We have a sort of tradition here.
All our lives both my husband and I aquired dogs either from shelters or were passed off by people we knew who didn't want them. Except Shadow, who followed Dean home as a puppy, and Barney somehow ended up in my dad's pickup truck.
But now that we're together, and all of our dogs come from rescues, we've adopted a rule for naming them. It's a tradition that began with Tok, the first rescue. The rule is, they keep their origional name until adoption is final (most of ours were fosters who we decided to keep), when we know they're here to stay and we have some idea of their personality. Then, in Tok's honor, all the names should start with the letter "T" and should be from one of the various native Alaskan languages. It's a big deal here, as if they earn their new name, and we spend a lot of time and sometimes money researching names.
Tok was once a Marble. He was rescued out of Chena Hot Springs, Alaska. He is named for Tok, Alaska, which is where the Tok river meets another river. The name is Athabascan most likely meaning "Peaceful meeting". Tok was so pleasent and sweet, that Peaceful just fit, and the kooky little name worked very well.
Tikaani was originally Hunter. For a prissy little gal like herself that name was all wrong. She's a sneaky little devil, sly, and quick. She's too smart for her own good, and sometimes a bit jumpy. The sound of the name fit her personality, and the meaning fit her sleek body and energy level. It's an Athabascan word for a female wolf.
Teekan was originally Gage. Gage wasn't bad really, but a new life here without his new name just didn't seem right. He was a foster up until very recently when we lost Tok. We decided he'd done so well here and Tikaani was so sad over Tok, that we should make it official. He's a big clumsy puppy of 105 lbs, with a very distinct mask. He's young and silly but shy. The name just seemed to click, and the translation works well too. It's Athabascan for a male wolf.
Taku was the only other rescue to be named under this rule of ours so far. But what his original name was no one knows. His was picked up by AC and delivered to the GWRescue, very sick and in pain. No one ever tried to claim him, and he was flown to us to be fostered. Because of his very rare pedigree (apparently arctic wolf), his name was easy to pick out. In sound and meaning, the Inuit word Taku means northern bound. It's also a river in Alaska, but since you'd expect to find such an animal only in the most northern territory, it seemed perfect. He's now in a sanctuary, and still keeps this name. He made the most progress with us of any of our rescues, even though he was only a foster. We're proud of him, so I still brag. He's now the ambassador at the sanctuary, the one animal visitors can meet face to face. We're going to visit him again this summer, so I'm very excited.
Eventually, sooner than later, we'll run out of native "T" words to fit these guys. Until then the rule stands. New life, new name, after Tok; all t's of a native language.
Jen and pack
For Tok, I will always remember the happier days when you howled and played as one of our pack. You will never be forgotten, and you can never be replaced. God has a special place for special creatures, and that is where we will meet again. Forever in our hearts, love always, your family.
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I thought it was an ok name... but I like Molli better, and it suits her more.
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