell.
Let me know when you have selected it,
Kimberly
1759. Vegas Shopper said:
Labby (as in Labrador) is a nice kid-friendly easy to say name. I really like Sadie & Maggie,too. Think about how they will sound bellowed at the top of ones lungs where all the neighbors or possibly all of Utah will hear it.
1760. max said:
Kimbrough
1761. Debbie said:
Grandy
it's my grandmothers maiden name and we have a tradition around here of using the maiden names of the females in the family for our pets.
1762. Tootsie Farklepants said:
Lulu
Nellie
Bindi
1763. Anonymous said:
How about "Onyx", did anyone say that yet?
1764. Anonymous said:
How about Penny.
1765. Margot said:
Popkin.
Midwesterners always say "o"s funny.
1766. Alex said:
Toffee!
and such an adorable dog!
1767. Anonymous said:
I'm thinking presidential.
Nixon
Clinton
Madison
Kennedy
The list could go on and on.....
1768. Anonymous said:
Clearly it should be: Washer
Two syllables, and easily mispronounced by midwesterners.
1769. Dan McCulley said:
Jaba
As in The Hut.
Definitely part border collie in that one. She'll be very smart.
1770. QueenofDaNile said:
I am an avid reader, but NEVER post. "The dog" turns my heart to flip-flops, and I just spent five damned minutes of my time figuring out how to post here. Never have, because...what a waste of my time with as many posts that your blog brings in (atta girl).
Was going to suggest "Poochie" because that's what I named my very first beloved dog out of the many, many I've had the pleasure of knowing. She's close, but no blaze down the forehead, so not quite a perfect match.
However, my latest "rescue" (me or her?) I chose to call Lucille etc. And her call name is Lucy. Yes, after the BBKingmeister of blues. Which I saw posted here quite often. It fits. Well. My Lucy, after many,many...okay, I already said that...dogs, has finally become "the dog" that took me right back to my beginning of love.
I also like the name "Keeper" and will most likely use it on the next doggy that becomes a part of my life.
And that's about all I have to say about that. Other than kudos to you, Dooce, for your present volunteerism. I want to... but the same fear from family that I will end up with EVERYONE here at my house. What's wrong with that??
I
1771. Christine said:
Sasquatch
Ozzy
Poopie
Sassy
Ray Gun
1772. designer watches said:
chino
1773. Bonnie said:
Folsom
1774. Nat W said:
I like Annie.
Also, 1747 comments so far? Yeah, I think they'll come up with a name.
1775. Joeythegirl said:
Sorry I didn't read the comments so these might be repeats:
Aspen
Marley
Alpine
Ambler
Whistler
Arbor
Arrow
Bella
Ryder
Bota
Bailey
Legend
Delta
Eco
River
Haiku
Halo
Kelty
Kenya
Lizard
Luna
Ocean
Oakley
Kayak
Canoe
Jersey
Luka
Parker
Traveler
Sierra
Sylvie
Sorel
Spyder
Taro
Teva
Turtle
Yukon
Zuna
1776. Anonymous said:
Happy Camper (Camper for short)
Cabot Trail (Cabot for short)
1777. leslie said:
It's painfully obvious that her name is already "Lucille", y'all just don't know it yet. (That's the name of B.B. King's guitar.)
But if Lucille is too girlified for them, Mogul is an awesome alternative. (That's Mogul as in 'ski mogul', not 'business mogul'.)
1778. Kelly said:
How about: Tee-Koh, Carlie, Ralphy, Sheppie, Bailey, Kirby, or Darby.
Granted my husband's name is Kirby, but it would be a nice dog name too ... lol
1779. Jennifer C. said:
I'm not reading 1752 comments, so my apologies if this is a repeat...
How about "Rhumba"?
1780. Jenn said:
Ginger
Lily
Callie (Callie Bear, nickname Bear of course!)
Shadow
Roxy
Bella
Good luck - she's adorable! Congrats to the family and good job helping her find her forever home :-D
1781. Joyce said:
Lucky!
1782. candybeans said:
FARGO FARGO FARGO FARGO
or, just anything but shadow. f'ed out, if you ask me.
1783. tyra said:
her name is Giselle. it really is. just look at her face and tell me you can't tell. nobody reads comment 300, though, so she'll never know...
1784. Chris said:
I'm just so happy to see a black dog get a home. My sister and her daughter work with rescue dogs and animal shelters, and they tell me that the dogs most often put down are the big black dogs. Just breaks our hearts as we usually have a number of dogs at any given time, among them a beauty like this one with those melty eyes. Such a sweet baby.
No suggestions for names - it looks as though all of the good ones have been suggested.
Palin? (boo, hiss!)
1785. Ally said:
How about Sobe (as in the drink)
Roxie
or
Rocky, like the mountains
1786. Anonymous said:
Aida.
1787. kim said:
STELLA!
1788. Phoi said:
Sia
1789. Angel said:
Someone suggested Tahoe and that really stuck with me. I think that's a great name for her.
And she is just beautiful! I can see why you fell in love with her. I could never volunteer there as I'd want to bring them all home and then I'd wager a guess that my husband would also move to Montana.
1790. MissKrys said:
I work in IT and when i adopted a new dog a friend said i should call her Puter .. just so she could hear me say Come Puter ... terrible - I know.
I wanted to call her Sasha but settled on Sheba instead (Sasha was too close to my Uncle's dog Shasta).
Kali and Lexi have always been two of my favs too.
Such a beautiful dog - such kind eyes.
1791. Whitney said:
I'd say go with Raya (Ray-uh), after Ray Charles. A beautiful name, two syllables, named after a blues musician. :)
As an animal rescue advocate myself, I commend you for making such a difference in an animal's life. As a frequent reader of Carol's blog as well, I know that Ben, Harry and Ella will be good playmates for this young pup.
What a great story. Thanks for helping the animals!
1792. Joel said:
In sticking with the blues theme, I'd say Koko, in honor of the blues artist Koko Taylor. Everyone listening to her being called will think it's Cocoa, which is just as cute.
I'm also partial to Buddy, even though it's a female (for Buddy Guy). If you're wondering whether a female can be a buddy, watch When Harry Met Sally. Best movie ever.
1793. Mariel said:
Jigget
1794. telestial kingdom said:
Salem or Scout
That dog is adorable and I don't even consider myself a dog person.
1795. Kristen from MA said:
Maggie
Gracie
Emma
1796. iheartnewyork said:
sundance or harley? she looks like a great dog.
1797. jailbird said:
How about Kendall? I think it's a great name and very unisex-ish
1798. Nala said:
How about "Blue"
1799. Lindsey said:
Baby Jane
not two syllables, but if you say "baby" really quickly and hold out the "Jane" with a good, long southern drawl it works.