So if you read my August recap you know the whole dog saga about how we had a perfect pup that we were going to adopt and then it fell through because our apartment complex and their ~breed restrictions~ policy. So no Staffordshire puppy for us! We were so sad but kept looking and looking to find the dog for us. And this past weekend we found him!
We decided to check out a rescue we’ve never been to before that was on the way to my family’s house. Immediately it was a better experience than the SPCA. All the dogs were in this big penned in part of the building. They were playing with each other and we got to play with them all. There were sooo many cute ones and I was falling in love with this one puppy. Until the lady walked in from a walk with two other dogs and as soon as Will and I laid eyes on the one….we both looked at each other like YEP.
Meet Finnikin! Aka Finn for short.
(He hates getting his picture taken apparently/moves too much so 96% of the pictures I take of him are blurry and not good quality at all.)
His name at the rescue was Slinky which is so fitting but we didn’t love it. I named him after Finnikin from Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta because it is one of my all time favorite series and I LOVE him as a character. Like so much. The naming process was hilarious and pretty much went like this:
Me: *throws out names from my favorite male book and tv characters* (IDK WHY HE DIDN’T LIKE CHAOL, ROWAN, DORIAN, AEDION, RHYSAND, TAMLIN OR LUCIEN)
Will: EW. *throws out names from his favorite sports people*
Me: YEAH NO.
The rescue thinks he is 1-2 years old and he’s a hound/beagle/pitbull mix (god, maybe even some dachshund in him). He is just the cutest. I’m telling you pictures don’t even do justice — my sister agrees on that when she saw him in person. AND HE IS SO GOOD. Like as much as we wanted a puppy I’m so happy we aren’t dealing with one destroying everything and having to housetrain him. He’s just PERFECT. Doesn’t get into stuff, is energetic but also chill, doesn’t bark that often, is happy and friendly, loves other dogs, loves like every human ever. We’ve had him since this past Monday and it feels like he’s been a part of our family for longer — he’s just so comfortable with us. Like he fits perfectly.
I’ve been so busy spending time with him and wanting to make him feel loved and adjusted (plus LOTS OF WALKS) that I have had like zero time to finish any of the posts in my drafts or really read much. NO REGRETS THOUGH. He’s already brought us so much happiness.
So I’m curious:
Do you have a pet? If so, is your pet named after anything literary related??
Jackie Lea Sommers says
Awwwwwwwwww! I *love* that you named him Finnikin!!!! <3
Emma says
My family has had a dog for twelve years, and I call him my little fluffball/little love. His name isn’t literary at all (Sunny), but I really want the next pet I get to have a name from one of my favorite books.
Finn is absolutely adorable, Jamie, and I’m so glad it worked out for y’all to adopt him!
Bekka says
AW HE IS SO CUTE. Every once in a while I think I want a dog, but I currently have a small petting zoo already and I’m not the biggest dog person BUT THIS IS MAKING ME JEALOUS.
I’m pretty sure you know this but I have three cats. Kitty is so named because… she’s a cat, we called her the kitty when we got her, and she thought that was her name. Nothing else stuck.
Gummy is named after a My Little Pony character. Pinkie Pie was my favorite pony and she has a pet alligator named Gummy.
And Weasley is obviously called Weasley because he’s orange! I couldn’t pick which HP character I wanted to name him after – there were a lot of options. I went to the shelter in search of a black cat to name Dobby, but we came home with this fireball instead. So we decided on Weasley because of his coloring and it matches the ends-in-y naming scheme we’ve got going on here.
Amanda says
OMG puppy!! Love that sweet face!
Brandyn says
I have a five year old Goldendoodle (he’s adopted, not purchased) named Gizmo. Not literary, but I always loved Gremlins:) I love the name Finnikin and it suits him (although I haven’t read that book). I’ll probably get a second dog next year and I’ve been trying to come up with a bookish name and having found one I like that goes with Gizmo yet.
Training Tip – Dogs love chase games, but when you play them with him always have him chase you. That way if he ever gets out, once you find him you can run away and he’ll chase you instead of thinking its a fun game for you to chase him. Gizmo has gotten out 5-6 times and this has worked every time.
Nikoel says
I have two cats and I named one of them, the long-haired orange one, “Fred” after Fred Weasley. It fits him so well, too. Like you have no idea.
Hannah says
Awwww! So glad you found the perfect doggie! I heartily approve of his name. 😀
Jordan says
I love the name and he is SO CUTE. We have a sweet little border collie and I named her Dagny (after the heroine from Atlas Shrugged.) We’ll be getting a new little boy pup in a couple of months and we’ve already settled on Atlas for him (mostly because the husband vetoed Ender, Reardon, Aspen, Maxon, Kvothe and many others, haha!) He is already dreading when we have HUMAN children. 🙂
Daisy says
Finn is SO CUTE!!! And I love his name! Pets are awesome, they’re so much a part of the family and they’re such a presence in your house 🙂
I tried to name our cat after a literary character, but the boyfriend kept vetoing my choices and we ended up with Zoë, loosely named after the MC from Hart of Dixie.
Enjoy your boy! And yes LOTS of walks!!
Claire says
SO CUTE
Kate @ Mom's Radius says
Yay. So glad you found a dog that your apartment will allow. He looks cute. I’m not an animal person. I’m allergic to dogs and cats. 🙁 Glad you’re happy with him though!
Christina (A Reader of Fictions) says
HE IS SO CUTE. HIS LITTLE WRINKLY FAAAAACE. I WANT TO PET ITTTTTTT. GAH.
I’ve been playing with my boyfriend’s new kitten. 😀
Trina says
So cute! Congrats on gaining a new love of your life! I have a cat named Pickles (I really have no idea where/why I came up with that), but he had a short lived nickname of Won Won after the pet name one of Ron Weasley’s girlfriends gave him in Harry Potter, since my cat is also a ginger. He’s currently laying BESIDE his bed instead of IN it, lol.
Morgan @ Gone with the Words says
That’s so wonderful!! I was really happy we got Andy when he was 14 months. Housetrained and crate trained, it was perfect. He has a bit of leash aggression ie he sees dogs when he’s on a walk and BARKS LIKE CRAZY. But it’s sad because he just wants to play!! He’s super good at dog day care when we go out of town and is sooooo loving and friendly. He has quite the personality. We’ve taken him to beagle meet ups before and it’s so funny to watch them all run around the dog park 😀 The biggest adjustment was getting up early. Andy wakes up at 6am and that’s that. But he’s a sweetie and a good snuggler after we play 🙂 Ironically Andy isn’t named after anything, we just thought it was cute. So happy Finn is fitting into your family so well!
Faith Collins says
Congrats!! He’s adorable. Thanks for adopting and spreading the word about rescuing!!
We have an American Staffordshire Terrier/Rottie mix named Bowser… not quite literary, but videogame related!
Enjoy your new bundle of joy!
Shannon says
Welcome to furbaby parenthood!!! Finn is insanely adorable (and interesting mix!)
We adopted a puppy in February. She’s some sort of terrier mix. Named Millie. We just kept the name the rescue had for her because it worked with her!
We also have 4 chinchillas! 3 are adopted and we didn’t change their names since they were 8+ years old when we got them. Our other chinnie was named by my husband: Cheerios. Sadly no literary names. Maybe the next furbaby will be named after a fave character 😉
Paige says
Aw he is so cute! Great name 😀 Finnikin of the Rock has been on my TBR list FOREVER.
I have a white lab puppy named Tilly, which isn’t literary related. I tried to convince my parents to name her something literary related, but that didn’t work out so well. 🙁
Annalisse says
I’d love to say my part black lab, part husky Emma was named after the Jane Austen novel but alas my brother named her. She has two different colored eyes and loves to play. I could cuddle her forever!
Emma A says
Congratulations!!! He is adorable!
Angie F. says
Before I got to his breed information, I was like “He looks like the love child of a pitbull and a weenie dog!” He’s cuuuuuute!
I have three Shih Tzus, but no literary names here. I tried for Genevieve (Elemental Assassin!!!) but my mom has trouble pronouncing G/J sounds, so Genevieve became Odette. And everyone thinks Scarlet is named for Scarlett O’Hara, and I’m like OH HELL NO! Her name is Miss Scarlet (from Clue!!). So…kind of literary! And my baby is Tallulah, just because I wanted her nickname to be Lulu because my old doggie at the time was named Tutu.
Megan says
Aw, he’s adorable and Finnikin definitely seems like the perfect name for him. Congrats!!
Laura says
He is adorable!!!
I just want to smoosh his cute little face.
We have a British Blue kitten named Marcelene after a character in Adventure Time…I wanted Katniss because it obviously has ‘cat’ in the title and because Hunger Games got me back into reading young adult fiction and not being ashamed…but I made do with a badass character from a very weird kids/adult show.
Misty says
I friggen hate breed restrictions. Grr! It’s such nonsense. Also, I don’t think any dog I’ve ever had would have met breed or weight restrictions… I like the big, gnarly beasties! lol
He is damn cute. I guess it was for the best, since you got the perfect pup for you! =D
looloolooweez says
This is so great! I’m so happy for all of you!
erinf1 says
congratulations on your new furbaby!!! He’s adorable!!! Don’t you love it when you find a heinz 57 dog who is so unique looking 🙂 My pup is a beagle/pointer mix and he’s got the beagle saddle but is grey/blue. It throws so many people off. I named him Samuel – Sammie for short, b/c I’ve always liked that name. I should have named him Samwise after LotR but it didn’t occur to me.
erinf1 says
my avatar is of Sammie but when he was 4 months old 🙂
Kaley @ Books Etc says
Aw what a sweetie! I have a rabbit and her name is Tonks! (Which you’ll understand now that you’ve read Harry Potter lol though I can’t remember if you finished the series so it won’t make any sense if you haven’t gotten to book 5 yet….lol) Congrats!
Leslie H. says
What a cutie. 🙂 My Pomeranian/Shih Tzu is named Mr. Darcy.
Danielle says
Congrats on finally adopting the perfect dog!! He is so cute and I’m glad he’s fitting in so well. I adopted my cocker spaniel from a rescue last year and she has changed our life SO much in the best way. I don’t know what I would do without her. I named her Ruby, after the main character in E Lockhart’s “The Boyfriend List” series.
Kay @ It's a Book Life says
Congrats!
He is adorable and I love the name, although any of your suggested names would have been awesome as well. 😉
Evelynne says
Aw he’s adorable! My kitties are named after Egyptian goddesses – Isis and Meret.
Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit says
Yay, doggy! So happy for you & your family, Jamie – I’m sure your nieces love having a new friend, too!
Rocky is named after Sam Rockwell/Rocky the movie character because he used to be owned by my husband and his former roommate. Jackie is named after nothing, they just liked the name Jax. =)
Laura says
He’s so cute! And looks a lot like my pup, a pit-mix that has the exact same coloring!
Stephanie Allen says
My parents have a dog that I love spending time with when I got to visit. He’s a dachshund/chihuahua/beagle mix and is super chill – really, he acts more like a cat most of the time, which is probably why I love him so much because I’m not normally a dog person.
My parents named him after an NFL player. Because they aren’t as bookish as I am.
Emma @EverEmma says
I love how little his legs are and how big his head is. So cute! I have one cat who we named Tibby. It isn’t a literary name, but sometimes we call him Skippito Friskito after the Skippy Jon Jones children’s books. (He is a Flame Point Siamese, so it works.)
Amanda D says
We had a lab/shepherd mix named Bennett. I named him after Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. We lost him to lymphoma a few years ago 🙁 We have 2 cats, Jinx and Rex. Jinx is named after the cat in Meet the Parents and Rex is named after the hamster in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.
Kyra @ Blog of a Bookaholic says
When I saw this post I was like “YESS! THEY FOUND A DOG!” – I’m so happy for you guys. A dog is literally the best and they’re so wonderful and Finn is absolutely beautiful! <3 Congrats!
acps927 says
Falling in love with your pet is such a neat experience! We walked into Petco one day because my husband wanted to go look at the cats, NO INTENTION TO GET ONE, and I just fell in love with one. We walked away that day but went back the next because I wouldn’t stop talking about her. She was about a year when we got her, so not a kitten, but so sweet and perfect for us. We kept the name she was given, Callie Bear, so it’s not literary, but it was so her.
Rosie says
Oh, he’s so adorable. I love his colouring. We have two dogs, and one cat, and none of them have literary related names.
It’s a shame that where you live has restrictions on Staffordshire Bull Terriers (I actually live in Staffordshire!) because they’re such sweeties. My Aunt has three, they’re very energetic, but they wouldn’t hurt a fly.
Rachel @ A Perfection Called Books says
Finnikin is adorable!! Awww congrats, Jamie!! I wish I had a pet, parents keep saying NO. 😛
Zeee @ I Heart Romance & YA says
Awww he’s sooo adorable! I have 2 pet cats that were rescues as well… One is named Twylah (after Twilight… don’t like the book/movie but love the name) and the other is named Pixie (she was going to be put to sleep by the owner)
Erin @ Paperbackstash says
That dog is RIDICULOUSLY CUTE!!
Nataile Brown says
Congratulations on Rescuing Finn! He is a handsome boy. I have a 7 1/2 year old rescued boxer named Neo. That’s the name he came with because they knew his original name. I got him when he was 3 1/2. I’m so glad you picked an older dog. The puppies always go first and these poor guys/girls get left behind. Good on you and Finnikin. 🙂
JoLee says
We had a cat named Zephyr. I wanted her to have a name from Greek mythology. Our next cat will be named The Marquis de Carrabas from Neil Gaiman’s Never where. So yeah, I am all about literary names for pets. Love Finnikin. It’s a great name for a dog.
J. Hooligan says
I have Joker and Bruce… comics are literature, right?
Cynthia @ Bingeing On Books says
Aww, your puppy is so freaking adorable! I have a dog, a Springer Spaniel, but she doesn’t have a literary name. Her name is Callie and I think she is pretty freaking cute too. 🙂
Tiffany (About to Read) says
Finnikin is such a cute name!! The Sarah J. Mass names made me laugh so much. My husband would definitely turn down those names too 😀
Laura @ Scribbles & Wanderlust says
I wondered if his name was literary! Should’ve read this post about him!
Yes, my kitty has a literary name. She’s a fluffy long-haired black cat, and her name is Rossetti (after the poet Christina Rossetti. Or the painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti, but we’re sticking female with female for now). She was rescued from a shelter, originally named Winifred o.O
I was looking for a black boy cat to name (Lord) Byron or an orange tabby boy to name (John) Keats, but then there she was, perfect and wonderful and all mine!
Kate says
GAH! He is so cute, and even though I haven’t read the series his name is based upon, I love the name! Your pup reminds me so much of my little Jackson who is a pit bull/dachshund. Long body, short little legs, totally adorable! Welcome to dog ownership, it is awesome and you will love it, even if it is a lot of hardwork and exhausting some times.