Black Magic Brandy

Rusty, the best dog I've ever known. Bit my leg when we met for the first time, when I was 8, but we were inseparable after that. My mom couldn't understand it.

My family liked dogs.

I did have a fish once (whom I also loved - don't laugh) named Joralemon Cunningham. JC for short.

We also had a cat named Dummer Dog, because my father found him in Fort Dummer State Park, and my mother said the only pets she could abide were dogs.

The cat that succeeded Dummer Dog was named Allergy, because my mother said no more cats, she was allergic.

Poor Mom.

I used have a German Shepherd named Schatzie (it means "little treasure"), which I guess isn't that uncommon, except that apparently it's usually used for female shepherds, not male. He was a stray and I couldn't decide whether to keep him for a couple of weeks and that was just one of the temporary things I called him. When I decided to keep him, that's the one that stuck. It was a little funny because he was an old street dog with messed up ears (they folded over) and complete Eeyore attitude, and "Schatzie" seems like such a sunny, happy name.

I've now got an Auggie of my own (two "g"s), and the name fits him, but I guess it's not that strange. Our other dog is Lola, the prettiest dog in Alaska. Neither of their names are all that strange, but both have a slew of nicknames. Auggie is "The Old Senator", "Old Man", "Black Dog", and "Goofball". Lola is "Lola-Belle", "Missy Lo", "Lolo", and "Missle", among others.

A friend had a super sweet boxer name Mole (as in mole sauce). Another friend had a Bichon-Frise name Sid after Mr. Vicious.

I got Pandora, a Dalmatian, for my 8th birthday. I had her until I was 18. I showed her in jr handler and puppy shows, but when she was grown she was and inch too tall to show.

Brandy is my 9 year old mutt, ain't she cute?

I couldn't imagine life without a dog.

And Chuckly, who also has an adorable underbite!

Both names are Gujarati, and come from names my mom used to call me and my sister when we were little.

Tracks, whom friends always mistakenly called "Trixie" or some such, was a black lab with white paws. I said she seemed to have made tracks in the snow, and it stuck.

Feathers "de la Plume" was a little blonde cairn terrier. Her name comes from her feather-like tail, made prominent by the skin disease and hair loss she had picked up as a stray. (With care, the hair came back.)

Pippi (Longstocking) is more of a mutt, and about five times larger, but has the same face as Feathers (and an impossibly placid disposition, which is good considering the ADHD etc. disorders in that household).

(Why isn't this text box word wrapping?!)

Cats in my parent's home generally get the odd names... One of the most recent is named "Not-Elmo."

Of course, the Shepperds were Countess, run away pretty soon or that was what my mother told me, and Bizcocho de Chocolate, or Chocolate Cake, a German Shepherd mutt that followed my brothers to school one day, and kept us company for twelve years.
Another German Shepherd, Congo, because everyone was going for "Gremlin" and I couldn't have that.

The Siberians, the female with the requisite Laika, and then Misha, who was male. Untold offspring, one of which was Matea (Mate a un pajarito, I kill'd a bird, for her hunting tendencies), and Argos, for Achilles' dog.

If the wife didn't put the limit at three pets, I'd have a Bloodhound, a Black and Tan Coonhound, and a Treeing Walker Coonhound right now - I even have the names picked out: Marcel, Vernel, and O'dell.

One can never have too many dogs.

and (of course) Chelsie Belle Browne. Especially her happy dance. Especially when the happy dance becomes a happy dance recital.

If I had a dog, I'd name it Stains. So whenever I'd call for it, I'd say "Come..." you know the rest.

I'm a cat person myself...

"Oh, he must smell uptown," she said, looking down at the dog.

Uptown? Did she really say that? Does life smell so different when your apartm--

"Uptown Brown," she continued. "That's my dog. Big ol' Rottweiler that likes to sit on my feet."

Now that's a good name for a dog. My other favorite is the black Tibetan terrier in my neighborhood called Maybe.

Oscar Elkin - mutt - RIP
Patrick Elkin - bassett hound - RIP
Freddie Elkin - poodle - RIP
Puff Truett - daschund - RIP
Sassy Truett - mutt - RIP
Wylie Elkin - chihuahua - RIP
Murphy Bed Elkin - Miature pinscher - alive and well.

Thanks for the memories...