I have three fur kids...one corgi cross dog and two ferrets.
 
Tess (corgi cross) came to me from a fellow support group member who knew I
was a docent at the zoo and needed a baby sitter for a puppy that she'd
promised to baby sit for the owners before realizing she wouldn't be home
to do it.  Tess had been found (at 4 weeks of age) whimpering in a park by
the exchange student she had living with her that year.  Initially the
young man meant to keep her, but found it wasn't possible.  He had named
her "Straw"...which she didn't respond to and I thought was a horrible
name for a cute puppy.  It took me weeks, literally, to name her.  When,
one day, "Working Girl" w/ Harrison Ford and Melanie Griffith came on
television.  Before the theme song had finished the proverbial light bulb
had gone on over my head.  "She's cute, she's bright, she's the right color
(golden red).  That's it!  ...Tess!"
 
Tess immediately responded by lifting her head and looking at me as thoguh
to say, it's about time you found out my name!  And responded to it from
that moment.
 
Shiloh is my sweet, beautiful pet store cinnamon girl.  She is 15 months
old now...and was named by the time I'd gotten to my friend's car.  Named
after the Neil Diamond song (friendship) and the Civil War battlefield
(signifying typical ferret mayhem and my love of history)..
 
Amadeus is my rescue boy that I adopted on June 26 of 1998.  The original
owner had moved away from home and her father just didn't want a ferret, so
I bought him for $25.  Within a day I realized he was deaf...so his name of
"Sweetie" didn't need to stick with it.  After around two weeks I settled
on Amadeus.  I'd mixed up my composers...he should have been named after
Beethoven (but I don't like even the diminutives of any names based ond
Beethoven).  By the time I realized my mistake everyone was calling him
Amadeus, so I decided to live w/ my mistake.  Just before the AFA's Holiday
Expo Shiloh tore his ear in a mock battle (although I still say it was
because Amadeus had outscored her in Championship one too many times and
Shiloh wanted to make sure THAT wouldn't happen again).  Mary from the PFRA
took one look at him and started to call him Amadeus van Gogh...which I
decided to lengthen to Sweet Amadeus van Gogh as a show name.  I still call
him Ami-Dami around the house.
 
And me?  My parents named me Patricia.  I prefer Pat, but get called "Dog
Mom" my friends and my sister-in-law.
 
This little exercise is FUN!
 
Pat
Tess (throw the ball already...)
Shiloh (quit brushing me already Mom, I know I'm shedding)
Amadeus (give me that herbal heat/cold pack.  I want it in my hidey hole.
No?  Okay.  <CHOMP>.)
[Posted in FML issue 2647]