Chewy — What’s in a Name?

May 31, 2020
by Michael Scandling
comments 32
California / Photo Log / Photography

DSC_8493_DxO10FCBlog

May 28, 2016. Silicon Valley, California (Photo May 30, 2015, Sonoma County Coast.)

While thinking about what to say in a notice to family and friends, I recalled something that I’d read or heard that the number of nicknames one has for someone is a mark of the degree of affection that one has for them.

That got me and the Muse to thinking…

Here’s what we recalled, in no particular order:

Chewy, Chew, Chewbacca, Chewy-Bacca, Chewster, Chewsty, Bacca, Bacca-Boy, Bacs, Bac Man, Bopper, Bopper-boy, Chew-bopper, Chew-boppa, Chew-bop, Chew-bop Kwaku-Bah, Crazy Horse, Bops, Ba, Baba, Chew-bird, Chew-burg, Chew-biscuit, Chewy-biscuit, Chewberry Pie, Chewy Burbock, Chewy La-La, La-La, Chewbser, Chewbsers, Chewbster, Chewmanfu, Choob, Choobie, Choobie-Bacca, Choo-Choo, Choo-Choo Train, Train, The Boy, The Man, Mister Man, Man-pants, Pants-man, Man-among-men, Mang, Tail-wagger, Wail-tagger, Waggie, Wags, Wag-man, Fuzz Face, Face, Dude, Duder, Your Dudeship, Mister Dude, Main Man, Schush, Schkunk, Schkunkman, Schkunker, Schkunkerman, Buba, Bubs, Bullet Boy, Rocket Man…

There are probably more.

He answered immediately to every single one.

It’s good to have a dog with a sense of humor. And flexibility.

The Author

California based fine-art photographer featuring abstract, impressionist, and minimalist seascapes — near and distant — and floral-based images. Fine-art photography can be seen at www.amagaphoto.com All original images on this blog are copyright 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 Michael Scandling. All rights reserved. No images on this site may be copied, duplicated, reused, published, or re-purposed in any way without express permission from the copyright owner, Michael Scandling.

32 Comments

  3. Adrian Lewis says

    Wonderful – and I can very much understand that thought about numbers of nicknames, very true. Here, “Your Dudeship” immediately brought the film The Big Lobowski to mind.

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    • Michael Scandling says

      Thank you very much. He was indeed photogenic, although he did not enjoy getting his picture taken. I had to be sneaky about it. But in the portrait in this post he was unusually accommodating.

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    • Michael Scandling says

      It was a deluge at first and then later that day one or the other of us would come up with another one every now and then. The list was compiled a day after he passed, but in preparing this post I came up with three more.

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  11. Steve Gingold says

    I am sorry that this appears to be the farewell remembrance of Chewy. What a delight he was for the two of you. Smart too if he could rrespond to all those names. And you two too for remembering so many.

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  13. Leya says

    A loving and beautiful ending to the Chewy series, Michael. I enjoyed every word and every photo…And yes…the number of names – that does tell you about the degree of affection. I know I wrote them down after Mille left us. They were many. And he also knew many words and expressions. I know I stopped counting when we reached 144.
    Interesting about the name – so glad you kept his original name (but of course You would) and so glad you will let the new family member show you what name will be suitable. I once read about a family who named their new dogs the same every time, but added numbers…Pluto I, Pluto II, Pluto III … I hope the dogs were just as loved every one of them as the original Pluto I. Just looking at it – I would think they were boats.

    Thank you again for brightening my day – and I want to add I loved seeing you and your Muse as well.

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    • Michael Scandling says

      Thank you very much. It’s amazing what a dogs vocabulary can be. And Chewy really did answer to all of those nicknames. One of the best dog Memes I ever heard was the name of a dog owned by one of my dad‘s business partners. Puppy dog.

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