We have a NEW PUPPY!
He’s a red and white Pembroke Welsh Corgi— big ears, short legs, no tail.
AND HE IS SO STINKIN’ CUTE!

Also, nameless…

Until now!
DRUM ROLL, PLEASE…

Ladies, gentlemen, and lovers of dogs, I’d like to introduce you to

Jackson.

Naming a puppy can be a difficult task…what does he look like? What is his personality? What does he come to when called? And…what associations do you already have with any particular name?

That last one will get you every time.

It’s funny how things stick with you…a place, a song, a certain smell–they spur memories that make us smile…or cringe. Names are the same. That paperboy that used to purposely toss the morning paper into an unreachable spot (bushes, roof, etc, grrrr). The friend who stabbed you in the back and even though you’re better off without her, every time you hear her name–even as it applies to another person, it stings. That awful singer, terrible actor, or worthless politician who has tarnished their name for you forever.

Teachers are the worst to ask for naming help. There are very few names that they haven’t had as a student and rarely do you get an, “Oh I love that name, he was a pleasure to teach!”.

I remember when I had my son and wanted to name him Zachary and my young sister-in-law said she didn’t like that name because there was a Zachary in her class and she didn’t like him. I responded with, well, you have the same name as my husband’s ex-girlfriend, but I still like you. Sometimes you need to break the association and make a new, more positive connection.

As corgi owners and White Sox fans, our crew has been named Buehrle, Nellie Fox, Ozzie, and Miskey. We have had a Perfect Game pitcher, Hall of Famer, World Series manager, and original park. To that we add…Jackson, of “Bo Knows” infamy.

We went through a BUNCH of potential names…Carl, Carlton, Fiskey (kidding), AJ, ScottyPods, Frankie, Oscar, Joey…all good names, I suppose, but none right for our pup. We kept coming back to “Jack”…Jack McDowell, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Bo Jackson…
And you know what? When we called out, “Jackson!” the puppy actually came!

We own the Jack name now. It’s ours. And it has an adorable association.