Readers of this column could be forgiven for thinking it’s gone to the dogs.
A column in September detailed the loss of Roux, a dog loved by every member of the Woodward family. She just went out in the back yard, chose a shady spot to lie down, and died. She was only six and seemingly healthy. A heart attack or heart defect were seen as the likely cause.
My wife and I dog-sat Roux several days a week so it felt almost as if she were our dog, but her actual owner was our daughter Andie. A letter from 98-year-old reader Hilda Packard convinced Andie to get a new dog sooner rather than later to ease the pain of losing Roux. My last column was about the new dog, purchased from a rescue group in New Mexico, and asked readers to suggest names for her.
Before writing another word, I want to thank readers not only for their suggestions but for sharing their stories. Roux’s struck a chord with dog lovers who also had lost beloved canines and expressed heartfelt condolences. We’re grateful to every one of them.
I also want to say up front that the search for a name didn’t turn out quite as expected. More about that later.
But first, the suggestions. There isn’t space to include them all, but here’s a sampling:
Several readers – Shaun Byrne, Jim Strait and Eileen Thuesen – suggested the name Ruby. It sounds like Roux but is just different enough to be specific to its new owner.
Terrie Galloway lives in New Mexico and has two dogs from the same shelter that rescued Roux. Her name suggestions: Toffee, Pretzel and Sasha.
Kris Lamke wrote to say that she liked the name “Baton. (You are passing the baton.)”
You never know when you might learn something. Larry Richardson wrote to say that “seeing as how the dog is from New Mexico, a good name might be Zia.”
Not being from New Mexico and having spent very little time there, I had to look that up.
Zia, according to the International Property Watch, is a sun symbol that originally belonged to New Mexico’s Zia indigenous nation and was stolen from it. (Is there anything that wasn’t stolen from indigenous people?) It’s depicted in red on a yellow background on New Mexico’s state flag.
The symbol, also according to IPW, represents “the four cardinal directions, the four seasons of the year, the four periods of the day (morning, noon, evening and night, and the four seasons of life (childhood, youth, middle age and old age). The center of the sun symbol stands for life itself.”
The aforementioned column asking for suggestions was accompanied by a photo of the new dog. Elizabeth Moore thinks she looks like “a Pearl. Needs care, could be a little rough around the edges, but you love them every day.”
To Mary Gray, the new puppy “looks like a Daisy.”
Arguably the most unusual name came from Jay Thyfault: Skoogs.
Janet Mollerup, “a lifelong, adventurous cook” emailed to say that because roux is a sauce often used in Cajun cooking (Roux came from a rescue group in Louisiana), it would make sense to name the new dog Gumbo.
I love that one! It would be my choice from the names suggested, but it’s not my call. It’s Andie’s dog, her call.
James Glenn also suggested the name Gumbo, adding that “every good gumbo starts with a good roux.” And Nancy Harvey wrote that because roux is a sauce, a good name would be Saucy.
Marilyn Shake’s idea was to name the dog Chance, “as in a second chance to fill the hole in your heart” left by Roux’s passing.
Teri Hoover’s email made me laugh.
“Her new name should be “Blessing since you are both blessings to each other. I know it’s corny, but what do expect from an old broad?”
Lee Byrd’s email also gave me a chuckle:
“When my wife was very young, she had a dog they called DL. Her father was not that excited about having a dog around so the name DL was short for damn lucky because he got to stay, to the delight of my wife. Maybe your dog should be called Lucky because she is damn lucky to have ended up in such a good home.”
Ann Donovan figured that because the new dog’s color is similar to that of a penny, the name of a Beatles song would be fitting: Penny Lane.
This brings us to the search not turning out as expected. I’m sorry to report that none of the names readers suggested – as good as many of them were – was the one chosen.
The one who inadvertently came up with the new name was none other than … Paul McCartney. The ah-ha moment came while Andie was watching a documentary about the Beatles. Something clicked when she heard the opening line to one of their songs:
“Jojo was a man who thought he was a loner, but he knew it couldn’t last.”
And so, thanks to Sir Paul, the new dog’s name is Jojo.
My choice would have been Gumbo, but as mentioned earlier, not my dog.
Again, to those who took the time to suggest names, thank you. I didn’t expect such an overwhelming response and was touched by it.
That said, I promise not to write about dogs for a while.
Tim Woodward’s column appears every other Sunday in The Idaho Press and is posted on woodwardblog.com the following Mondays. Contact him at woodwardcolumn@gmail.com.
Tim Woodward 