He leaps 6 ft in the air, executes a mid-air twist, lands…does this several more times and then slings slobber in a 10 ft. arc! Such was our experience during the first session introducing our Dane to a Gentle Leader halter-style collar!

Rodeo Dog is born! Thank goodness there were witnesses or no one would have believed it! It was very much like putting a halter on a foal for the first time…they DON’T LIKE IT MUCH! This post is all about the nicknames we give our pets. Some of them are justly earned, some are assigned regardless of insult to dignity, some are silly, and some are just plain cute.

 Portrait by Amy Dean

Our Dane’s list of nicknames:

Rodeo Dog – honestly earned and really wish we had it on video!
Muddy Man – earned in spades…no pun intended!
Buddy Man - always accompanied by a sigh of relief…we built a deck over the mud factory!
Big Stripey Butt – well……he’s big and a Brindle.
Stinky Butt – Origin not literal…we mostly use this one when he’s being heartbreakingly cute!
Sh-T Bird - and this is said with extreme love!

Our Kitty’s list:

Little Stripey Butt – he’s considerably smaller than our Dane…and orange striped
Too Kitty – One of our friends kids couldn’t pronounce his name
TuBug – Who knows where this one came from…maybe a take-off on Tuvok of Star Trek fame?
His Royal Highness – “And don’t you forget it.” We live to serve!

Our nickname list is considerably shorter:

Food-Pets-Treat Dispenser One - Mom
Food-Pets-Treat Dispenser Two – Dad

Hope you have a groovy week!
JP Food-Pets-Treat Dispenser One and Two

Note: The halter-style collar quickly gained popularity with our Dane boy because the Gentle Leader = walking with his Dad which he would rather do than eat!