Monthly Archives: November 2011

Family Dogs

Posted on by
13

When I was packing for our Thanksgiving trips last Wednesday, I had two boxer shadows as I flitted from room to room gathering all the necessities. They anxiously watched me pack my suitcase, and the laptop bag, and my camera case…until finally, finally, I packed their bag, and food, and blankets.

Once we got to Dubuque, they couldn’t leap out of the car fast enough to greet Joseph, their springer spaniel “uncle.” Today, I’m simply going to share my photos from their visit with Joseph. Later in the week, I’ll share a post with tips for photographing your dogs (which I have gleaned from much more experienced photographers than myself).

So here are the happy holiday canines:

A three-dog patio

No toys allowed outside (Gertie's a rebel)

Dog toe bouquet

What did you and your dogs do for the holiday/over the weekend?

Who’s Thankful For Dogs?

Posted on by
18

Since it’s the week of Thanksgiving, it’s time to think about gratitude. While I have many reasons to give thanks, I’m going to focus on the doggie-related ones here.

7 Reasons I’m Thankful

1. Tom tends to our crying pups in the morning, even if they’re whining to go out at 4:30 because a certain someone forgot to put them in their kennels.

2. We have two sets of “dog grandparents” who take great care of our babies when we’re away and who welcome our dogs into their homes for the holidays.

3. We found Duke (or rather Mid-Iowa Boxer Rescue found him for us), and now this sweet boy has the loving home he deserves, and Gertie has a boxer brother (from another mother).

She's mine.

4. My dogs make me laugh every day (through wiggling, pretzeling, bat out of hell, boxer expressions, tongue lolling, over-dramatic grumbling, and other silly antics or goofy doggie surprises).

5. Our dogs do not have to go hungry or go untreated for any injury or illness.

6. I have supportive readers of this dog blog who comment on my posts, answer my questions, and help me with future posts.

7. I get to share life with two sweet, funny, and spunky boxers who comfort me with their loving cuddles and inspire me with their unbridled joy for life.

In other Thanksgiving news, Duke was sure, just positive, he was going to catch the Thanksgiving bird for his Grandma Terri, if only his stupid mom had let him out of the car! We spotted the gutsy gobbler on our way to doggie daycare last week. Duke stared at her with his ears perked and body trembling as she pecked at the grass, then looked up and ruffled her feathers. When the light turned green and we drove away, Dukie tried to climb out the back windshield. Read more about the wild turkey roaming our neighborhood in this Gazette article.

Why are you thankful?

DON’T Let Me Nickname Your Dog

Posted on by
21

I simply can’t be trusted. As I discussed in my last post, I would very much like to name your dog. But if you let me nickname your dog, I’ll make it weird.

However, if love is measured in nicknames, then my dogs experience immense amounts of adoration, just this side of smothering.

Gertie’s name is kind of a nickname in itself, though her “full name” is Gertrude in our minds only. Her other full name is Gertie Lou, which we insist has a sweet and spunky tone and not the hickish connotation that our friends from South Carolina conjured when they heard it. (It is not spoken with a twang.) This name just fits Gertie’s wiggly ways, but it has one other advantage: when she’s naughty, Gertie Lou morphs into Gertie Lucifer.

Gertie Lucifer

Now this is where it gets weird. One of our oft-used nicknames for Gertie is Boof, with several variations: Boofa, Boofie, Boofer Bear, and Boo Bear. I’m not sure why I applied this name to Gertie, but I do know its origins. When I was a toddler, I had a stuffed animal named Boofer Bear. When she’s not being Gertie Lucifer, Boofer is as cuddly as a teddy bear. And all of the variations sound bright and cheerful. When Tom comes home from works, he calls, “Where’s my Boofa?!” with each word drawn out. Gertie goes nuts.

Boofa

Speaking of bears, I also use other animal names as nicknames for Gertie: Monkey, Capuchin, Turkey; I think I’ve even tried out Wombat.

With the exception of Gertie Lucifer, these nicknames help express just how adorable and irresistible I find Gertie. I don’t know why names like Boofa or Turkey are terms of endearment–they just are. Maybe Turkey came about because I said I wanted to gobble Gertie up. Sometimes I do. Sometimes she is so sweet and cute that I want to ingest her.

Turkey

Other Gertie nicknames: Punkin, Punkin Pie, Punka, Punker; Pooka, Pookie; Gert, Dirt McGert; and Loubelle.

With Duke, I have annoyed myself by using several overly gendered nicknames: Mister, Bud, Buddy, Bubba. I can’t stop myself! With Mister, we often sing, “Mister, Mister, give me the news, I gotta bad case of luh-uhving you-ooh-ooh!” (Oh boy, the cat’s out of the bag: we’re dorks.)

Mister

However, we also have some creative nicknames for Duke. We sometimes call him the Great While Gorilla, which developed from calling Gertie Monkey. (And her nickname Capuchin materialized in response to Duke as the Great White Gorilla. The nickname game is a wildly choreographed dance around here.)

The Great White Gorilla

We also call Duke Dukie. I like names that end in the -ie sound. And while the name Duke takes itself a bit too seriously, Dukie suggests a playful, sweet personality, just like our boy. It’s also kind of funny and fitting that it’s a euphemism for poop, given Duke’s production capabilities on walks.

Our Dukie

What nicknames do you use for your dogs? Why do you think you use certain nicknames?

Related Post: Please Let Me Name Your Dog

Please Let Me Name Your Dog

Posted on by
21

I borrowed the Big Book of Baby Names from my junior high library several times, but not because I was spending my time in such a way that would result in a teenage pregnancy. Far from it. I obsessed over names; I wrote lists with as many names as I could think of (or create) for each letter of the alphabet, and I perused the book of names for hours. So I connected when I read Nina Badzin’s post Please Let Me Name Your Baby, and in a similar fashion, I would like to offer my naming services for canines.

Stanley (picture source)

Stanley

So what does the Big Book of Baby Names have to do with dog names? Well, I like to give dogs people names–no Snowball or Spot for me.

My husband and I have been talking about dog names for years–back in our no-dog early twenties we daydreamed about what we would name our future dog(s). Now we toss around names just for fun: What do you think of a bloodhound named Stanley? Ooh, how about a mastiff named Bernice?

And it is fun. You have a lot more license when considering dog names than you do with kid names. You don’t really have to worry about how it works with your last name–the only time you’ll hear that is at the vet. Nor do you have to worry about the other dogs making fun of your dog’s name. The one thing you do have to consider with a dog that you don’t with a child, or at least I think so, is the dog’s breed.

Below I have listed types of dog names with examples. I also provided pictures in which I “named” the subjects. I used Laura Wattenberg’s book The Baby Name Wizard as a reference but also just my own opinions about the “feel” of a name and how it fits with a certain breed, look, or type of dog. (I’m also not trying to discriminate against mixed breeds; the naming process is more about the look of a dog than its particular breed.) After reading these names, if you’d like to give me the honor of naming your dog, just holler!

My absolute favorite dog names are blue-hair human names. I think out-of-fashion people names gain a new spark when given to a dog. Wattenberg calls these names “Porch-Sitters.”

1. The Blue Hairs/Porch Sitters: Harriet, Edna, Mildred, Irma, Ruth, Ethel, Edith, Winifred, Beulah, Edwina, and Velma and Milton, Edgar, Herbert, Norbert, Grover, Abner, Doyle, Lester, Mortimer, and Melvin.

Harriet

Our boxer’s name*, of course, sits squarely on this porch: Gertrude. So ugly for a human (sorry, human Gertrudes of the world), but so splendid when applied, especially with the nickname Gertie, to a wrinkly, short-nosed, spunky boxer! I think the porch-sitting names work best when applied to smush-faced dogs, bully breeds and hounds–there’s just something about that so-ugly-they’re-adorable-look that begs for a fusty name–but they could definitely work for other breeds as well (a lab named Doyle, perhaps).

A classic Gertie

Norbert

I also like ironic names for dogs. I’m not talking about a Great Dane named Tiny, but rather grandiose, butch, or overly sophisticated names for little dogs, and fanciful or flowery names for huge or brutish-looking dogs.

2. Ironic little dog names: Blanche, Veronica, Tallulah, Delilah, Francesca, Magnus, Igor, and Judd.

Blanche or Igor--picture source

3. Ironic brute dog names: Violette, Winifred, Adeline, Penelope, Matilda, Wallace, Sylvester, Solomon, Oliver, Philip, and Peter.

Claribel or Wilhelmina--picture source

4. Match sight with sound: Or you could do just the opposite and choose a name for your dog with a sound that just fits how they look: a whippet named Winnie, a teacup chihuahua named Pip, a Rottweiler named Bruno, or an elkhound named Gregor.

Winnie sounds slight but sweet

5. Bright, cheerful, and cute: Poppy, Trixie, Polly, Archie, Milo, and Zeke.

Zeke

6. Foreign names that match the breed origin: You could choose a name that fits your breed’s ethnicity. Consider a Papillon named Delphine or Claude; an Irish setter named Gwendolyn or Hamish; an Italian greyhound named Alessandra or Salvatore.

Brigitte/Gaston

What names do you like for dogs? What do you think about my categories and/or the names I chose for the above dogs?

*We didn’t name Duke because he was already six when we got him, and we thought he had been through enough changes. However, if his name had been Killer, or some other heinous name, we would’ve changed it. If I had named him, I probably would have chosen something like Alfred–Alfie for short–or maybe Bernard or…so many names, so little time!

Related Post: DON’T Let Me Name Your Dog

We could always call him Duke Alfred.

Wagging for Winter?

Posted on by
10

Source

It’s not officially winter, but here in Iowa the first snow pretty much marks the beginning of the season. Since it snowed yesterday, even though it didn’t really stick, welcome to winter!

From a dog mom perspective, I’m both looking forward to and dreading winter. Here are my reasons:

Why I’m Looking Forward to Winter:

  • Watching the dogs kick up the white stuff and don snowy beards as they romp in the yard is oh-so-entertaining and festive
  • Cuddling with my warm pups as the snow falls outside is extra comforting
  • Observing Duke camouflage himself in the snow (as long as he buries his brown patch in a snow drift) will be fun
  • The Viner family holiday card happens in winter
  • Tromping through the snow, all bundled up on a walk with the dogs, can be invigorating or very peaceful

    Camo Dog: Coming soon to a snowdrift near you!

Why I’m Dreading Winter:

  • Icy roads and sidewalks = treachery for a person holding on to two leashes
  • The icy roads and subsequent salt coatings don’t do any favors for dogs’ paws either
  • Dealing with the pent-up energy of two boxers in a small house who can’t get a decent walk because of those icy conditions (or because it’s -20 degrees) can stretch a person’s patience
  • Tromping around in the snow with the dogs can be cold, wet, and windy

    Mom, I can't feel my paws. And I look ridiculous in this coat.

Winter also seems to enhance my natural inclination to worry, and I fret about whether I should walk the dogs due to the salt on the streets or how long they should stay outside and this and that. So I found this handy guide to winter care for dogs from the AKC website.

Are you dreading or looking forward to winter? Why?

Since we’re on the subject of winter, the Wisconsin Humane Society, where one of my college friends works, holds a fun event called the Bow Wow Blizzard Camp to teach kids about how they can help animals in need (and probably also to get the kids out of the house while they’re on winter break) . Check it out and see if there are any similar events for kids near you!

Dress Up Dogs

Posted on by
20

When Gertie was just a puppy, I struck a deal with her that I would only dress her up once per year. So while I have admired the many adorable canine Halloween costumes I’ve seen floating around the web since Monday (I have listed some of my favorites below), I did not put Gertie or Duke in costume. (Full disclosure: I was actually out of town on Halloween, and Tom did put scarves on the dogs for some reason. I’ll add pictures later.)

Though I know dogs feel uncomfortable and sometimes stressed when dressed up, I also can’t help but coo and laugh at how cute they look in their duds! I think it’s ok to dress up a dog for just a short time, as long as the costume isn’t painful or especially uncomfortable. Check out A Belle, A Bean, A Chicago Dog’s post featuring her adorable Sea Creature Crew (kids and dogs), as well as Kissbeep’s rundown of cute canines in costumes. My favorite costume, however, has to be the Bob the Builder bulldog, whose picture headlined my post from Monday: A No Dog Howl-o-Ween.

While all of the above dogs looked festive on Halloween, I save my one day of doggie dress-up for our annual holiday card, in which Duke will get to participate this year (I’m sure he will be thrilled). I don’t think the photos in these cards accurately depict Gertie’s personality, since she’s so put out that she’s dressed up she can barely stand it. But I do think they’re pretty funny (if I do say so myself).

2008–The year that started it all:

About 10 days before we had these pictures taken, Gertie underwent surgery to remove two large cysts from her head. She was well-healed when we did the pictures, but she still had a large square shaved into her head. So, she had to wear the Santa hat (though you can still see the shaved patch in one picture). Gertie is a very sweet dog, but it probably took all her will to resist biting the back of my neck in the first picture because she hated that sweater. Notice that she’s not wearing it in the second picture–we’re not that mean!

2009–Oops, we missed Christmas!

The look on Gertie’s face in the middle picture doesn’t actually suggest warm wishes (or warm-up wishes).

2010–Continuing the tradition

Gertie is wearing a vest in the top left picture, though it was so big it looks more like a cape. I like how she’s looking at us like we’re crazy in the largest picture. She’s probably right.

2011–Wait and see!

We have already planned our theme for our 2011 holiday card, though we have to collect all the props to make it work. We also have to figure out where we’ll get the pictures taken since the place we’ve gone the past three years has closed. We may try to take the pictures ourselves. Is that a crazy notion? Can we get a good picture of two dogs and two people using the timer on my camera? Stay tuned to find out!

Do you include your dog(s) in your holiday card? How do you feel about dressing up your dog(s)?

By the way, check out this new event in Eastern Iowa: Iowa Humane Alliance Community Mosaic Art Project, Thursday, November 17. For information about dog-related events in Iowa (and the Midwest), check the DoggiEvents page. You can also find links to read about past events.