“Sparky” was never in contention, but she sure gave Eko a jolt when she bit his tail
I really loved so many of the name suggestions everyone shared – the cool African ones (Lulu, Zara, Cleopatra), the book/movie favorites (Tonks, Nala) and all the other great ideas. I bounced around a lot on this decision. On Saturday I was convinced it would be an African “Z” name because she reminded me of Zazu, the little bird from Lion King.
The lion fit just right, but I realized the African names did not
Sometimes you only know what you’re looking for after you find it and that’s exactly how I felt with this name. I sat out with the pups on the porch and tried to find some direction while Eko taught his sister the ropes.
“Hey bro, am I sunbathing right?”
I had to admit I was adrift at sea with this whole name thing. I was on a boat in the middle of an ocean looking for an exact spot I might never find. Hm, wait a second, that sounds familiar. Like a name that had been quietly kicking around my brain since my neighbor suggested it the night before. Like something out of the TV show LOST… And that’s when my “Aha!” moment happened and it all clicked into place. The name of a character from the same show Eko is named after. An adventurous and loyal character whose name also happens to be a perfect match for the color of my little girl’s coat. World, meet Penny!
Ok so we’re still working on Penny’s presentation skills
Penny is a fun and playful name. When she gets in trouble I already know how I will admonish her with a shocked, “PENELOPE!” I’m a big nickname guy and there’s lots of good options to play with (Pen, Lope, Miss Moneypenny, etc).
We have the girl, we have the name and now we have our first great adventure: a road trip back to Chicago tomorrow morning. Gulp. This should be interesting!
I have a travel schedule with frequent breaks planned and some ideas of how to keep Penny entertained. If you have any suggestions/recommendations for traveling with a young pup be sure to let me know.
