topaz119: (let the wild rumpus begin)
topaz119 ([personal profile] topaz119) wrote2016-09-26 03:04 pm
Entry tags:

stuff and stuff and stuff

We adopted a new dog! Wonder!Dog is getting older now and we didn’t want a new dog to have to fight the Replacement syndrome, plus we are hoping that a more active companion will be helpful for #2Son’s (slow, so slow I can’t even tell you, but it’s actually happening) advances against his anxiety and depression. So, we’ve been stalking several rescue organizations and finally went and met a few of their pooches in person over the weekend. #2 & I took Wonder!Dog up to the kennel on Saturday and ended up liking one dude who was everything we didn’t think we wanted, but who wormed his way into our heads (and to a lesser extent our hearts, at least that day.) He was big and youngish and not either of the dogs #2 had seen and liked. But we decided to go back on Sunday with BabyBoy and D in tow and, yeah, our guy came out and gave #2 a hug (literally—he jumps up and puts his paws around you, which, yes, we need to break him of the habit of just doing it, but it’s also super-sweet if you know it’s coming and are braced for it, so the command to learn is ‘give me some lovin’.’)

D loves big dogs, and this guy is (as best we can tell) 65 pounds (29 kg) of lab/border collie mix, gray and black and white, with the size and head of a lab and the color and markings (and feathery ears) of a border collie. He’s like a big gray wolf. BB wanted a lap dog for snuggles, so he was holding out until the dog basically climbed in his lap and sprawled out for a belly rub. All 65 pounds of him. Wonder!Dog was pretty chill about it all, just wandering around the meeting area and ignoring the youngster, so after another little while of the dog draping himself over people, and #2 getting attached, we said okay and started signing paperwork. #2 was super-good at getting him in the car, because the poor guy did *not* like the look of my SHIELD van and only got in after sitting on #2 and edging closer to the car every few minutes, which seems like a win in more ways than one.

Now, we just have to figure out what to name him. We have various geeky names under consideration:
  • Grey Wind (GoT) – A little too obvious with his coloring + all the direwolves die so horribly. I hate to saddle the poor dog with that karma
  • Oliver (Wood, HP) – D is *rolling* his eyes at this one, but I swear, the dog is the canine equivalent of that sweet, dumb Quidditch player. We eliminated Cedric (Diggory) b/c, hi, dead; also D might die with a dog named Cedric even before he got to the source.
  • Orome (the Valar of the Hunt, LOTR) – Oro is… okay as a call name? Maybe? D might not be able to survive explaining the origin of the name, though.
  • Shadow (Gaiman, American Gods) – Again, maybe a little too obvious with his coloring and we’re fighting off the Sonic gaming associations
  • Maximus (the dog that’s part of the Roman army at the beginning of Gladiator isn’t named, but he runs into battle with Maximus) – D is totally fine with Max, and we can all see this dog running flat out with horses, but BabyBoy feels it’s too boring. Also, I somehow doubt the dog survived Commodus’ rage, so again with the bad karma.
  • Strider (also LOTR) – Again, D might choke on explaining the name
  • Mouse (the Dresden Files) – He (the dog) does not particularly look like a Mouse, but we were grasping at straws.

    For non-geeky names:
  • Beauregard - I have mentioned that I married a good ol’ boy, right? Beau isn’t too bad of a call name, though. I guess. The kids are less excited.
  • Harry (not Potter) – Yesterday was the 950th anniversary of some pre-Battle of Hastings battle and Harold was the king at that point. D actually doesn’t mind this.
  • Viking - We were mourning that Odin’s wolves had names that nobody liked & D suggested just plain Viking.
  • Indy - #2Son offered that we could just keep calling him ND (New Dog), which slurs very easily into Indy, but I don’t know what D thinks of that.

    And finally, since he’s part Border Collie, if you look up the Gaelic clan name that D’s family is a sept of, you get a mouthful that could easily be shortened to Mac. That might sidestep BB’s ‘but it’s boring’ argument.

    Okay, there’s more stuff, but this is the big news and I think I’ve gone on long enough. I will be back with the name decision and some pictures (if we can get the dog to stay still long enough.)
  • musesfool: eucalyptus by stephen meyers (Default)

    [personal profile] musesfool 2016-09-26 07:49 pm (UTC)(link)
    PUPPY. <3
    cyprinella: My dog Greta with a big doggie grin and her tongue hanging out (Greta yay)

    [personal profile] cyprinella 2016-09-26 08:10 pm (UTC)(link)
    Heh, many large dogs are secretly tiny, tiny lap dogs and they are more than willing to demonstrate.
    turps: (Default)

    [personal profile] turps 2016-09-27 06:01 am (UTC)(link)
    He sounds adorable!

    Good luck finding that perfect name.
    st_aurafina: Rainbow DNA (Default)

    [personal profile] st_aurafina 2016-09-27 06:43 am (UTC)(link)
    PUPPY! He sounds amazing, and just what you need right now.
    sperrywink: (Default)

    [personal profile] sperrywink 2016-09-27 04:15 pm (UTC)(link)
    Aww, new puppy! Have fun naming him!
    rikes: drawing of a fairy, with cherry blossoms (Default)

    [personal profile] rikes 2016-09-27 08:55 pm (UTC)(link)
    Aww, he sounds great. I hope there will be a photo at some point!!!

    [identity profile] kaelie.livejournal.com 2016-09-26 07:21 pm (UTC)(link)
    Yay for dog adoption, and welcome to the new member of the family! I hope his introduction to the household is completely peaceful. :)

    [identity profile] topaz119.livejournal.com 2016-09-27 01:46 am (UTC)(link)
    So far, so good, though the cat is severely unamused. The new dog is scared to death of her--he met her as she was waking up from a nap, and she just opened her eyes and stared at him, all 10 pounds of her, no hissing or anything, and he just backed away from her and won't go near her now.
    (deleted comment)

    [identity profile] topaz119.livejournal.com 2016-10-02 12:53 pm (UTC)(link)
    We did that with our first dog, but the rescue place was calling the new guy Prince Charming, which, yeah, no, but he'd only been with them for a couple of months, and nobody knows where he'd been before they got him from a high-kill shelter, so we're hoping it won't be too confusing for him.

    [identity profile] alphaflyer.livejournal.com 2016-09-26 10:15 pm (UTC)(link)
    Sounds lovely! You taking any more name suggestions? No? Well, anyway: If he's grey, you may want to call him Fafhrd (as in, Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser...)

    [identity profile] topaz119.livejournal.com 2016-10-02 12:55 pm (UTC)(link)
    We compromised with D's more down-home tastes and used the Scottish Gaelic for his (D's) last name, shortened down to Mac for everyday use. (My poor husband has no idea where we come up with these crazy ideas.)

    [identity profile] spyforaday.livejournal.com 2016-09-27 01:02 am (UTC)(link)
    Awww, dog! Congrats to one and all. (Dog adoption makes my heart so happy.) Good luck with everything.

    [identity profile] topaz119.livejournal.com 2016-10-02 12:56 pm (UTC)(link)
    Thanks--he is keeping us busy, this is for sure!
    hamsterwoman: (ASOIAF -- Yavanna Tyrell)

    [personal profile] hamsterwoman 2016-09-27 04:29 am (UTC)(link)
    Aww, I really like Orome for a big dog, and if you mostly call him Oro (and probably even if you don't, since it's kind of an obscure reference) nobody will know it's a fandom name unless you tell them.

    [identity profile] topaz119.livejournal.com 2016-10-02 12:58 pm (UTC)(link)
    We debated for a couple of days, but finally compromised on the Gaelic for my husband's name, shortened down to Mac for everyday. The geeky stuff was just too weird for D (even after having been married for 25+ years.)

    [identity profile] matchboximpala.livejournal.com 2016-09-27 06:32 am (UTC)(link)
    Lucky you! Tough choice on the names, though. So many good options.

    [identity profile] topaz119.livejournal.com 2016-10-02 12:58 pm (UTC)(link)
    None of them were quiiiiite right, though. Naming sentient beings is so hard!
    geckoholic: (Avengers Bucky+Steve)

    [personal profile] geckoholic 2016-09-27 02:18 pm (UTC)(link)
    Ohh a dog, awesome, congrats!! :D An man I love Border Collies, great choice there, heh.

    [identity profile] topaz119.livejournal.com 2016-10-02 12:59 pm (UTC)(link)
    Thank you! He's a happy (though waaaaay energetic) addition to the family.

    YAY GOGGIE!!!

    [identity profile] aproposofnothin.livejournal.com 2016-10-01 02:44 am (UTC)(link)
    I really like Oliver. :)

    Re: YAY GOGGIE!!!

    [identity profile] topaz119.livejournal.com 2016-10-02 01:00 pm (UTC)(link)
    Oh, I did, too--it was the first thing that popped into my head, and I thought it really suited him. The rest of the family didn't agree, sigh.