Friday, March 26, 2010

What a name can do....

We now know what not to name a half french dog.

Yes, we did name our dog Jolie, French for “pretty”. It sounded happy, and well, pretty, when we were in Vermont. Introductions in France were very funny those first few weeks. “Oh, your dog is so pretty,” says the short, elderly French woman.
“Yes she is,” replies Susan.
“What is her name?”
“Pretty”
“Yes she is, what is her name?”
“She is Pretty”...
When the French folks finally get the name thing figured out, you can tell they’re thinking, “What idiot names their dog pretty? Don’t these Americans understand even this simple word?”  Jolie in the meantime would just jump and lick and wiggle around. There was never any chance of training her to sit when she met someone. She was encouraged to be her cutest, her prettiest. I suppose worse unconscious things have happened than naming a dog for a trait that makes her endearing.


5 comments:

Elizabeth Allen said...

Love the picture with the peonies--Jolie is a great name, but it is funny how the French react to it. I'm getting the pochade box and will bring it over when it arrives--turns out the owner made it himself--It looks really beautiful from the photos.

Stephanie Kilmer said...

Susan, will you be going over to France before moving there? Is Jolie still as small as the pictures, or were they taken long ago? Don't think twice about her name, don't forget about Ditto! Kathy

susan vieth said...

We'd have millions of these crazy dogs if they would just stay so little. She is about the same size as she is with the peonies. Every year it has gotten harder to get her weight down. She seems to have kept growing until she was 6. I know Cavaliers are late bloomers, but......

We'll be in France for two weeks in May. Anyone want to come visit!?

Dvora said...

She's not only pretty, she's also adorable. How do you say that in French?

susan vieth said...

That's a hard one..... adorable (I don't have the accent on this key board)