The Trouble with Gumbo

Our dear dog Gumbo is a fabulous family pet. He's laid back when he needs to be laid back, and he's rambunctious when it's called for. He's an absolute pleasure. However....sometimes his name gets us into trouble. I had two situations last week which so aptly made the point.



Situation number one: We were in Detroit last weekend, and we stopped by our friend Mary's place to pick up some baby stuff. (Yes, we realize that I am 22 weeks pregnant and have somehow not yet blogged about that! We will do so soon.) Mary greeted us at the door and asked if we would stay a while. I said, "Sorry, we can't stay long because we have Gumbo in the car." Her very appropriate comment was, "That's ok. Do you want to bring it in and put it in the fridge?" I was only a bit taken aback before I realized that she was talking about a different kind of gumbo! We had a good giggle when I explained that we meant Gumbo the dog, not gumbo the New Orleans delicacy.



Situation number two: The back story - Vince and I have been talking about getting a second dog. We know that Gumbo would love to have a buddy to play with, but we knew that we would need to get just the right dog...one who is about his size and with his energy level. We mostly talk about this without much action.

Now the real story - We have a new intern at IWJ, and she was joining us in our typical Monday lunch on the block. We crossed the street when I saw two dogs about the same size as our dog, and I thought out loud, "Those two dogs would be the perfect size for Gumbo." The intern turned to me with a puzzled and slightly disturbed look and said, "What?!?" I started to repeat what I had just said when I realized she didn't know that I had a dog named Gumbo. My co-workers and I started laughing histerically, and once I caught my breath, I explained.



I guess naming your dog after food isn't always the best idea.