WOOF: Dog Tails - It's a Boy...and a Boy!

Another in our continuing WOOF: Dog Tails series!

Thanks to Zan Marie Steadham for this story:

When is a Cassie really a Casey? When he is so dark brown that it’s hard to tell if he is a boy or a girl. I dreamed up the names, Cassie and Max, when the breeder said he had two toy poodle puppies—one girl and one boy. After seeing the two lovely, tiny puddles of fur, I was sure our two were properly named. John wasn’t so sure. He insisted that they were both boys. I insisted back, “But the breeder says the brown one is a girl.” So that was that…at least until we brought them home. I think John has learned the secret to getting along with an insistent woman.

That was when we began to observe the way the little chocolate brown puppy did business. Guess what? John was right. For the record, the breeder had remembered wrong and did think our chocolate puppy was a girl.

What do you do about a wrong name after the pups are home? Well, you go on a name search. We settled on Casey because it was almost the same and the puppy wouldn’t be confused. That meant we had to teach ourselves to say Casey and Max instead of Cassie and Max. It didn’t take long.

As they grew, we had another name dilemma. Max was so small—much smaller than Casey. In fact, he’s close to being a ‘tiny toy’ poodle. And his name was Max. How could that fit? We weren’t sure at first, but the more we watched him move through our world, the more we realized that the tiny dog was a Max. His full name became “Maxim Effort” because that’s exactly how he does everything—running, wrestling, chewing, or sleeping. He’s also known as Maxie Poodle.

Brother Casey has picked up a new middle name as well. He’s Casey Doodle, the Poodle. Yes, it’s lame, but it works and we are tickled to death with our two boys.

I’m still laughing about being outnumbered by the three males in the house, but really, why should I be worried? It just means I get three times the cuddles, kisses, and hugs. No woman in her right mind has a problem with that!

-- Zan Marie Steadham

Check out Zan Marie's Blog!

For more Dog Tails, Buy WOOF: Women Only Over Fifty!

Submission guidelines for:
"Dog Tails:
Stories About Women & Their Best Tail-Wagging Friends”

How to tell your story:
Whether your special canine buddy is still with you or not, we’re looking for nonfiction stories told in first person with action, dialogue and an emotional pivotal ending. Make readers laugh, cry, get chills!

How not to tell your story:
Stories should not be political in nature or preachy. We want original, unpublished stories that are 400 words or less.

How to submit your story:
A Word document e-mailed to GreatDames@WoofersClub.com

(Remember to save a copy for yourself!)

How to submit your picture:
Jpeg or Gif submitted to GreatDames@WoofersClub.com