Faith, Hope, and… Apu?

Faith was rescued the day she went to labor with her 12 puppies. She was so emaciated that only four of the puppies survived. The good news is that under Madeline and Brad’s excellent care, they are thriving now and all have been adopted and will be heading to their new homes within the next week or so. Our own little squirmer will be landing at Chez Jamison on September 12.

We’re not sure which one of the fat red balls lined up at Faith’s feeding trough will be ours, but I’m sort of hoping it will be the one on the far left. I think that sweet little butt speaks to an intelligent, mellow, friendly sort of poodle, don’t you?


We need your help here. In addition to stocking up on water bowls and squeaky toys, we are trying to land on a name.

We were strongly leaning towards “Watson” for a while there, in part because of the recent announcement of IBM’s artificial intelligence machine, and partly because it would be fun to holler “Watson! Come here!” every day. But “Watson” is already a family name, and we don’t wish to incite umbrage in the sharing parties.

We like “Omar” very much (big fans of “The Wire”) and Mr. Sharif was a cool, elegant dude. Plus, it’s a beautiful name that means “flourishing and long lived,” and has a dignity that befits the noble poodle. However, we also would like to get a goat someday and, obviously, the goat would need to be named “Omar,” too. This might get confusing down the road…

“Winston” is a particular favorite, and lends itself to the term of endearment, “Winnie, the Poohdle.”

We’re also considering “Ripley,” believe it or not, since poodles are incredibly intelligent and will spontaneously create their own circus tricks, just for grins and chuckles.

“Gizmo,” “Emile,” and “Gnemo” (the “g” would be silent) all would work too. But the name at the top of the list right now is “Apu,” because I just can’t help myself.

Or are we barking up against the wrong tree altogether here? Please jump in with your thoughts. Otherwise, little Spanky is likely to end up with a dog tag that says “Thank you!” on one side and “Come again!” on the other.

20 thoughts on “Faith, Hope, and… Apu?

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  3. Sandi Fentiman

    Well since that pup at the end is a survivor; what about a name that would say it. I know it’s kind of dorky, but what about Miracle? Brandon–long way for Brandy. Be sure to get some nyla bones for him to chew on; good for keeping the teeth strong and some what clean.

    1. rickandkathy Post author

      Hey Sandi, that’s a new one! I think we’re closing in on one. We’ll have to try it out on him on Sunday to know for sure. And yes, we’re ready with safe bones, and squeaky toys, and ropes, and balls, and a soft fuzzy bed… and… and..

  4. Debra

    Surprised…thought you were going to put the “poodle addition to the family” off for awhile… So Sunday is the big day, eh? Congrats! Whatever ou name him will be spectacular!

    1. rickandkathy Post author

      Yeah, you’re not the only one surprised! But life rolls out as it does, right? And are you still open to a puppy-sitting gig on occasion? We’ll be in the market for a few days not too far down the road 🙂

  5. Charlie

    Well, our little baby took months to decide on a name – so I can appreciate the dilemma. We ended up going back to our first choice!

  6. Kathy Skinner

    I am partial to Winston.
    Kathy (Canadian friend of Gail Gauvin who told me I must follow your blog)

    1. rickandkathy Post author

      Hello, friend of Gail! (We LOVE Gail, too, and also do what we are told by HerSelfNess. Who wouldn’t?) and thanks for weighing in on the Name Game. “Winston” is still very much in the running.

  7. Nancy Renzullo

    I thought you were referring to the (Hank Azaria) Simpson character “Apu”!?! Well … I still like it 🙂

  8. Nancy Renzullo

    Apu is good … better than Balderdash, Doodle(bug) or Pickering by a long snout. But, then again, since you’re so taken with that red-rumpled-little-French-buttocks, you could just name him “Mais” (the conjuctive, in Canad-English … ‘but’ … so we’re just a “t” short). Much nicer sounding than using “Derriere” or Buttootey as a namesake … and more classic than RougeRump or RumperRouge. Or how about going the “origins” route … http://www.zooclub.com.ua/Poodle … Pudel, Puddle, Flaque, or just Splash. Or Frank. Nah … I like Apu.

    1. rickandkathy Post author

      Thanks for the link, Nanc. (and yes, “Apu” was inspired by “The Simpsons,” right down to imagining the question, “What kind of dog is it?” and responding, “It’s a poo, DOH” (Say it out loud.) Unfortunately, the name “Apu” bit the dust this afternoon. We decided that over the course of 12-15 years, it would demand too many explanations. Now down to “Omar,” “Winston,” and “Watson.” So… Now what?

  9. Kathy P.

    Canoodle is darned cute! As a subtle substitute for — and tie-back to — Omar, what about Yury (Dr. Zhivago = Sharif)?

    1. rickandkathy Post author

      Agree: “Canoodle” is, oh, so apropos. However, it’s hard to imagine calling out at full volume “Canoodle! Leave that skunk to its business!!”

  10. Dad

    Being the bearer of the aforementioned family name, I will state my case as being nomneutral. Use Watson if you wish, but you might consult my Grandson who shares that middle name; I will go with his stand.
    If you are into alliteration, then you might consider ‘Canoodle’ (the Poodle).

    P.

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