It’s all in the name #servicedogs #therapydogs

I need a name.

I can’t go through life as the dog with no name. Once upon a time, there was a horse with no name, but that was a song.

name
Image by Manfred Burdich from Pixabay

But first, let me tell you a bit about myself. I’m a male and about a year old. I’m about to become an Emotional Support Dog for Gareth Young, a former soldier who has PTSD, in Melanie’s current novel. It Happened at Percé Rock.

Here’s some of Gareth’s story and the root of his PTSD. He and his best friend since like forever, Normand Levesque, enlisted in the Canadian military and assigned to the Vandoos. They were deployed to Afghanistan, where Normand was killed when a roadside bomb exploded and destroyed their armoured vehicle. Gareth took quite a bit of shrapnel in his right arm from the shoulder to his hand, so he has the physical and the emotional scars. Normand didn’t have a mark on him.

Lately, things have been getting much worse for Gareth. Medication, counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy aren’t working. That’s when he psychiatrist suggested an Emotional Support Dog. It took some persuading on the doctor’s part, but eventually, Gareth went along with the idea, and I’m thrilled he chose me. I’ve been working with Gareth for a while now, getting to know him, his needs and his triggers.

So you see, I’ve got my work cut out for me.

Anyway, if you think you’ve got the perfect name for me, please leave it in the comments. I’d love to hear your suggestions. I can’t be forever known as Dog.

 

 

 

11 thoughts on “It’s all in the name #servicedogs #therapydogs”

  1. Dear Melanie,
    You are very clever! Asking your readers to suggest the name for “dog” is a great idea. You could do a military name like sargeant, however it might not be a calming name.

    I will think on it and leave another comment if I think of another nsme.

    Never Give Up

  2. I think Sargeant would be a good name since Gareth was in the military.

    Thanks for asking us for suggestions. Nice to be asked.

    Good luck with your writing adventures!

    Love you,
    Joan

  3. Thinking of names for anything is not my strong suit. My brother helped me name my business and my first dog, Ivy. My stepdaughter named my second dog, Bruno. I did manage to name my third dog, Jesse, and my fourth dog, Sadie. But I had lots of help in deciding. Lol In any case, Bruno and Jesse and good, strong names, so perhaps those could go in the running? 🙂

    I like the sound of the book! There’s nothing like a heartfelt dog story. The love of a dog is quite therapeutic.

  4. Love this new story line Mel!

    Since “It Happened at Percé Rock” why not incorporate the strength of that rock into the therapy dog. Percival – Percy for short. Percival is of French origin, fitting for the military Van Doos and Quebec setting.

    Best regards on your book.
    Jen Rogers

  5. Dear Melanie,
    How about Sergeant, since Gareth is military!

    Thanks for sharing your great ideas with your readers! You make us happy!

    Never Give Up
    Joan

  6. Hi Joan,
    Not sure what happened, but when I was doing some blog work this morning, I found this comment in the trash folder. I’ve since restored it to its rightful place in the approved comments. Isn’t technology grand sometimes? 😉

  7. Dear Melanie,
    Tis okay. Technology doesn’t always tell us what it is doing. It’s like a big mystery case at times, isn’t it?

    I’m glad you finally got my first comment for the name.

    Enjoy your day!

    Sincerely,
    Joan

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