Wednesday, March 12, 2008

The Brittany is coming! The Brittany is coming!

She's coming by car, so should that be one lantern or two? Hee.

We're arranging with Foster Dad for the delivery of the delightful Dog Currently Known as Rowan. His schedule depending, we'll be welcoming her over the next three days. We've bought the supplies will need right away -- crate, leash, bowls, food, treats, etc. -- and we're making things ready for her.

But we still don't have a name for her. So I've created a quiz and posted it below. I think it should show the results after you've taken it, but I've never done this before, so I may come back here and edit this post if it doesn't work.

The names we're thinking of include: Rosie, Poppy, Pippi, Birdie, Hildy, Gertie, Ruby, and Lucy. (Almost all pets in my family and Bullock's have had people names, btw.)

Anyway, before you vote, there are a few things you should know. First of all, here are two more pictures of Rowan (from the rescue agency website -- we don't have our own yet):




As you can see, she's a roan Brittany -- hence her name. And in these pictures she has the stance and alertness of the bird dog that she was bred to be.

Other things you should know: I've read that dogs are more likely to respond to two-syllable names, and that they particularly respond to the the "ee" sound. I don't know how true this is, but I've used it as a guide in picking names. I don't know if Rowan already responds to her current name, which she has had for only about 2 months. If she does and we still really want to change it, that makes "Rosie" the best option.

Bullock is a red-head himself, and he's Swedish-American on both sides of his family -- hence Pippi. Bullock and I are both fans of Lord of the Rings, especially Bullock, and Rosie, Poppy, and Hildy are all Hobbit names -- appropriate for a small fuzzy creature. (Rosie was the beloved of Sam Gamgee and Poppy and Hildy were in the family trees in the appendices.) Also, we have a weird running joke about the actress Poppy Montgomery. Then again, poppies are the flower of memorials to the war dead in Britain, so maybe it's not the right name for a dog, even a reddish colored one.

Birdie is a variant of Brigid/Brigit, and so it has medieval connections, as well as a Gaelic language origin (suitable for a Brittany). And, of course, she's a bird dog. Hildy is both a Hobbit name and potentially a reference to Hildegard von Bingen.

Ruby and Lucy have red associations (as in the jewel and I Love Lucy).

And Gertie was one of the original names I thought of when thinking of dog names in general, long before Rowan was the dog of choice. (If we'd gotten a boy dog, Gus was Bullock's name of choice.)

So enter you opinion below, or make other suggestions in the comments (and also vote for "none of the above"). I can't say that we'll use the name that wins the most votes, but I'm still interested in what you think! (ETA: I voted once just to see it work, but it still showed all choices as 0%. Hm. Well, if that happens to you, feel free to express your opinion in the comments!)

ETA 2: Stand by while I replace the currently crappy Quibblo poll with one from Poll Daddy and see if that works better....Ah, much better.

18 comments:

K said...

She's beautiful! I vote for Rosie--in addition to the "ee" sound, dogs also hear "s" well, and if she has picked up on her old name a bit, it's an easy transition. How wonderful it will be for you when she arrives--congrats!

The Pastry Pirate said...

i second what k said and also voted for rosie. wiley votes for "mrs. kittenheads" and would like to meet her as soon as possible. congrats! i am excited for you as well as for rosie, because i know what a good home she is going to!

Anonymous said...

I know five people in Sprinklerville alone who have dogs named Rosie; I would like to think that she is a dog not like any other.

Anonymous said...

Oh, she's beautiful! Congrats, Dr. V!

I don't feel comfortable weighing in on someone else's name, but I will say this, from my secret life as a trainer or co-trainer of many dogs: I've never had so much success with names as with those that have at least one syllable headed by a hard consonant. Two is even better. No idea why. Might vary by breed, but I've worked mostly with hunters of various sorts, so, for what it's worth.

Best of luck with your new baby -- if her heart's as beautiful as her coat, stance, everything about her, you're in for one fabulous dog!

Dr. Virago said...

Oh, go ahead and vote, Neophyte! It's fun! :) And hmmm... is "p" hard enough? Or does that leave only Birdie or Gertie? Rs, Ls, and Hs are barely even consonants. Hmm...

And Meg, yes, well, I'm not surprised there are a lot of Rosies out there. I also have a friend with a daughter named Rosa, so maybe that also mitigates against it. If she isn't already responding to Rowan, that leaves things wide open. Bullock is fond of Poppy and Pippi.

Dr. Virago said...

also mitigates against it

Argh. Make that *militates* against it. I hate when I do that.

Anonymous said...

Hooray for the pretty puppy!!! (I know she's grown, I call all dogs puppies. I am a paragon of refinement and sophistication.)

I voted for Poppy, but I also like Gertie. I'm a little meh about Rosie, it sounds like someone's little old granny to me. I know Pippi Longstocking was a redhead, but for some reason Pippi screams blond to me (yeah, I'm weird). It's so SWEDISH. Birdie is weird to me because it's calling one animal another (I get calling a cat Dog or Mouse or something, it just seems weird to me for dogs). Hildy - well, it's very Valkyrie to me. Ruby and Lucy are nice, though.

(And obviously if you pick any of the names I've just dissed I won't hold it against you!)

Anonymous said...

Heh -- Poppy and Pippi are my favorites too. And I'm about 90% Swedish too; wonder if it's something genetic?

Bardiac said...

I voted for Rosie, but I like Hildie and Lucy a lot, too.

She's a cutie, for sure. The other thing about Rosie is that if she's already gotten a bit used to Rowan, it's close enough to be easy to transition.

Another Damned Medievalist said...

Rosie says thanks very much, but clearly no one should name a dog after her.

I voted for Gertie, but I really think she looks like a Lucy -- not the Lucille Ball version, but in a Lucy Pevensie way. I think Gertie and Hildy are harder to yell, if that makes a difference.

I like Bridie rather than Birdie, too.

And also ... CUTE!!!!

Anonymous said...

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I'm am a staff member of Quibblo.com. We noticed that you were less-than-satisfied with our poll widget, and opted to use one of our competitors. Would you mind telling us what went wrong for you, and how we might better serve your needs in the future.

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Ancrene Wiseass said...

PIPPI!!!

Ahem.

I rather like the idea of naming her Pippi.

Also, congratulations!

Anonymous said...

I voted for none of the above because I wanted to suggest Roxie, as a harder sounding variant of Rosie (yes, I know, different roots.) Anyhoo, she's adorable and can't wait to meet her.

Anonymous said...

I also go for Bridie - close to Birdie but sounds better to me and avoids species confusion! She is gorgeous. Fifi Bluestocking.

Ecce Equus Pallidus said...

I voted for Poppy, but I like Ruby and Lucy as well.

Congratulations, by the way! She is a beautiful dog.

What Now? said...

D. and I also have a running joke about Poppy Montgomery! It's a great name.

Yay on the puppy coming home! (Like NK, I refer to all dogs as "puppies," not sure why.)

Dr. Virago said...

WN, how funny that you guys also have a running joke about PM!

meli said...

I voted poppy but now i think pippi...