From Dixie to Doodle

DIXIE AND I GOT CLOSE AT THE DOGPARK.

WE HAD A LOT OF NICKNAMES for Lady, ranging from Tooty (it takes some explanation) to Punkin to Knucklehead.

Mostly, I called her Darlin'.

Dixie doesn't need a nickname, but I've already called her Punkin a few times, and I almost immediately started calling her Dixie Doodle. That morphed into Doodle Bug (not a poodle or a pug) and then Doodle.

So, sometimes I call her Dixie; sometimes she's Doodle Bug; sometimes she's Dixie Doodle, and sometimes she's just Doodle.

It's not clever, and it's certainly not rocket science. It's just being affectionate with a valued friend.

And you can see the affection in the photo at left. Dixie wouldn't pose for a picture, so I picked her up; she still wouldn't look at the camera, so this is what we got.

• Woof! (translation: Go away, kid; you bother me)

EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com  TWITTER: EDITORatWORK

More entries from The Dog Blog

• Katie cried

• Growl and pull

• ... said the spider to ...

, • The Dog Diary (2015)

• The Dog Diary (2014)

• 13-plus years with my dog Lady

• OOH! OOH! The stereophonic huskies

• What Lady and Michael Jackson had in common

Blog entries by Tom Gillispie

• Resume for a writer and editor

• An editor's views on powerful writing

• Advice for be and would-be novelists

• Links to TG's stories online

• Favorite quotes

• What I do when I'm editing

Anecdotes by Tom Gillispie

• Good Samaritan

• The PRESS cap and my friend Mike

• Watching TV

• No luck with Billy Sims

• Wipeout at Death Valley

• Days with rainbows

• A desperate writer working in the dark

• Yer outta there!

EDITOR@WORK blog entries

• You really DO need an editor

• Reminders for would-be novelists

• What I do when I'm editing

• What I charge (it's a deal) and what I edit

• Slogging through the Internet

• J-school: More eyes on your stories

• J-school: Go out and learn

• Rookie mistakes for magazine writers

Blog entries from The Auto Racing Journal

• Angel in Black: Remembering Dale Earnhardt Sr.

(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)

• Then Junior Said to Jeff...

(the book of great NASCAR stories)

• My best day as a sports writer

• Jeff Gordon's milk toast to Dale Earnhardt

• Wayne Auton: A life in racing