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The name
seemed to be a perfect fit. When the time came to introduce
our two young daughters to a family pet, my husband Bill and
I decided that a female puppy would be the best choice.
This bit of learned wisdom had been proven time and again by
the temperaments of the dogs I had been raised with.
For us,
females just seemed to catch on real quick to the house
training thing, while any males that made it passed our
front door were quite consistent at leaving their mark
whenever and wherever they felt the urge. It didn't seem to
matter if they were fixed or not.
We had a
list of girls names picked out, but in the end it was Missy
that we all agreed upon for our new girl puppy.
A friend's
dog had given birth to a litter of rust colored puppies, and
for us it was love at first sight. My favorite dog growing
up was a black lab mix dog and though I wanted a dog like
Kelly I didn't particularly want another Kelly look alike.
Imagine my surprise when I got a glimpse of the mother dog--
a pure black lab! Obviously her pups took after the
father. That cemented our decision--we were meant to have
one of these rust colored lab mix puppies,
There was
only one problem. The friend explained that there was only
one female and she had already been promised to someone.
Believing we were truly meant to have one of these puppies
we decided to accept a male and hope for the best.
Our
immediate focus was now finding a different name , since it
wouldn't be right to call this new male addition to our
family, Missy.
We began
mulling over names like Buddy, Pal, Gonzo, Tigger and
Bandit, but our sweet new puppy really didn't fit any of
those male - orientated names.
The name
Bingo kind of popped into my head out of nowhere, and when I
shared the thought with my family they agreed it fit our
perfect little dog to a tee. So, Bingo it was.
It was a
visit to the vet that both enlightened and surprised us
about our new four-legged companion. After giving Bingo a
check up, the vet informed us , to our delight, that Bingess
may be more appropriate. We were dumbfounded and thrilled
that we had our female girl after all, though at the time
I'm sure there was another family having a similar
revelation that involved doing a name change of their own.
As for our
dear pet, she would be forever stuck answering to the name
Bingo. I guess there are worse things that could befall a
pet. She is now old and gray and shuffles around, her tired
body usually found resting behind her master's favorite
chair. In dog years she would now be about 95 years old,
ever my faithful companion.
She has
survived being raised with two sprightly little girls who,
as youngsters, showered her with so much attention it would
cause her to take shelter underneath by bed.
And, now
that they are grown, poor Bingo almost has to stand on her
head to even get them to notice her.
To them
her grunts and groans are a bit of a nuisance , yet they are
a subtle reminder to me that the old girl's days are
numbered. Her gentle manner and undying loyalty are just a
few of the reasons for my gratitude at picking out the best
mixed up pet that ever was.
.......And
Bingo was her name.
Kathy
Whirity
kathywhirity@yahoo.com
Kathy
Whirity lives in Chicago where she shares her life and l ove
with her husband Bill, of 27 years, their two daughters,
Jaime and Katie and their two rambunctious retrievers, Holly
and Hannah. Her inspirational musings and thought provoking
sentiments, on family life, are published in a weekly column
she writes for an area newspaper. Kathy welcomes your
letters. You may reach her at :
kathywhirity @ yahoo.com |
