Alex spoke up first, a pensive look on his face and his hand on his chin. “Um... How about we call him something smart? Like, a historical name? How about... Ivan? Or Pavlov? Like Ivan Pavlov, that guy who-“ Cassie’s face scrunched up, as if she had smelled something horrible.
“No, I’ve read about him in school. He was apparently really mean to animals. I don’t think this fuzzy little guy should be named after him.” Jared’s heart swelled, hearing Cassie call him “fuzzy”, though he had mixed opinions on the title “Little”. Alex sighed, and continued to think. “Okay. Openheimer? Or just Julius? Einstein? You know, the dog in that movie, Back to the Future, is named that, so-“ Cassie chuckled, ruffling her brothers hair.
“Come on, buddy. I know you like your science and stuff, but how about we try something more friendly-sounding to people who aren’t as smart as you? You can name all your other pets ‘Dr. Seuss’ or whatever you want.” Alex groaned, but relented. “Okay, Cass. What do you think we should name him?”
“How about a human name? Like, Barney, or Simon? Maybe Charlie or Freddy? Something like that?” Alex chuckled. “How about we call him Cy?” Cassie audibly gagged. “Alex, if I don’t want to name this dog after Pavlov, what makes you think I would ever name it after someone as awful as Cy?” Once more, Jared’s heart swelled, this time from hearing Cassie’s angelic voice sing out such sweet insults against Cy.
Cassie looked down at Jared, and smiled. “Maybe a human name isn’t what you need... maybe a descriptive one would suit you better. Would you like that, boy?” Jared, swept up in the moment, agreed with Cassie using a soft bark to communicate his approval. Cassie chuckled. “Okay, how about..... um..... Shaggy? It sure suits you!”
Jared was momentarily taken aback by how coincidental the naming had turned out to be. However, since he had grown used to the nickname “Shaggy” after having been in his dog body for so long, he felt it would be strange if it was suddenly changed to something else. So, once again, Jared replied with a resounding “woof”. Cassie laughed and hugged his head, while Aex shrugged his shoulders. “Shaggy, huh? Not the best name, and not one I would pick, but he seems to like it!”