New Addition

I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a huge dog person. And there's plenty of evidence to support that. But there's always been a dog around in my life--there was Luke, my collie/nanny for the first 3 years of my life; Benji, the epileptic terrier-mix from elementary school; Sushi, the terrier-spitz we got a few years later; Sammy, who served as my mother's excitable Samoyed companion for a few years, before she was given to my niece so my mother could get Joli, the hyper-terrier focus of empty-nest mothering energy.

So it was always expected I'd get a dog eventually, and for the last couple of months, it seemed like now was a better option than later. My kids are the right age (mostly), I'm feeling like a near-constant companion sounds reassuring, and, well, the weight of expectation... So I start keeping my eyes open, nothing really jumped out at me. So I start casually looking a couple weeks ago.

INTERRUPTION FOR PARENTING TIP: Don't let your kids find you looking around at a place like PetFinder unless you're serious about it. Very. And by serious, I mean, doing it soon.

Anyhow, the casual looking, the research into breeds, and the kids finding me doing the above led me "adopting" this here basset hound, named Grant. So far, he's slipped into things very well. Very laid-back, easy going.

He's very content to plod along with me as I walk, or sit and do nothing as I read or sleep when I sleep. Nearly perfect. About the only conflict we've had thus far is over who all is allowed in the driver's seat of my van--particularly while I'm driving.

The kids love him. Samwise in particular has found a bosom companion, and would no doubt pick the hound over the dad if he had to. All four have really gotten into caring for our four-legged friend. If I'm in another room (making copies for school or something, for example), I'll have almost minute-by-minute reports from various children. Even Arnold is trying...he has taken to opening the sliding glass door to let the dog out at random (and generally not helpful) times. Arnold won't pet him unless he can do so from the comfort of his daddy's lap, but he's very excited to watch him do whatever from the safe distance of 12'-18".

Now, the name is a bit of a bother. First of all, Grant just doesn't seem to match him. You'd also like to have some sort of input into the moniker of your pet, y'know? And then there's the whole Appomattox thing (hey! I go to school in SC fer crying out loud!).... So I was looking around for something, while dreading trying to convince the pooch that his name isn't Grant now.

Faced with naming a basset hound, any male of my generation is going to reflexively say "Flash." And for awhile, that seemed like a really strong contender (I can still do a spot-on Roscoe P. Coltrane impression that I perfected in 4th grade). Other nominees were:

• Stonewall, or maybe Jackson (clearly just a reaction to Grant).
• Beauregard (in the end, a very close 3rd)
• Or Baxter the BassetFred! as in Fred Bassit! That was a great comic!
• Clyde
• Dabney (semi-Grant reaction, Southern Presbyterian; looks like Dabney Coleman
• Rufus

In the end tho, it was my pastor's suggestion that won the day. Guerrant, for Edward O. Guerrant--a soldier in the War Between the States, who went on to be come a physician, and then a Presbyterian minister. He apparently preached and planted churches in several locations in Kentucky, was involved in evangelism to native tribes, as well. Why go for something so arcane? Well, if you have to ask, you clearly don't know me that well. :)

Ultimately I decided on that name, for it because it is easy to make the dog (and the kids) understand the name change, and you have the reference obscure piece of Presbyterian history--always a plus.

Now the cute kid pictures will always, always, outnumber the cute dog pics. But every now and then, something will slip in.