What's in a Name? A Lot of Hootenany, That's What - Puppy Post

Now that we're on the path to certain puppydom x2.

Don't worry, it's a year and a half down the line. We got to recover from this one first...

Isn't she looking a lil Harry Connick Jr. in this pic? It's the eyes... just don't tell Harry. 

And expand... our current place is only big enough for the three of us... and maybe a few more misguided necessary art purchases (It was Phill Singer! How could I pass up on a Singer!?), but that's neither here nor there. Okay, where was I...

Oh yeah! Now that a 2nd puppy is as sure as Nymeria is cute - it's time to start thinking about names. I mean, how do you top an AKC name like Nymeria MacBattleby Logiealmond MacGold?! It's nearly impossible! And granted the lil' pup his or herself will have a lot of say in the matter as well... you couldn't name a Swedish Vallhund Melly Joe Carmichael, could you? No! 

So to start where our last puppy name search ended, I give you - potential AKC puppy names of the next puppy MacGold:

• Brodie Tighnabruaich Crieff MacGold
• Ullapool Rosemarkie Golspie MacGold
• Onich Banavie Halkirk MacGold
• Keiss Braetongue Cannich MacGold
• Altnaharra Scourie Plockton MacGold
• Bettyhill Gairloch Netherley MacGold
• Dalwhinnie Coldbackie Inveraray MacGold
• Torridon Wick Laggan Doune MacGold
• Shieldaig Poolewe Farr MacGold
• Thurso Whaligoe Kingussie MacGold
• Beuly Dalnaspidal Tyndrum MacGold
• Cammachmore Drumnadrochit Keiss MacGold
• Crieff Invergordon Lochgilphead MacGold
• Maryculter Lochailort Muir MacGold
• Shandwick Spey on Braemar MacGold
• Siar Tullich Groats MacGold
• Fairbairn Codswallup Dougal MacGold
• Lennox Spey Coldbackie MacGold
• Angus Waldroup Wallace MacGold
• Trask Urquhart Kirriemuir MacGold
• Brechin Ardbeg Turriff MacGold
• Cladich Ellon Rosehearty MacGold
• Iona Aven Cumnock MacGold
• Ailsa Rannock Thurso MacGold
• Texa Inverurie Glendaruel MacGold
• Oban Tayvallich Dingwall MacGold
• Gretna Sanquhar Dumfries MacGold
• Govan Balloch Kirkintilloch MacGold
• Tarbert Tiree Dornoch MacGold

And yes, any of these could be rearranged for the perfect Scottish puppy name, but what's the fun in just telling you a bunch of potentials, if I haven't created names with them. I do have some favorite first names for the pup - depending on the gender and you'll find all of them above, but I thought I'd share the basics with you as well. These are in no particular order.

Girls: 

1. Ailsa
2. Texa
3. Gretna
4. Ullapool
5. Aven
6. Banavie
7. Beuly
8. Dalwhinnie (could call her Winnie)

Boys: 

1. Onich
2. Oban
3. Brodie
4. Thurso
5. Crieff
6. Brechin
7. Lennox
8. Tarbert

So that's that! I mean something I've learned recently is that we did not properly name little Nymeria - apparently if you have a Shiba Inu, you are basically by law required to give the lil' kipper a Japanese name, like Hachi, Kenji, Hairu, Sumo, Nori, Yuki, Yoshi, Masa, Saki, Kuma, Kiko, etc...

Of course, if you've met me - you'll know I already disagree. Where's the fun in that? That's like finding a Scottish Terrier named Angus... how many of those are frickin' running around?!

It's cute for all about 5 mins before people realize you have absolutely no imagination. At this point in time, I've met 12 Shibas named Kenji... and that's only in the DC/MD/VA area. Come on people! Just because your dog is historically from X, doesn't mean you need to name them a name from that culture. Base it off of their sparkling (or unsparkling) personality. Granted yes, I go back to the Swedish Vallhund reference, no Vally should be named Melly Joe Carmichael, because I just don't see that fitting, but you could name them something other than Helga or Lars, couldn't you?

Yes. You could.

So that brings me back to my array of fine Scottish names - It fits with the MacGold that all our little AKC bundle of joys will have. It fits because it's fun, and what's not fun about naming a little pup that will be your forever companion? Nothing. That's what!

The Most Important Election of 2014 - Puppy Post

In case you didn't know. It's political season, and with five weeks left to go in this uncertain time of backstabbing, name calling, straight up deceit and dishonesty - It's time that we get to what really matters. No. Not next year's open enrollment for Obamacare.

Deciding the next member of the Gold/MacGold family. Pssst, the secret's out... it's going to be another puppy.

Okay, okay, okay.... I know we just got this little ball of joy, like 2 months ago, and it has been just the peachiest, but guys - it is way past time to start pondering which puppy to get next.

Lil' Nymeria Solving World Hunger and The Proper Way to Nom on a Wubba

So I know you are all on the edge of your seat, pondering what beautiful (and remarkably cleverly named) puppy we want next.

And let me tell you, this is a tough one. I'm sure you my loyal readers, remember the puppy debate that we had around this time last year.  And it was heated. I mean come on... how do you pick between a Swedish Vallhund and a Schipperke!? Nearly impossible... Nearly impossible. 

So I give you...

The 2014 Puppy Election Debate 

This is seriously the most important election of yours, mine, and America's life this political season. 

And we have some of the same contenders from 2013's vital race

The Oldies:

The Swedish Vallhund in all his Spitzy-Squat glory. 

This my friends, is a puppy that's just going to get cuter WITH age. 

SERIOUSLY! JUST AS CUTE IF NOT CUTER THAN THE PUPPY.

The Schipperke in all his Pint-Sized-Spitzy glory. 

Look at that face. And those eyes. And Just everything about him. UGH. ADORABLE. 

UGH. Imma puke. Look how adorable this lil one is. It's like a mini Shiba Inu, but equally as awesome in just a different breed. 

The Havanese in all his Adorably-Fuzzy-Non-Spitzy glory.

How can you say no to this face? You couldn't... There would be no disciplining this face. 

Come ON when they grow up you can make them look like miniature Old English Sheep Dogs... That's brilliant! 

VS The Newbies:

The Skye Terrier in all his Bizarrely-Shaped-Yet-Captivating-Non-Spitzy glory. 

Such a cute bizarre body-ear-head ratio, it's enough to make you squee with delight... SQUEEE! 

And their bangs are supposed to be in their eyes... Like that's how theyre supposed to look. All those years of "laura, fix your bangs," "laura your hair is in your face," or "laura why can't you just pin them back?" Should have been retorted with - because I want to look like my dream dog mom! Geez! 

 The Tibetan Spaniel in all his Adorably-Adorable-Quirky-Yet-Still-Adorable-Non-Spitzy glory.

This is a face that only a mother, her baby-daddy, her baby, her momma, her pops, her pop's mamma, her pop's pops, her mamma's mamma, her mamma's pops, and everybody would love. Everybody could love this frickin' adorable face. And - they're not just a pretty face - this pup is one smart unedible cookie. 

I mean COME. ON. It's an adorable adult dog, too?! This just isn't right. It's just tooooooo right! ;-)

So there you have the 2014 Puppy Debate contenders. Who do you choose?! 

Puppy Post - BAHA! Nym's Name & Where it Came From

So I was checking out this website about naming your dogs and came across this:

The Self-Appointed Nobility: You will find that announcing your dog to anyone with a title, usually of royal distinction ,will get you a look followed shortly thereafter by a non-committal noise. Anyone who’s worked with dogs will tell you a dog with a self-styled title is a dog and owner combo you don’t want to deal with. Prince Foxy, Lady Dingles, Princess Mary Molly, Sir Charles and so on. Aside from the fact that you’re naming a dog, not the heir of the Luxembourgish throne, these people are typically incredibly high maintenance. They make the dog snobs look like slobs and while that’s not all that hard to do, it’s an impressive feat in micromanagement.

Well you know what dog snobs.... Our dog is the heir to the throne of STFU and was picked as one of The Daily Puppy's Daily Puppy!!!, so I'll name her how I ever loving please. Our precious little Dowager Countess Nymeria MacBattleby Logiealmond MacGold of the Easter Geddes, the Maid of Nairnshire, Baroness of Drumornie, the First of Her Name is an absolute gem... and she has a story to go with it...

Pretty freaking adorably, noble-looking... right?! 

Here's where she got her name... As JR and I drove through the Scottish countryside on our honeymoon, we were at a loss for what to call a boy puppy, if that's what the breeder had available - so we started picking up potential names as we went.

Scottish Honeysuckle - I LURVE honeysuckle. It's probably my favorite flower. 

All those names made their way into a note on his phone and as he was reading off the potentials, I thought HA those aren't names - it's a friggin' title. Which then turned into - what if we gave our dog a preposterous title for a name and attempted to enforce people to call her by the full name? What hilarity would ensue?

JR in front of Kilravock signage in Nairnshire

So we picked up Nairnshire (which happens to be where my ancestors are from) and MacBattleby Logiealmond off of road signs. We picked out Drumornie, because it was still a funny word, but a lot easier to pronounce than Drumnadrochit. I picked out the Easter Geddes, because that was a part of my family's lands back in the times of landed gentry.

My family's Castle Sign in the Nairnshire, a part of the Easter Geddes

But the reasons for the specific titles... now that's where lil Nymeria's story gets interesting. ;-)

Little Nymeria MacBattleby Logiealmond MacGold is the only daughter of the fake Laird MacBattleby Logiealmond MacGold of Nairnshire, a widower, which means all his estates will become hers upon his death... this makes her according to Scottish titles a Maid of his lands.

Her fake, late, lady mother (also an only child) died in childbirth, which bestowed her title to little Nymeria - Baroness of Drumornie.

And even before little Nymeria took her first steps, she was promised and married by proxy to the Count of the Easter Geddes... who died at the Battle of Bannockburn, in 1314... supporting the good Robert the Bruce (clearly she's very, very old for such a young puppy). That makes her the Dowager Countess of the Easter Geddes.

Hence her perfectly logical name... for all her fake lineage - The Dowager Countess Nymeria MacBattleby Logiealmond MacGold of the Easter Geddes, the Maid of Nairnshire, Baroness of Drumornie, the First of Her Name.

If you'd like to be kept abreast of all of little Nymeria's comings and goings - follow her on Twitter: @NymeriaMacGold!

It's Been Too Long

It's been too long my friends.

Summer is here; our plants are thriving; we have a deposit on an adorable girl puppy, and JR and I have tied the knot.

En Route to Scotland for our honeymoon! 

It's been a busy few months, but boy have they been productive and happy! The wedding was a blast, and it has been very lovely to have gotten to spend our engagement around such an amazing group of family and friends. We're just very much looking forward to having a few nice relaxing weekends, before we do anything else too crazy!

We've just gotten back from Scotland, and let me tell you. If you don't have plans to go there... you should. It's everything you could imagine - picturesque, friendly, tasty, and absolutely just like a scene out of a novel. It has hiking and castles and gorgeous flowers and friendly people and some might-i-ly tasty food, and if you like tight windy roads, it's a utopia! 

Now that the wedding is over and the honeymoon has wrapped, it's time to start planning for our next great adventure - Our PUPPY! We just found out that we'll be getting a girl puppy so It's official that she'll be called:
The Dowager Countess Nymeria MacBattleby Logiealmond MacGold of the Easter Geddes, the Maid of Nairnshire, Baroness of Drumornie, The First of Her Name

Had it been a boy, he would have been called: 

Sir Onich Wynd MacBattleby Logiealmond MacGold, the Thane of Nairnshire, Laird of Easter Geddes, Bane of Cawdor, fifth son of Drumornie, The First of His Name

One of the Puppies in the Litter ours is coming from. Could this be, The Dowager Countess Nymeria MacBattleby Logiealmond MacGold of the Easter Geddes, the Maid of Nairnshire, Baroness of Drumornie, The First of Her Name?

It could have been, but that's not her, that's her sister!

This is little Nymeria! Isn't she a cutie?

There is so much to do to prepare for our little bundle of fur, we have to get a collapsible crate and puppy bed and harness and vet and leash and water bowl and food bowl and toys and food and piddle pads!! So many things!

But we definitely have to have them all by August 2nd, because that's the day we pick her up from the Breeder (Blue Ridge Shibas - VERY nice people).

When we first met little Nymeria, she licked all of JR's fingers, which is a pretty big deal considering he was never a big fan of puppy slobber. She also fell asleep with her head in my lap and stood near us most of the time we were there. It was like she knew that she wanted to be our puppy.

She's also pretty adventurous and likes to roam, so I have a strong feeling we'll have to keep an eye on her out and about! 

Puppy-palooza! - Puppy Post

Contrary to what it may seem on this blog, I do not live with JR. I just pretend I do by using his porch as my gardening experiment. I actually have my own apartment about 4 blocks over in the Shirlington version of a ghetto... which is practically the least ghetto thing ever, minus the gun shots I heard one night, which was HORRIFYING!

3 am is the last time of the day one wants to be awakened by a couple of gunshots firing off into the night. 10pm, expected. 1 am, understandable. 3 am? Why are you not sleeping like a normal person. Drug deal or no, you need some shut eye people!

Anyway, so while I do not live with JR now, it has been discussed that I shall probably should the time come that it is acceptable for me to do so. It has also been discussed that when I do, we shall explore the world of puppy ownership!

I. AM. THRILLED.

I love puppies. I love their cuddly little faces. I love their cute little clumsiness. I love their energy. I love their little whines. I love their little poops (I probably wont when I have to pick them up...) I love their cute little games. I don't love disciplining them, but there always is a draw back isn't there?

So... yeah... I LOVE PUPPIES!

For a very, very, very long time I have wanted a Shiba Inu puppy... Trust me I had done the research looked into breed temprement, history, everything, but after some consideration. JR and I decided it might be best to look into multiple breeds of dogs in order to find the one that would be the best fit for our lifestyle and currently his home...

So here's the five breeds of dogs that we're looking into (Puppy and Adult Versions):

SHIBA INU

SWEDISH VALLHUND



























SCHIPPERKE

NORWICH TERRIER

HAVANESE

What do y'all think? Which one should we choose?