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LAURA WIESLER's avatar

I'm happy to have found you! I was raised in Ohio, but have been on the East coast since college (too many years now to even count them). My sister shared many of your columns from the Plain Dealer and it kept me in touch with what was happening. It's always good to hear voices from home. Thank you.

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Roohoo's avatar

The matching hair! 😍

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Ingrid's avatar

Love the story. I’ve had dogs for 37 years. I gave them all human names.

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Margaret Holt's avatar

I think you should name another dog, Baldemar, for Baldemar Velasquez (google him) the founder of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee and winner of a MacArthur Award. His headquarters are in Toledo, Ohio. He's definitely one of my heroes. He's been a huge advocate of migrant labor.

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Margaret Holt's avatar

I think you should name another dog, Baldemar, for Baldemar Velasquez (google him) the founder of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee and winner of a MacArthur Award. His headquarters are in Toledo, Ohio. He's definitely one of my heroes. He's been a huge advocate of migrant labor.

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Teri Adams's avatar

Thirty years ago, I got my first car, Mulder. I lived in a ground-floor apartment in a small complex, and right outside my door was the complex’s parking.

Mulder would try to get out every morning when I went to work and every night when I got home.

Every so often, he would succeed in getting past me at the door and would start a stroll down the parking lot toward the street.

Because of my disability, I couldn't chase him, much less catch him.

I figured out that when I went back into my apartment and stopped calling him, Mulder couldn't stand not knowing where I was and would come back to find me!

Once I knew that, I would go back in and hide behind the front door, and he reliably came back as soon as he thought I was missing.

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Kirsten Zielinski's avatar

most of the animals i have had in life have had 'human' names. right now ruby, dexter and jagger (2 malinois and a brussels griffon) share our home. i lost 3 other griffs over the past 10 years, max, andi and buddy. before that i had a chelsea and a chippy, horses named jessie, april, gus... cats named daisy, cerce marie. i think some people need to get a grip.

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Missy's avatar

I love this story! I have the same method with my dog Mika except I say Jodi’s here. Jodi is Mika’s dog playmate! They love each other!

I feel bad when I do that because of the look Mika gives me. Bad mom!

Thanks for sharing!

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Kirsten Zielinski's avatar

most of the animals i have had in life have had 'human' names. right now ruby, dexter and jagger (2 malinois and a brussels griffon) share our home. i lost 3 other griffs over the past 10 years, max, andi and buddy. before that i had a chelsea and a chippy, horses named jessie, april, gus... cats named daisy, cerce marie. i think some people need to get a grip.

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Laura M's avatar

It is 10:30 on Thursday night, and I just read about the adventures of Walter. What a sweet way to end my day! I am hoping he is not on his rock tonight and goes to bed like a good Walter.

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Jane Myers's avatar

My Dad was Walter. He admired both FDR and Walter Reuther and would have seen nothing offensive in your choices.

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DeNae Kautzmann's avatar

Love Walter stories! Thanks for reposting. Facebook🤦🏻‍♀️

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Paulette Bodeman's avatar

I'm so happy that your post popped up. It caught my eye, well, because of Walter. My husband and I re-homed a Wheaton Terrier who arrived with the name Walter. We don't know the why of his name, but it suited him so well we of course kept it. Delightful read.

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Sharon Harris's avatar

I have three cats all with human female 1950s - 60s names: Edie (for Edye Gorme, Edie Adams -- kitty is ELEGANT), Madge (the Palmolive manicurist -- kitty is CHATTY), and Gracie (Gracie Allen -- kitty is DITZY). They may be joined soon in our household by Gracie's bio mama, Tammy, and although I didn't name her, what better sign of her belonging in our household than being the namesake of all the 1960's Tammy movies? This is especially appropriate as she's a newly reclaimed TNR feral making her way into "civilization." The Universal Cat Distribution Network strikes again!

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Jenn Morrow's avatar

Barry Manilow, a sweet natured tuxedo cat rescue, sang for us every day for 14 years. You can name your fur babies whatever you want.

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Jen's avatar

STRICTLY use people names for my two dogs, and as pure coincidence, chose a name for my human son that is a very popular dog name for great danes. Suffice to say, the neighbors are probably confused when they hear me shouting at the people name for rolling in poop or getting in the GD trash again, while sweetly calling "come have a lick of my ice creaml!" to the dog name.

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