The Name Game: Round 3

We've had lots of positive feedback on our "Name Game" posts--everyone is enjoying reading about how all of our four-legged family members got their names, so keep the stories coming and we'll post them! Here are a few more stories behind the names of Lindsay Schuler's Abby and Rascal, and Caroline Hunt's Magnus.

Rascal and Abby Schuler

Abby Schuler

Both my dogs are rescues and came with names which we did not change. Instead I will talk about their nicknames which are numerous. Abby's main nicknames are "Little Thing" and "A.Lo". Little Thing is for when she is being a brat which is often. A.Lo comes from Jennifer Lopez's nickname "J.Lo" because Abby has a big booty like J.Lo. 








Rascal Schuler

We call Rascal "Roo" and "Bunny". Roo is because we used to call him Rascally Roo and that just got shortened. Bunny is because he likes to jump on his hind legs like a bunny when he wants through a closed door.

~Lindsay

Magnus Hunt

Bodacious Moon over Magnus

Magnus (Bodacious Moon over Magnus CDX GN GO RAE2 OA NAJ OF THD CGC) was named after a saint--an obviously ironic start to his career. The Catholic Encyclopedia warns, “The history of St. Magnus is shrouded in obscurity.” How true. The official St. Magnus died in Germany around the middle of the eighth century, though there are rumors of another Magnus a hundred years earlier. But wait – that’s not the relevant one. By long tradition, the patron saint of the Northern Isles (Orkney and Shetland) is Magnus Erlendsson, “the Martyr of Orkney,” who died at the beginning of the twelfth century. You can read about him here: http://orkneyjar.com/history/stmagnus/index.html or, if your early Germanic languages are in good shape, in the Orkneyinga Saga.

Why? Well, Magnus is the first dog we’ve ever bought and almost the first one with no previous name; also the first dog of known parentage, the first Shetland Sheepdog, the first small dog of any kind. Hence the evocation of a specific history.  Saint? I don’t think so – but in this picture, taken on his first birthday, he does look as though his father might have been an earl.

~Caroline

Stay tuned for more dog names. In the meantime, our next fun blog series will be "Handler Shaming." We've all seen the funny "Dog Shaming" pictures online. If you haven't, you can view some of those here. But when we mess up in agility, we know who's really to blame: Us, the handlers. So, send in your best handler-shaming photos and maybe others can learn from all of our mistakes!