Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I'm sure it's been done here before, but it would be before my time. I have encountered so many interesting, pawsome and amusing dog names here and I've often wondered how a dog was named. I'd like to hear from anyone out there how you named your pup, tripawd or monkeybutt. I'll go first.
Dakota (tripawd) was a found rez dog at Pine Ridge, abandoned and dying and a mess. We had 2 dogs and no desire for a third. Dakota had to be isolated and nursed to health for 11 weeks, and we knew our humane society wouldn't be able to do that so we decided to make him well and adoptable and then ship him off to a new home. It's been over 9 years and we're still threatening. But because he was found on Pine Ridge in South Dakota, his name is South Dakota Watson. What else could it be?
Our monkeybutthead, Evelyn, was named by my son (9 at the time) after a Frank Zappa song, "Evelyn, a Modified Dog." Since she is a registered snob, her AKC name is Evelyn, a Modified Dog.
Now–how about you?
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
Well both my pups came with their names, but I do know how Lizzie got hers. She was found as a tripawd by a rescue group, and when they took her to the vet he described the condition of her bad leg as 'like what Bob Dole has', so they named her Lizzie after Bob Dole's wife!
Vito came with his name, I tried to convince him to change it (I really really wanted to rename him Backup) but he was pretty attached to it so it stayed. I think it makes him sound like an old-timey mobster. 😉
Proud mommy of a Belgian Malinois tripawd named Lizzie, who is completely spoiled rotten, loves kids, and will be going into therapy dog training as soon as I can afford it. You can find her blog here.
Also proud mommy to Vito, 3(?) yr old GSD. Adoption weight: 58lbs. Current weight: 90lbs. Goal weight: 85-90lbs (ACHIEVED!). Tested positive for EPI on March 30th, 2011 and stable ever since.
"Sometimes it takes an imperfection to create perfection."
Because of a natural inclination to ambivalence, naming children (both human and otherwise) has always struck me with much anxiety and hand-wring hemming and hawing. Hence, poor Catie didn't have a name for several days; neither did Riley for that matter. My kids might never have been named if my hand hadn't been forced (those days you had to name your baby before you left the hospital...)
Catie was named, in part, after one of my favourite actresses - Cate Blanchard. My husband liked the name Caitlin (the name of Dylan Thomas's wife). So although her vet records listed her name as Cate, she became Catie. Or Catie Caitlin (she always got excited about being called that).
Riley. Poor dude scrambled around the house for days being called puppy. Seriously, my oldest son came up with the name and it fit and stuck and puppy became smilin' Riley.
Catie -
Birthday – November 4 2003
Amputation – January 13 2010
Crossed the Bridge – June 2 2011
Oh, I like this topic...
Our previous dog, Bailey, was named after a place we lived near (Bailey's Bay) when we lived in Bermuda. We got her shortly after moving away from there and wanted a name that would remind us of the island. Since she was a beagle - and they bay - it was a perfect name for her. (Only later did we realize there was an explosion of dogs/children named Bailey due to a character on "Party of Five" which we'd never watched... I met SO many people with dogs/kids named Bailey after that!)
Anyway, I have always been partial to B names for Beagles. (We had all kinds of nicknames for her though too... like "B", the Bubzer and The Peanut, which morphed into Speamutt, which got shortened into just "Spea".)
Then when we got Abby, 6 weeks after Bailey died, we decided to name her Abby Louise (yes, she has a middle name) because that uses all the letters from Bailey's name. When someone suggested she looks like a Chinook, we started calling her "Schnook" for a nickname.
Alyssa... that is funny how Lizzie got her name!
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
Oh, I love this post!!! Thanks, Shari for starting it.
I'll start with my Spirit pups -- Shasta and Nakita. Shasta was named that because I thought she was the color of Shasta Cream Soda. I'm not sure where Nakita came from -- it just sorta popped into my head, and I loved it. I think she sent it to me via telepathy 
She became La Femme Nakita.... or Kita-Bug!
Rio came along, and we ran through the gamut of names, and none of them seemed to suit her. We finally pulled out a map, and started trying on names like Dakota, Sierra, etc., but again, they just didn't seem to fit. Then we finally got all the way down to the Mexican border, and RIO it was!!! "Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand, just like that river running through a dusty land. And when she shines, she really shows you all she can. Oh Rio, Rio dance across the Rio Grande!" Perfect fit. The Woo part came later -- I used to call her my little Widget (cuz she was cute and tiny), and that evolved into Widgie, then Widgie-Woo, then just Woo. She did this little 'woo-woo-woo' song whenever she was excited, and that was how the Woo part got added to her nick-name.
Tosca was actually named Sunny when we got her. Trust me when I say, though, if ever there was a golden retriever that didn't live up to the name, that would be my Moose. She was dirty and matted and someone had tried to cut out the mats so her hair was all chopped and she was just a mess. She was also the most depressed dog I'd ever met -- she didn't smile, she barely looked at you. So we decided that we would change her name because she was gonna be a totally different dog. Tosca is named for an opera and also for Tuscany -- I love all things Italian -- I don't know why, but she seemed suited to such a fancy name.
Zephyr lived at our house for almost a week before I changed her name. She was Tate. I could never bring myself to call her by this name, because it just never suited her. Number one, it seemed like a boy's name, and number two, I could only envision calling her Tater (or Spud). I'd been mulling around some names, and I was working in my yard, cleaning up around where we buried Shasta and Nakita, and all of a sudden the name Zephyr just popped into my head. I always say that Nakita named her. Of course, as far as suitability -- I have my doubts. Zephyr means "a gentle breeze." In truth, my Zephyr is more like a tornado.
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ooo, I like this post. Our first dog, Goliath, got his name, because he was a small schnauzer mix and he had "little dog syndrome" and was always going after the big dogs. We got him from a "kill" shelter- his original name was Ford, but he was definitely a Goliath.
Chili Dawg's original name was Chipper. Ugh. He had this beautiful red fur, and I thought about changing his name to Cajun, but then my mom mentioned Chili Dawg, and I loved it.
Finchy came with his name. We tried to teach him a new name FOR A YEAR. He refused to come for any other name. He would only come for Finch or Finchy. After a year we gave up and accepted that he will always be Finchy- monekybutts, what are you going to do with them?
Diagnosed with OSA: 5/2/2011 Ampuversary: 5/11/2011 OSA returned in hip: 8/26/2011
Chili Dawg crossed the Rainbow Bridge on 8/30/2011 & is now pain free. He was my heart dog, and I miss him every day.
AbbysMom said:
Oh, I like this topic...
Then when we got Abby, 6 weeks after Bailey died, we decided to name her Abby Louise (yes, she has a middle name) because that uses all the letters from Bailey's name. When someone suggested she looks like a Chinook, we started calling her "Schnook" for a nickname.
Alyssa... that is funny how Lizzie got her name!
You know, Abigayle also has all the letters of Bailey in it, so you technically got a twofer there!
Proud mommy of a Belgian Malinois tripawd named Lizzie, who is completely spoiled rotten, loves kids, and will be going into therapy dog training as soon as I can afford it. You can find her blog here.
Also proud mommy to Vito, 3(?) yr old GSD. Adoption weight: 58lbs. Current weight: 90lbs. Goal weight: 85-90lbs (ACHIEVED!). Tested positive for EPI on March 30th, 2011 and stable ever since.
"Sometimes it takes an imperfection to create perfection."
We actually have four dogs total, two are originally my husband's dogs, one is of course my Dixie, and we recently took in a stray who is now our foster dog.
My husband's dogs are Mumford Hall and Grant, both named for buildings/locations at the University of Illinois. His family tends to name their dogs after locations from that college. I really hope we don't have children, because by that time all that will be left to use will be something like "Library" "Dorm" or "Cafeteria".
Our foster dog found us and the first thing we noticed was his disfigured right front leg. The ball and socket came apart from each other and sort of fused in other areas. He will eventually become a tripawd, but several vets feel that he is not in pain and still uses the leg well, so until arthritis sets in, he stays a monkeybutt. We named him L.L., or "Lucky Lefty".
Dixie wasn't named by me, although now I can't think of calling her anything else. I grew up in the deep south, close by New Orleans. A student kept encouraging me to come see her dog's new puppies, so I finally agreed, though I had no intentions of bringing home a dog that day. Well.... I was smitten right away and insisted on bringing Dixie home that day. In order to pacify the other surprised/shocked member of my household, I offered to let them name her. Dixie was chosen, and that was that. Technically she's Dixie Anne, because every good southern girl has a double first name, right?
Shari, you forgot to mention where "Doreen" came from....
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Bo is short for Bocephus which is Hank Williams Jr.'s nickname. We're from the south and I was 19...seemed like a cool name! He was always just Bo. FYI-it is difficult to train a dog when his/her name rhymes with "no"!
Dyce, my blk and white border collie just reminded me of a set of dice when I first saw him. I changed it to Dyce to make it more unique. He is a unique and one of a kind, crazy border collie.
Daisy was a failed foster. She would not come out from under the bed for several weeks. It took me sitting by my bed , holding some treats behind my back to get her to venture out. I figured her horrible experience of being taken to the pound where her owners paid to have her put down was all stressful enough, i wasn't about to confuse her with giving her another name. She is now proud pack leader 🙂
Starbuck, my lab/border mix. Starbuck was found garbage diving one night. He had so many coffee grounds on him that we thought he was brown! After a bath, where we pulled a ton of burs , we found out he was actually black and white . Hence the name Starbuck. That was good for one free coffee at my local starbucks 🙂
Carter, my sweet little man. He was on so many pills when we got him that we called him "more pills then Carter, Carter" it just fits this little guy.
Shall I go into the names of my three rescued cats? Toonsies, remember SNL? Charle, who has a stash like Chaplin , Sammy who is just...Sammy. Jay and Leno. Brothers that my son brought home 11 years ago after finding them dumped somewhere.
I dont think i'm leaving anyone out 
Wow, that's a housefull!!!
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Oh, if we wanna go into other/previous pets, I've had a few fun ones...
Doxie, the dachsund. Hush, I was like 5.
Sugar, the lab/cocker mix, named because she was all black with a bit of white on her muzzle, which looked like she'd been in the sugar bowl.
Jacob my tuxedo kitty came with his name.
Amelia my pet rat had brown markings on her head that made her look like she was wearing an old timey pilot's helmet. Plus she was my little explorer, so 'Amelia EARhart' because she was a dumbo rat with big ears. 
Puzzle, my other rat, had I swear to you a marking shaped like a question mark on her back.
Yeah I know, rats aren't usually people's favorite pets, but mine were cute so there. =P
Proud mommy of a Belgian Malinois tripawd named Lizzie, who is completely spoiled rotten, loves kids, and will be going into therapy dog training as soon as I can afford it. You can find her blog here.
Also proud mommy to Vito, 3(?) yr old GSD. Adoption weight: 58lbs. Current weight: 90lbs. Goal weight: 85-90lbs (ACHIEVED!). Tested positive for EPI on March 30th, 2011 and stable ever since.
"Sometimes it takes an imperfection to create perfection."
I had a cute little brown mouse for a while. I named him Shadrach (I don't even remember why) but ended up just calling him Pooper -- guess why!?
And we had ferrets for a while, too, before we got Kita and Shasta. We named them Tiki and Loki. Loki is the god of mischief. It just seemed appropriate. And Tiki was another of those names that just came to me. (Loki used to chase Nakita around the house and leap onto her back. Kita would go and hide when they were out of their cage.)
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Well, going back in time a bit...
First family dog about 20 years ago was a sob story. That was Indiana, and he came with so many congenital problems we lost him at 10 months. He was a sandbag dog...we were sandbagged into believing he was a medium-sized dog and as he grew it was apparent he was mostly Great Dane. He was named for the Indiana Jones movies by my oldest son, who was about 8 at the time. (We've had 3 dogs named for movies.)
After Indy came our bestest dog ever in the whole wide world, Belle. She was named for Belle in "Beauty and the Beast" because she was a beautiful dog. I wish they had DNA tests for dogs then. Belle looked like a white German Shepherd. Those here who've heard it before and are sick of it cover your eyes. Belle was the smartest, funniest, most fun dog to ever be born. Period. End of story. There is no replacing Belle.
We got Zoot to keep Belle company when I got a job and was gone much of the day. Zoot was a Rotty mix and we got her when she was about 10 months old. We were her 4th home and it showed. She bonded with us when she was about 12. No kidding. She was named for a character in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." If you don't remember the character, it's worth another watch to tickle your memory. (Poor Zoot was named "Snoopy" by the rescue group that had her. Three homes in 10 months and she didn't have a consistent name.)
We also had Sadie, a Collie we did an open adoption of when she was 9. She was a neighborhood neglect case and we managed to get her signed over to us with the help of animal control.
And Micki, Doreen came from me because I needed something to shout after "Evelyn" and before the multitude of profanity that generally follows.
Meghan, you're right about names rhyming with "no." My parents had a "Cocoa" and the poor dog was doubly doomed.
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
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