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June 26, 2014

Where Everybody Knows Your (Dog’s) Name

I wish I could say people know me around my neighborhood because of my sparkling personality and winning smile, but even I’m not that delusional. Cities are known to be packed full of people passing each other without making eye contact, but everywhere I go I find myself making new
I wish I could say people know me around my neighborhood because of my sparkling personality and winning smile, but even I’m not that delusional. Cities are known to be packed full of people passing each other without making eye contact, but everywhere I go I find myself making new friends. For reasons I know all too well myself, dogs are an emotional passport that fast track you past many people’s sizing-up-a-stranger-checklist. Eko’s sweeping, happy tail certainly sticks in people’s minds. It wasn’t long before I became accustomed to hearing, “Hey, it’s Eko! And…and..what’s your name again?” Now with Penny on the team, there’s no mistaking us when we’re out. I can pretend everyone is excited to see me, but let’s be serious. Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, blog, marking our territory, penny, chicago

I never earned any “oohs!” and “ahhs!” from Emily’s mom, but again, I’m nowhere near as fun as these two!

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, blog, marking our territory, penny, chicago

These days my name is, “You’re the guy with the Ridgebacks,” “You’re the guy with the big and little dogs,” and for short – “You’re the guy!”

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, blog, marking our territory, penny, chicago

Or when Emily heads out it’s “You are with Penny, Eko and that guy, right?”

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, blog, marking our territory, penny, chicago

But I have to say, I’m quite happy with my title of “that guy!”

I’m not immune to this phenomenon either. I could rattle off the names of all the puppies in Penny’s class. All the people? Eh, not so much. It’s tough to focus on people when there are such cute pups around! And so I’ve proudly embraced my that-guy status.

Anyone else out there known around town because of your pups?

Side note: big World Cup day today, go USA!

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, blog, marking our territory, penny, chicago

Too subtle?

Comments for Where Everybody Knows Your (Dog’s) Name

  1. Victoria says:

    I am the lady with the really big dogs at my vet office – the beautiful brindle and the big black dog. Usually my groomer’s assistant comes out and just says “oh its you”…….they have no idea what my name is but Rigby and Muffin are pretty well known.

  2. Victoria says:

    also love the pic of you and the dogs – that is so great

  3. Elyse says:

    It’s important to be known for something good, and you are!

    When he was 5, I was walking with my son and Charlie, our Bernese Mountain Dog. Even among Berners, Charlie was spectacular. Someone said “what a beautiful dog” and as soon as they were out of range, Jacob burst into tears: “How come they never say what a beautiful kid you have?” I reassured him that it was because he had gotten so big that folks didn’t want to embarrass him, and that they said it to me all the time when he couldn’t hear. That satisfied him. Luckily!

  4. Gretchen Frank says:

    I too am the proud owner of rhodesian ridgeback. I got Zuri 4.5 years ago when she was the same size as Penny. She has been coming to work with me ever since and on the off day that I come in without her everyone asks where she is. Such fantastic dogs!

  5. yes, you are “that guy” then :o) we are only the sidekicks of Easy, but that’s ok :o) I cross my paws for USA, hope they will need no lifebelt with all that rain :O) butt by now it’s still 0-0

  6. Gabi says:

    I know a ton of people by their dog’s name and not their name. Started when I was a kid, I could point out which dogs lived at all the houses in the neighborhood, but not the actual people.

  7. ThatJenK says:

    I hear you! I’m “the girl who always walks the giant black dogs”. And it’s kind of eerie – post-surgery when Moses couldn’t go on walks, people noticed immediately. Alma started going to work with the Husband, and they noticed I was only walking one dog. People who’d never even approached us before would ask me all concerned if my other dog was okay. As a strong introvert, it’s a little unsettling, but I just have to remind myself that the interest is in the dogs, not me.

  8. Emmadog says:

    At my house, Mom knows all the dogs names, but hardly any owners names, so we get it 🙂 As far as soccer, Katie is from Germany, so she is thrilled, I was an England fan, but they are on their way home, and Bailie is a bit bummed the US, her team, lost. Now it will be the battle of Katie and Bailie (German vs US pet passport). I will be Switzerland and take no sides since my team is out.

  9. I don’t walk around town at all with the Sundogs so NO nobody knows me as the crazy lady with 5 dogs. I do ride my horses in town though and nobody forgets them….it like Oh you are the lady that rides that big Appaloosa or that buckskin.

  10. Mags Corner says:

    Love that black and white picture sweet Will! I don’t walk Chancy around town but when we have visitors the first words out of their mouths is “Hi Chancy” and after 3 to 5 minutes of ooohing and awwwing and petting they finally say “hello” to me and hubby. lol Guess you see who comes first at our home. lol Hugs and nose kisses

  11. DO you feel demoted LOL

  12. Same here I know dogs names but not peoples.

  13. pawedblog says:

    Haha yes, this relates to us too!… and how I remember other folk, there really weren’t many people in our training class but I don’t think I learned ANY of their names… just the pups! It’s more than ok by me if people do that with us too!
    Hugs, Carrie and pups x

  14. Pat Sieloff says:

    Will, we’ve been doing embroidery at dog (and other types of shows) for 9 years with many, many repeat customers. While I never forget a dog’s name, my memory for people names is a bit spotty, but in my defense, we deal with hundreds of dog owners each year. Fortunately, people seem to be pleased when you welcome their dog by name and refer to them as “Lola’s Mom” or “Max’s Dad” so you are most definitely not alone. It also works the other way. We have our names embroidered on our aprons and prominently displayed on our business cards, but we are often referred to as “Ridgeback parents” so apparently dog names or breeds are just easier to remember than people names.

  15. Hahaha! I am the lady known as the one with that big yellow dog and the cute little black and white ones. When someone lost their little black and white dog people stopped to tell me how glad they were “I” had found my dog….go figure the dog a shitz-poo and didn’t even look like the girls in it’s photo. Oh well 🙂

  16. We joke about that at blogging conferences when we all get together.We know everyone’s pets names but we don’t know the blogger’s names!!

  17. Sage says:

    Oh, yes. It’s quite a common phenomenon around here too. Everyone knows Sage. I’m just ‘her Mom’

  18. It’s not surprising that people know my dogs since I live in a small town. My local pet stores knows me as the lady with dogs who wear bows though. They usually can always remember “Apollo” but rarely “Artemis”.

  19. Kyla says:

    Before Kenzie (the Westie) passed, some people asked if the two of us were the same breed. He always answered, “not only that, they’re identical twins”.

  20. *snort of laughter* Go USA! You crack us up Will…sorry That Guy.
    Wally & Sammy

  21. fredrieka says:

    No one knows my momwithoutpaws name ; when I walk in the room everyone says F=R=E=D !!!!!!! It is all about me

  22. Jamie says:

    Glad to know we are all in the same boat…..I am the one that usually takes our pup, Jack, to camp aka the groomer/boarder since my office was closer. They always speak to him first and then to me – I used to think that they recognized me first and put my face with the dog to remember us. Well, the hubby has a new job that is closer so he was going to drop him off at camp. Keep in mind he hadn’t picked up/dropped off Jack in about a year or so and the front desk staff had changed – yep, they recognized Jack immediately and said “Oh, you must Jack’s dad.”

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