Name This Dog
It would seem that our merry band has increased by one.
My wife finished all of the paperwork and legal wrangling and brought home a new addition. He’s a schnauzer who was rescued by animal protection services from a puppy mill where he had been kept in a crate as a stud dog for six years. He’s had virtually no human contact or warmth, so he is understandably skittish and not sure if he belongs here or what he should be doing. Before coming to my house he spent a couple of days at the vet’s office getting his teeth taken care of, shots, a general checkup and a bath.
The problem is, we think he needs a name. During his incarceration it seems that he was never given one. The workers at the rescue had been calling him, alternately, “Salty” or “Mr. Whiskers.” Frankly, I find both of those choices intolerable and he shows no signs of responding to either. I’m kind of stuck, though. We’ve never been terribly inventive when it comes to pet names. Our last dog who passed away was formally named “Kenya” but most often she was just called “Dog.” Our Basset Hound’s name is Mr. Basset. Perhaps you could suggest an appropriate name for this little fellow? I’ll check on any suggestions later. For now I need to go convince him to come out from behind the sofa. (*sigh*)
13 Responses to “Name This Dog”
Don Juan. Just call him Donnie. And when you get him out from behind the couch…hold him in your lap, petting him and calling him by name. I also found that our schnauzer really likes being scratched under the chin and behind the ears while I look her in the eyes and reassure her. She had to be given up by her previous owner when she had a forced move to a place where she could only keep one of her dogs. She decided to keep the oldest one.
How about Mulligan, since you've given him a second chance at life? I adopted a dog several years ago who had the same kind of detachment and now she's incredibly loving and sweet. He'll come around.
“Stud” might be too obvious. What about Papillion? He has a metamorphis to go through. If you haven't watched The Dog Whisperer on National Geographic channel…I highly recommend it for great dog tips. Or http://www.cesarmilaninc.com. He can help with healthy dog psychology and helping this guy be a pack member again. You do have a crate for him, right? He's most comfortable in a small space right now… Big open rooms are scary as heck. But given the opportunity to explore at his own pace, he'll come out and be your best bud.
Barry.
Does he always look so serious? If so, I suggest Edward.
Filibuster- 'buster for short, or Fili…
/me smacks Shaun with a wet trout
Mulligan's actually kind of a perfect suggestion, knowing you. What would you call him, though?
Because of the lack of good nickname options with Mulligan, I suggest “Cheech”.
Dubya. [sent from a safe distance]
So far we're calling him “Little Dog” so I'm ether going to have to come up with a new name soon or it's going to stick.
How about Angler?
Or Shadow- since he's so shy.
You should keep “Little Dog” as his nickname. His full name should be “And Your Little Dog, Too”.