Names in review...

On the last post, MAXMOM asked about one of our dogs' name, so I decided to tell the story of the whole pack. Believe it or not this is the short version. Got something to drink? Ready? Okay.

Daisy is the oldest member of our pack and is the only one that is not a rescue. We got her from a German Shepherd breeder when we lived in Florida. She has been through obedience and security training. When we got her we decided on the name Daisy after the Granny character in the show "The Beverly Hillbillies."
The next oldest is Speedbump. She is probably a Golden Retriever/Great Pyrenees mix. She is our first rescue since we moved back to Tennessee. JP and I moved back to Tennessee because he was laid off due to a merger of companies and elimination of his job. He is a systems analyst/programmer. Those jobs were hard to come by when we moved, so he did yard work for a while to pay our bills. JP was headed out to work one morning in his old pick up truck and noticed traffic swerving ahead of him. There was a little puppy in the middle of the road. JP stopped his truck in front of her and got out (thinking she was probably dead) and realized she was hurt and too weak to move. He scooped her up, took her to the vet to "do whatever they could for her," and went on to work. He got a call from the Vets office saying she was okay, just bruised and dehydrated. So he called me where I was working, told me the story, and to meet him at the Vets office. Of course, we both knew we were keeping the poor little thing. We named her Speedbump because she was indeed slowing down traffic when JP found her. I say all her bravery must have spilled out on the highway that day because she is so chicken. She barks, but only to alert Daisy to the problem!

Okay, who is next? Scrappy. JP looked and looked for jobs in his field of expertise but what he saw in the classified ads were nursing and truck driving jobs. God opens doors and leads us where He wants us and the next place He wanted JP was in a truck. Looking back, I don't know how he/we did it but God gives us the strength and grace for each day. JP was on the road from Sunday evening to Friday night (at best) each week and sometimes gone for two weeks at a time. I started looking for a little dog to ride with him to keep him company - some comfort. I found Scrappy at the Shelter one county north of us. She is just the right size and has the same coloring of a dog we had when we first got married so I got her for him. As JP says,
"The dog shelter had named her Molly, but we didn't really like that name for her. She is a rather wild looking wire haired Jack Russell terrier. The first thing she did when we brought her home was to tangle with the largest and toughest dog we have, Daisy. After breaking up the fight, putting her in submissive state (on her back) while the other dogs paraded over her, which is a good method of teaching the newer pack members that the humans are alpha in the pack and that they are not permitted to do battle for that position, we decided we should name her Scrappy, because she looked scrappy and had a scrappy attitude.
She was such a blessing to have with me in the truck. She was always just as excited to go back out on the road as she was to come home and see Mrs. JP. She was also great for public relations. I would be dealing with a grouchy security guard or receiving clerk, and then they would spot her looking cute in the truck window and their whole demeanor toward me would change."

Corrie's story is this; on December 1, 2006 five puppies came up to our house. They were bones with skin on. I remember the date because I was getting dressed for a Christmas choir and had to leave. Before I left, the puppies had sought out shelter under one of our sheds which was good since it was going to be in the teens that night. I fixed up a big bowl of soft food and threw a bale of straw on the north side to block off the wind. That was the best I could do since they wouldn't come to me and I had to leave. The next morning we went outside and they were gone. A little while later we were looking out the front window and I saw a little black dog running down the road. I got two pieces of cheese and a leash and jumped in the car. When I caught up with her she practically took my hand off to get to the cheese, she was starving and cold. I got her home and we kept her separate from the pack because she had skin problems and I wanted the vet to check her out. Sure enough, she had mange. So she had to be "dipped" once a week for six-eight weeks but it went away. She is named Corrie after Corrie Ten Boom, the holocaust survivor. Her book The Hiding Place, was one of my favorites growing up.
Corrie - all bones.
Corrie all healthy and happy.
Corrie's sister was rescued and cared for by our neighbor. Her name is Violet. Now, you'd think a dog named Violet would be sweet and gentile - NOT!! She was named Violet because she was (and still is) rowdy as a puppy. We adopted Violet. She is a sweety and fits right in.

Last but not least is Charlie. Momma's boy! If you have time please go and read Charlie's story because JP really does tell it best. When we got him his name was Charlie. I like the name because it was Humphrey Bogart's name in African Queen with Katharine Hepburn and that's one of my all time favorite movies.
Baby Charlie.


Well, MAXMOM, you asked about Speedbump's name and got more than you bargained for!! That's the story of the whole gang. That's it, no more, we are at full capacity! There is NO ROOM in the inn! We are blessed beyond words and so very thankful. Blessings to you all from the little dog shelter in the holler.