In 2010, I came home with a six month old. She had been neglected by her family in another state. Thus, she was confiscated, and the man who took her from a life of abuse contacted a rescue to help find her a new home. That rescue was used by a friend of mine. She suggested I take a look, because she had had such a great experience with them. I’d been looking for months, and none meshed with my life and expectations (it’s good to know what these are before you bring any pet home, because you could be headed for heartbreak if you don’t).
After a very short transition period, we were off and running. At the time, I had another pet. Maximillian, who was a a Jack Russell Terrier of about ten, was reluctant. The pair got along once he established he was the big guy. It was interesting taking them both out to go potty. Somehow, it all worked out, and I miss him being in the picture with me and the Shagbottom.
Upon the return from one of these outings, I followed Miss Sadie Sue up the steps. By this time, she’d been called Miss Sadie Sue because of her southern birth. It sorta just happened, and because it flowed so well, it stuck. Anyway, following her up the stairs, I was treated to a view of her fuzzy little derriere. Did I ever mention how adorable her butt is and was? Well, she had this extra fluff and shag on the back of her legs and butt. And I was thinking, you’re so shaggy. Of course, I had to make note of this with her while scratching her leg. And then it came out. Shagbottom.
I immediately was reminded of how much like an Austin Powers girl the name sounded, or Bond Girl, if you prefer. This name had to stay. Usually their names come to me in that way. It might be something they do, such as hopping around the yard like a rabbit, which led to calling Max Bunny. Or, the way he wiggled so much when I came home, and wound up becoming Mr. Wiggles. All my pets end up with nicknames to go along with their official names. None of them are bland.
I didn’t expect to make much more of it than an adorable name that appropriately highlighted her fuzziness. But, a name like that should never be left unannounced to the world. And, things were not going to be that way for long. Fate, as it usually does, stepped in. I was introduced to an app on my phone that allowed me take pictures of my dog, add words and some animation, so she would talk. I tried it on Max first. The results were wet yourself worthy. Good fun was had for several weeks. Then, Christmas hit and I posted Sadie singing Jingle Bells, a talking cookie, the Antler Incident…It snowballed from there.
Sometimes, things just come together. Most often, they take a lot of time to brew up the results, but when they do, you’ve likely created something truly wonderful. Friends and followers on Facebook really enjoy these snippets, and the Theater bit has grown into something much bigger than I had ever intended. You can see all of the videos on my YouTube Channel. It’s gotten a bit more elaborate than just photographs and filters.
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