I must tell my tale in GIFs because that hasn’t been overdone and worn out on the internet yet.
This is how I have felt for the last 2 1/2 weeks, trying to name our new dog:
I thought I’d figured it out last week but alas, a few days ago, I un-named her again. I love the word “zucca” but after several days of making that word with my face, including calling it out at the park, I realized it just isn’t right for this particular dog or my particular face that makes words. It made my teeth feel weird, that Z sound with the K sound after it. Does that make any sense? I told this to Rupert Not His Real Name and he started questioning his wife-choice.
He grimly tolerated my flakiness about the naming of the girl dog, understanding that I’ll literally lose sleep at night if I feel the name is wrong. But even strong men have limits to their patience and after the third or fourth change, he started pointedly calling her Girl Dog Who Deserves a Name and doing this a lot:
Late last night I lay awake in bed in a stark cold sweat hating myself for being so indecisive (that is not a condition with which I usually suffer and I find indecisiveness in others excruciating), and then it came to me. My friends and I had already considered Serenity, Shiny, Kaylee, and Jayne because Best Show Ever, but for some unholy reason none of us had uttered the obvious.
Well finally my brain uttered it in the cold loneliness of the night:
Right? Right?? You’re gorram right I’m right. She even looks like that GIF.
My relief is enormous. I don’t even care who doesn’t like that name, I feel fantastic.
…….
I followed a link to a site yesterday about people’s stories of their adopted shelter dogs, and the headline was something like, “Proving that shelter dogs can be very loving.” Whut? Was that in doubt? Are there real people who have the idea that dogs you adopt from a shelter are not as good in some way as dogs you buy from a breeder or get from a friend? Is this a thing? Almost every dog I’ve ever had came from a shelter and they’ve all been wonderful, trusting, trustworthy, magnificent beasts. These current two, Primo and Firefly, are the only ones I’ve adopted as adults instead of as puppies and I suppose that was risky and maybe I’ve just gotten lucky but damn if they’re not the most delightful dogs I’ve ever had.
Also, is it just me, or does anyone else dislike that it’s now common to refer to all dogs adopted from shelters as “rescues” and every act of shelter-adoption a “rescue”? It seems to me this wasn’t the term we used the last time I adopted a dog from a shelter (Sunny in 2001); the last I remember, “rescue” was used only for groups that fostered dogs of a certain breed, like a Rottweiler Rescue group. I understood that. I don’t understand calling every shelter-adopted dog “rescued”; I think it sounds a little grandiose, a little Look At How Heroic I Am.
I just can’t use that word to describe the transactions that occurred when we took Primo out of his Italian shelter and Firefly out of her Texan one. The truth is that Primo rescued me from what was becoming a rather grim case of depression, and Firefly is a gift of pure light and joy. She makes me smile and laugh more in a single day than I did in weeks about a year ago.
Somehow I managed to be taking video of them playing the back yard the first time I ever saw Firefly freak the eff OUT. She’s been more and more active since all her stitches came out last week but yesterday she achieved new heights of full-on spaz. Good lord:
About an hour later, they’d both calmed down and Primo was the impeccable Italian gentleman that he is, sharing his favorite stick because that is what one does for una piccola signorina:
Yes yes YESSSSSS!!!!! Doggy videos, NEED more doggy videos!!!!! Love the name btw. I really liked Zucca as well but Firefly definitely suits her because seriously look at her FLY in circles in that video! I was cracking up watching her spaz out! Too precious!
Firefly?
Hmmm….
It will take me a couple days to get used to it.
Let it bounce around in my empty head for awhile,
and then it will be as natural as the moon shining at midnight on the frozen landscape that is called Minnesota.
Damned winter of 2013-14!
Hey Rachel – we always called those ‘freakouts’ Looney Laps. My Best Dog Ever had to perform them at least once a day. Glad she found her name… I, of course, LOVE HER NAME! Best Name Evar!!! Of course I love Primo’s name and himself as well. What great dogs you have. As they say, you are known by the friends you keep. What friends they are.
Fair Winds,
Cap’n Jan
I love the way Primo blends in with the grass while Firefly does her wild hair freak out thing. So cute. YAY! Firefly is the perfect name for that little bundle of hyena colored sweetness.
I had a toy poodle (a wonderful dog, and I miss her every day) that used to spaz out like that. Every few weeks, she’d go out in the back yard and do laps at 9,000 miles per hour for about ten minutes, and then she’d be done. The rest of the time, she’d just jog around in a leisurely manner. I never could understand what motivated her to do that.
Also, the kid with the football is cracking me up.
Awww, what a cutie!
we used to call that “getting a case of the squirrels” Kylee used to get them all the time when she was young! people walking by would stop to watch her, smiling at her antics………………….sigh
Our Quinn does the mad buzzing thing, drives the elderly members of the pack nuts. It’s awesome that Primo has such forbearance for his new little sister – seeing those two together will never get old! As for her name, of course you have to go with whatever sticks. ‘Zucca’ was adorable, but ‘Firefly’ is about as shiny as they come, so you won’t hear any quibbling from me.
I was going to comment on the winter post below, but a few words in, I was depressing myself. The Nylabone pic, however, is a gem not to be overlooked – that shot makes her look like a scaled down model of a much bigger dog. After watching her zip around in the video, I’d say she feels like one, too!
No.
I’ve never had a dog with a name longer than two syllables, so I’m a little mixed. My bet is that “Firefly” will get shortened to “Fifi.” But, hey, I sure have a lot of nerve, don’t I? All that matters is that you like the name and that Firefly answers to it. :) Best wishes for lots of future full-on freakouts!
I will always call her Eep in my mind. I mean, John Cleese is responsible for that character name! What’s not to love?
Btw, I love Firefly’s tiger stripes. You seriously lucked out finding this girl. I’m so jealous. :)
Yes, I think Firefly is better. I would never have said anything but Zucca sounded too much like sucka to me. Of course, I’m a long way from New York but I listen to a radio program over the internet from LongGeyeland where the announcer assures me that the station is my choice for news and entataynment.
I’m sure your nice little doggie doesn’t care what you call her as long as she gets her share of the toys and treats. You made the right decision.
RE: the middle video. Wow! What a spunky little doggie!
Yes yes yes yes yes yes YES! The name is perfect. My toes are curling from the sweetness coming off the screen. More please! What wonderful joy all around–for you, for The Two, & for all of us at a distance.
Oh–& a post that includes Jeff Bridges AND Adam Baldwin (gorgeous AND conservative!) AND two adorable dogs. Well done Madam, is all I can say!
I had to giggle when, in the first video, you talked about rubbing her belly. You’re such a hick!
And I say that with the utmost of love and respect, Rachel. I grew up in the prototypical hick town of Brownwood, Texas, so “hick” is where I start from. :-)
First time checking in for quite some time and I find such awesomeness all at once. Your description of searching for the right name had me snickering about 5 different times. Loved the GIFs and each was perfect for the story. I even got a kick out of Vivian Louise remarking that Firefly looks like a hyena – that was my first thought, too.
Anyway, congrats on the new doggie.
As a devoted Browncoat myself, how could I not endorse the name.
When our dogs run around like that, we call it “going on a tear.”
I paused before your big name reveal to try my luck at guessing
(Inara? Hmm, not too likely, (but just now the (today’s) meaning of “companion” occurred to me). River? No. Too much weirdness (and I can’t believe I’m raising that objection on this site). Ah. How about Zoey? Zoey the brave, the cool, the unstoppable. Possible, possible. Saffron? Saffron is an alias, and is about betrayal, so no.) Never thought of Firefly.
Gonna have to let that settle in, but in the meantime I love watching her do doughnuts on your lawn. I can see Primo thinking “Am I getting older and slower, ALREADY? Bleedin puppies. Sigh.”
After you chose the first name I said “Zucca” out loud I then said “Bazooka” out loud.
Entirely unfitting, me and “Zucca”.
Firefly — much, much better.
Totally with you on the “rescue” dog thing. You have a rescue dog? Did you save them from a sinking ship? A burning building? Then stop telling me you “rescued” them. You adopted them.
The Firefly name is lovely, and her coloring is kind of flamey and glowy. I like it.
Whenever my cats do that running around like a spaz thing (FRAP = frenetic random activity period), they have to go poop. So of course that’s the first thing I thought of seeing sweet Firefly do that: “time to let the dog out!” Oh, already out, duh.
And about sharing that stick: I’m not sure there’s anything better on the internet than seeing two doggehs chewing on the same stick.
I.am.dy-ing.from.teh.cuteness!
Those two were meant to be with each other – Primo is THE perfect gentleman with FireFly and she is just adorable!
I LOVE Firefly!!! Love it love it love it!!! Perfection.
I call my shelter dogs rescues but as in: I rescued my first dog b/c he was found wandering the mean streets of Austin and I rescued my second dog from an old man who was trying to take him even though I had called dibs at Operation Kindness in Carrolton and the workers knew it.
We call that running around “auto frenzy” and I absolutely love it when one of my dogs does that, rare though it may be.
Rachel, the freak-out truly reminds me of my lil buddy, Bo (RIP), who would freak out in the same way. He was a corgi (and I swear I see corgi ears on Firefly). IMO I think it was Bo’s herding instinct kicking in in an extreme way when he did the freak-outs. And seeing FF do that exact same thing gave me warm thoughts all inside me about my lil Bo who I miss so much.
Love the new name, love the videos, but mostly I love Firefly’s adorable little dark paws.
Cool name. And ::cough:: I like it better than your first choice. Then again, not my name, so not my choice.
Heh. I’ve seen that particular look my wife’s face from time to time.
Unrelated: that Katy Perry gif from her Firework video? Always reminds me of the scene in Alien when the parasite burst from the guy’s belly. It’s really a bizarre video concept.
Rachel,
Those moves by Firefly in video 2 are not “freak outs” – those are donuts! ( The driving kind, not the Krispy Kreme kind). I would expect no less from a good southern girl like her.
LOVE the team-chewing!
re: Cap’n Jan: Love the “Looney Laps”! Perfect. I dog-sat a little cutie that would do looney laps for baby carrots. So cute! IN the house though, so sometimes it got dangerous.
Love the gifs AND pup videos! Keep ’em coming?!
re: New name Firefly: How is she doing with name recognition? I am guessing that will just take time & name calling. She’s a lucky one, as is Primo, and Texas. Go Team Rachel!
Good weekend to all!
Marvie
My Firefly crocuses bloomed today!
It must be right!
Longtime lurker, love reading your history… Fun with animals. And I thought you might be interested given your previous experience, and love for dogs, on this:
Hey Rachel et al.!
If you’re not already following the Twitter account of of FX’s Justified, you absolutely must. He smacks down lefty twitter scolds with apolomb, calls them fat, and then “” with a song.
Then he and @adambaldwin go golfing and chomp cigars.
If this is old news around here I apologize for being behind the times, but you’ll also have to admit that it bears repeating.
YES! That’s perfect.
Well, unless it was an adoption from a no-kill shelter, it was a rescue (IMHO). So glad you found them!
No-kill shelters send their extra puppies to yes-kill shelters. #burstingbubble
If you get a chance, read The Scent of the Missing followed by Possibility Dogs. Possibility rather than rescue seems so much better to me. And I’m sure you will enjoy these two books.
SO very happy for you! I’m a long-time reader/lurker and can’t tell you how pleased I am to read your exploits again. LOVE the puppers; being allergic to just about every animal on the planet I live vicariously thru the pets of my friends – and once again, thru the great dog-blogger Rachel Lucas!
They are sooo cute together! Firefly is simply beautiful. I love her color, her frame and her sweet/naughty face. I also love that Primo is so nice to her. What a winning pair!
When our two rottweilers go spazzy we call it the zoomies. When the a$$hole cats do it, it’s the boogie mouse…
Awww, LOVE!
I don’t care what you do in your life, but I beg you… I BEG you, please don’t ever stop GIFfing.
Such a cute couple of dogs you have !!!!!
Yeah, I named my baby boy Malcolm. If he had been a girl she would have been Jane. Such a good show.
What sweet little dogs. Love the gifs.