A dog by any other name. Barn Family names announced!

Announcing the winners of our Name the Barn Family contest. Congrats to: Alyssa Carolla, Lissa Stiles, Andrea Nguyen, Sarah Williams, Samantha Wood, Lisa Wolverton, Sheri Cardo, and (mama's name) from Susan Cava. Bravo!

Winners will each receive a copy of Ken Foster's book, Dogs I Have Met, signed by Ken and pawtographed by his boy Brando. Please contact us with your addresses and a photo of your dog. Addresses HERE


Above left: Named FERDINAND - by Alyssa Carolla - after the story of Ferdinand the Bull, a gentle giant who would would rather curl up and smell the flowers rather than fight. Our rowdy girl on the right has been named JOSEPHINE by Samantha Wood. Says contest judge Ken, "She was a founder of a school at Tulane, but who can resist thinking of the other famous Josephines: Josephine Baker, or, better yet, Josie and the Pussycats."


Above: This confident girl has been named PEPPER by Andrea Nguyen. Ken likes the name for this pup and also the connection to Pepper Anderson, everyone's favorite don't-talk-smak-to-me police woman, played by the uber-cool Angie Dickinson.

Left: This runty boy was named SANJAY by Lisa Wolverton.

Ken Foster tells us: "Sanjay - We have known several, and they have been culturally-inclined and driven to improve themselves and the community around them; we hope for the same with this little man." Nice.

Below left: This little girl is now CAMELLIA, named by Sarah Williams. From Ken: "Camellia is the name of a flowering tree...but also of a diner in New Orleans, Camellia Grill, where customers left notes on post-its for two years after Katrina, until it finally reopened in 2007."

Below right: We have ROSALIE named by Sheri Cardo. She reminds us of Rosa Parks ... This puppy is not about to give up her rightful seat on the big bus of Life!

Below: This little girl was named HYPATIA (Hi-pay-sha) by Lissa Stiles. Says Ken, "Hypatia -perhaps the first female mathematician and philosopher, Egypt, 350AD; she was persecuted by Christians. We are hoping for more philosophy, less persecution. for our Hypatia."


And the best for last. Our wonderful mama dog, below, was named EVA PEACE by Susan Cava. She says "Sula was my favorite Toni Morrison book; Sula's grandma was Eva Peace who put her leg under a train so she could get insurance $ for her kids. I have a feeling this mama dog would do the same. A tribute to Ken's Sula too."


We LOVE it Susan! Thank you. Since you named the mama, you get to choose a clothing item from our CafePress Store. Let us know what we can order for you when you send us your address!

Some other favorite name ideas that caught our eye (and just might show up attached to other BR dogs one of these days!) ... Dianne Rhodes voted for The Seven Virtues: Chastity, or Chas for short (like Chastity Bono!), Temperance, or Tempe for short (like Bones), Charity, Diligence, or Dili for short, Kindness, Patience, and Humility or Lity for short ... Terry Daniel went for high sugar names: 1. Twinkie 2. Cupcake 3. Suzy Q 4. Ding Dong 5. Gem (Donette) 6. Snoball 7. Little Debbi ... Laurel Ashley hit the B's: Bobbin, Barney, Betina, Bea, Brando, Betty, Button, and Belle for the Mom ... Jamie Cagle picked 'Polo' for a boy ... Lori Lubin's names were very cool: Tycho, Sandra Dee, Gidget, Annie, Aurora, Eliza, Holly Golightly, Fitzhug ... and Lori A Fusaro was inspired by the barn theme: Female 1- Tuli Male 1- Angus Female 2- Sussex Female 3- Holstein Male 2- Dexter Female 4- Chianina (Key-a-Nina) Female 5 Devon Mom - Jersey.

Big thanks to everyone for your creative input, including the folks at Sula. You helped us raise $2400 for the dogs' care, 10% which is going to their sweet southern cousins in New Orleans. Woot!