Here is one of the photos that Sara sent of Splish Splash and Dumbledore or Ginny and Otis as they are now called. I like their new names, what they lack in color they make up for in warmth. You can't tell they were given in love. I have written often about the names of the pugs--both the names we give them and the ones they receive. They are the thread that binds us to them, their old names to us, their new names to their new owners, and somehow These people to us as well. It is like an umbilical chord that though cut is never severed.
Why is this important? I can't quite put my finger on it yet, it has something to do with stewardship and responsibility, a lifelong promise that they were sent out into the world with love, a contract that the new owners promise they will keep. These dogs may not care which name they answer to, but they care how they are treated. The names are our seal and our promise, because I believe it matters somehow, our relationship with these creatures with whom we share our homes and hearts. it matters even after they are gone.