My father in law used to say that he didn’t have a middle name because his family was too poor. Honestly, I think his mother gave one to her oldest, a daughter but just couldn’t be bothered to think up an extra one for her boys. Lucky thing or they likely would have been saddled with names like Ludwig or Ignacy. A pianist by trade, she was a big fan of classical music.

We may be getting a new puppy, so options for a suitable name is an ongoing topic of conversation. You know, in case we decide to go through with it. There are currently 82 people on the waitlist from the breeder where we got Piper so I am not holding my breath. We aren’t at the bottom of the waitlist so it doesn’t hurt to be prepared just in case.

We have had six purebred cocker spaniels in our years together, along with two senior mutts we took in for their last years. Our first dog, Finnegan, was named by our five year old son after his favorite show. I was in a rum and coke stage of my life when we got Bacardi and our daughter, a huge Canucks fan named Sami. When E got his new heart, I got another spaniel and named her Ticker. Our latest puppy, Piper, was named after one of our favorite Mark Knopfler songs.

My sister named her new puppy after the primary source of income in her village. Fish, is by far the cutest name I have every heard for a dog. After a lifetime of naming family cats, in my sister in law’s home she gave up and just named their newest pet, white cat. When we were living at SoHo and the dogs would wake us up in the middle of the night to bark at tugboat lights, E threatened to name our next two dogs, Shut and Up.

We have always had at least two dogs and it seems quiet here with just the one. After saying goodbye to Sami last year I just could not imagine going through it again. It still worries me and that is why the hesitation in getting another. As a lot of you know, saying goodbye to a dog is just the absolute worst.

The nice thing about Cocker Spaniels is they don’t hunt, they retrieve. They don’t usually tend to wander unless the next door neighbour is cooking sausages or handing out cookies. They have soft mouths and, if tested, can bring you a raw egg unsmushed. Having said that, Finnegan did tend to follow anyone walking along the beach so had to be tied up when we visited the island with Papa. Warren would have killed me if the dog left the property. We are fairly lucky with Piper but the worry that a new puppy might bother our new neighbours gives me pause.

If we do get a puppy, I would like to keep with a Mark Knopfler themed name or maybe something nautical. In case we do get one, suggestions are welcome.

I would like to name the dog the nickname my Grandma was given by her family but E isn’t a fan, says it sounds too much like a parrot. We probably won’t get a puppy any time soon. It is a long waitlist but, just in case, thinking of ideas for a name is a good part of my

fun these days