P.A.W.

You know already that PAW is my initials.... "Where did you get that middle name from?," you might ask. That is a legit inquiry, you all (I would be curious myself). Well, I shall tell you how I got it and where it came from in a minute.....

First off, let me tell you something first. I am such a lucky Dachshund (besides being so handsome and cute myself) !! Every morning before mom lets me out of my sanctuary (aka. my crate), I need to lick myself hard to make sure I am not dreaming.... Since mom and dad brought me to this lovely home, I have been a very happy lucky little doggie !!



One thing that I like about being with my mom and dad is that they let me be myself.... I can roam anywhere I want in the house when they are home, of course. Not much in the garage yet, though (Umm.. garages - that is my fetish, you all). Well, the benefit that comes with this freedom is that, most of the time, I can be in the same room with mom and dad and overhear their conversations without them realizing!! Nope, don't get me wrong.. I am not a nosey dog or anything. I just want to keep myself posted with what mom and dad are up to. We are family, you know, so I feel obligated to be involved in mom and dad's life in any way possible....



Here comes the relevance to PAW!! I was in the bedroom with mom and dad, hiding under the bed as usual, while dad was helping mom change the sheet of their huge bed (I don't understand, BTW, why they need a bed that massive.. Mine is so tiny -- also with a metal canopy all around).. I heard dad humming a song I had not heard before (neither had mom) that sounded like this "Perry Perry Winkle..(and something else I couldn't catch)." Mom seemed perplexed by dad's strange song but suddenly came up with an idea.

Me under the bed (I'm glad I am short!)

"What don't we get Perry a middle name?," mom asked dad. Mom wanted PAW to be my initials (as their last name begins with W and my first name is Perry and I have very cute chubby paws!!). So, they were looking for a name beginning with an A. Well, to be honest with you, I did not (and I still don't) have a clue what initials are and why I need them. Anyway, here is what dad responded to mom "How about A$$?" Can you imagine that???? How humiliating could it be if mom agreed with dad and that name???? I couldn't help but stuck my head out from under the bed a little so that I could see them both.

What did I see??? Dad was smiling pretty big (I noticed he had a cute smile -- but mine is way way cuter-- Sorry, dad..) while mom bursted out laughing.... I had to do something now before mom agreed with that name!! I decided to communicate to mom telepathically -- No, mom.. Please. No!!! I don't like that name!!!!

Fortunately, mom had a telepathic ability!!!! Wow.. She heard me and told dad after she managed to stop laughing. "No, honey. That would be a terrible name for Perry." What a relief!!!!! Thank you, mom.... I wasn't sure if I should be mad at dad at that point. His cute smile kind of melted me a little bit.

Dad redeemed himself by going to the computer and googled a boy's names for mom (and for me) that started with an A (I followed them quietly to the office. They didn't even realize I was in there with them!!). Mom liked a few names she saw -- like Alexander, America, and Angus.. The last one sounded yummy to me -- Angus beef -- have you ever heard of or eaten it? I myself have not had it but heard it is supposed to be good... :) Mom liked the name Alexander because she said it sounds grand and it's a king's name. She also liked America because it is our great country and it's also the name of an actress in 'Ugly Betty' (even though mom hardly watches the show or likes the actress -- and why did she even mention this??). However, she seemed to like Angus best. I didn't get much about it other than it being a part of beef's name. I heard Angus is also the name of the boy who's in "Two and a half men," one of mom and dad's favorite TV sit coms. Mom said to dad, "I like that boy. He was very cute and chubby when he was a boy. He is still cute now that he is a teenager." Wait a minute..how could mom talk about another "cute boy" in front of me? Am I not supposed to be mom's the one and only cute boy ?!?!?!?!

You know what? After a long discussion and a Google search that morning, PAW was still kind of mysterious to me because mom and dad had not decided what name they want to be my middle name. If you ask which name I liked best? I like Angus best.. The reason? It sounded really yummy (You should know me by now)....

It wasn't until we were on a vacation to Walt Disney World a month later that mom decided she liked "Alexander" best. She didn't ask my opinion, BTW. She just sort of picked it at the spot when, during checking me in at an Epcot kennel, she saw that other dogs' names were long and sophisticated (some even had ranks, like General or Sir in front of their names!!!). Anyway, if mom liked it, I would like it, too (I'm a good boy and also a mommy's boy).

And here I am, PAW..... A word of caution, though, you all. It is PAW --- not POW -- I have never been to war!!!!!

Have a good one, you all.
P.A.W.
xoxoxo