Girl power

Everyone's been asking for the names and genders of the puppies. It's taken us a while because I only see Clay about 15 minutes a day right now and he had naming rights since they were born on his birthday and he didn't get any other gifts that day. It took a while to come up with an idea for a theme for the names too. However, once we checked genitalia on the pups the theme became obvious. 

Nine out of the ten pups are female. That's a very lopsided litter, so we went with the names of nine bad ass women and one cool dude. That's also when I decided on Allison for the mother dog's name, using my mother's family name as an homage to her and the many bad ass pioneer women in her lineage. 

So here they are:

We are starting off big, with Ruth, the name that everyone agreed upon.

For the late, great, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. There are three merle pups who may be difficult to

tell apart, but Ruth will wear a white collar representing those famously worn by the jurist.

Rosa is a name forever synonymous with bravery, thanks to Rosa Parks.

For future identification purposes, Rosa has this distinctive black face and will have a lilac collar.

This is Malala, named for Malala Yousafzai, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize,

awarded for her outspoken advocacy for female education in face of personal danger.

Susan, for Susan B. Anthony of course, an advocate for many good social causes of her

day: abolition of slavery, women's rights, and labor reform. I'll always admire her for this quote:

"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, 

because I notice it always coincides with their own desires."

Puppy Susan is a harlequin with mostly merle spots, called a merlequin.

Sojourner, for Sojourner Truth. This pup is the smallest of the bunch, 

but much like her namesake, she's got a powerful voice.

"Truth is powerful, and it prevails."

Eleanor, for Eleanor Roosevelt, who forever redefined the role of First Lady, at least for those

who had their own self-identity. 

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." 

Amelia is named for the badass aviator, Amelia Earhart. Only the 16th woman to be issued

a pilot's license, she was the first to fly solo across the Atlantic. 

"Never interrupt someone doing something you said couldn’t be done."

Dolly, for Dolley Madison and Dolly Parton.

I'll confess to not knowing that much about Dolley Madison, although I believe she is credited with saving the portrait of George Washington and other artwork when fleeing the White House before it was burned by the British during the War of 1812. As a society woman she was known for inviting politicians from both parties to social events, championing bipartisanship before it was fashionable. Dolly Parton is just an amazing woman in many ways, among them being a champion of reading, education, and vaccination in the area of Appalachia where she was born.

Harriett is another merlequin, with smaller and lighter merle markings.

She's named for the abolitionist Harriet Tubman, as well as abolitionist and

author Harriet Beecher Stowe, two women from very different backgrounds

fighting with different methods for the same goal.

The odd man out in this group of powerful females is Elliot, named for Elliot Page as well as

the fictional Billy Elliot, both of whom showed more bravery than most men are ever called

upon to demonstrate. When you are different from those around you, 

being yourself is an act of great courage.

Allison is a wonderful mother, doing it all herself and wondering why

I'm sticking so close and am forever counting her puppies.

The pups' eyes are still closed and Allison wasn't crazy about us taking them one by one for solo photos today so we had to do it quickly. So the individual pics aren't the best, but there will be many more to come. Allison knows what her puppies need and she's prepared to do it, but she is tolerating us for the most part. I'm sure her former humans were more hands off. The pups seem to be growing and she's producing a good supply of milk.