Fear the Crab

… until we figure out what to call him.

New puppy!

We got this puppy last week Thursday, so we’ve had almost four days to acclimate him to our house and ourselves. He’s around two months of age, allegedly some chihuahua mix. Right now he’s about the length of my forearm, and his paws indicate he’ll get bigger. How big, I don’t know.

He appears to get along well with Lucky, so that’s good. He also appears intelligent and crafty, but right now we’re trying to house-train him, so commands like sit and stay are works-in-progress.

Maile and I are in the process of trying to name this little sack of pee and poop. Maile has given me the honorable task of bestowing an appropriate title (Yay!). Unfortunately, she has silently reserved for herself the power of veto (Boo!). I’ve come up with many names over the course of the weekend, all rejected because of some unspoken criteria not disclosed prior to my brainstorming.

I’ve tapped a few creative resources for inspiration, and their suggestions ranged from the obscure to the mysterious. They were most accommodating to my preference that names were not “just for the sake of naming” or “cute”, that instead the name should have some kind of reference, some kind of meaning behind it. My first suggestion was “Gizmo” because he looked like the gremlin (Maile had a cat named Gizmo, so apparently we cannot reuse awesome names). “Shoeshine” and “Penrod” were offered, referencing the alter-egos of Underdog and Hong Kong Phooey, respectively. Even names like “Sir Batty McBeefylegs III, Esq.” were graciously rejected.

I mentioned that the dog looks like he has a mask; The Bog offered “Zorro” as a name, which I thought was pretty cool. I know it translates to “fox,” but the famous character is flamboyant, charismatic, protective of the oppressed, and best of all, likes to mark his territory. That last bit made Maile strike that suggestion off faster than Don Diego Vega’s rapier.

I also thought the dog’s size, coloration, and crooked tail made it look like a pig, so in the tradition of his currently-known bloodline, opted for “Cerdo.” That didn’t seem to go over too well.

Maile wanted a name that represented mellow and calm, yet also spoke of intelligence. For lack of inspiration, I suggested “Ziggy” in reference to the comic character. Lovable loser who takes everything in stride, still manages to get by, and for the most part doesn’t seem too stupid. It’s still kind of a stretch.

Today I came up with “Ferris” or “Bueller.” In my head I’m listening to how it feels as I yell it aloud. I figure the character is pretty cool, laid back and wants to have a good time, and has some intelligence/craftiness to make things happen.

I’m also shocked, shocked to discover that “Renault” is another possibility.

EDIT: Aaaaaand his final name is “Ziggy.” No relation to Stardust.