Monday, April 25, 2011

Help us name Dee's puppies!

Who are your heroes? A president, teacher or an activist? Perhaps your hero is a musician, a scientist or an artist.

We'd like to know who your heroes are! SSD Dee is going to give birth to her puppies in early May, and the theme of her litter is American Heroes. We need your help to create a list of names for these puppies!

We're looking for names of real people, not fictional characters. When you suggest a name in the comments, tell us a little bit about that person and why you think they're a hero.

You may suggest more than one name. Don't forget to suggest both male and female names. We don't know exactly how many puppies Dee will have! We'll announce the puppies' names when they're born in early May.

This will be Dee's first litter and so far, she's doing great! When you look at her, you can definitely tell she's going to have puppies. She recently visited the Milton Hershey School, and her breeder caretakers had to adjust her service dog harness.

She still gets plenty of exercise, although her breeder caretakers have cut back her exercise to three short walks during the day instead of one long 40 minute walk. Dee tires easily and needs frequent naps and potty breaks. Now that the weather is warming up, her breeder caretakers are being very careful to make sure she doesn't become overheated.

To help her get ready for motherhood, they set up the whelping box. Several times a day, Diane, one of Dee's breeder caretakers, puts some treats in the whelping box to encourage her to feel comfortable there. Dee will give birth in the whelping box, and her puppies will spend several weeks there. It's very important that she feel as if the whelping box is her space.

One week before her due date, Diane will start taking Dee's temperature several times a day. Temperature is one way that we determine when a dog is going to give birth. A dog's normal temperature is between 101 and 103 degrees. When it drops to 98 degrees, we know that labor will start soon, and we keep an even closer eye on her.

We will keep you updated on Dee and her puppies. Don't forget to suggest names in the comments!

35 comments:

  1. Maxwell Kincaid- Maxwell Kincaid Nunn was a seven year old little boy who had a brain tumor. He died this past Thanksgiving. He made video's and put them on youtube asking people to send "Just two bucks". He wanted to raise $100,000 to help find a cure for childhood cANCER so no other kids had to endure what he had to go through. Max Nunn is my HERO !!!

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  2. Lincoln (Ab)
    Winston (Churchill)
    Sully (Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger - Pilot)
    Galileo
    Amelia (Earhart)
    Thatcher (Margaret)
    Oliver (North)
    Beamer (Todd - "Let's Roll")
    Edison (Thomas)
    Tilly (Pat Tillman - NFL star who lost his life as a soldier)
    Buzz (Aldrin)
    Boone (Daniel)
    Rosa (Parks)
    Jackie (Robinson)



    Hemi (Hemingway)

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  3. Ada Lovelace - (female) first computer programmer
    Richard Feynman - (male) American physicist specializing in quantum mechanics
    Alan Turing -(male) British computer scientist who laid the theoretical groundworks for the field
    Marie Curie -(female) physicist-chemist specializing in radioactivity

    All were not only pioneers in their field they also led very interesting personal lives. Ada was a lady-scientist in Victoria England, writing what is considered to be the first computer program before one was actually built. Feynman made a hobby out of cracking the safes of fellow scientists at various national labs he worked at; his QED lecture is still a brilliant introduction to the field. Turing was persecuted by the very government he was working for because he was gay. Curie was not only a brilliant researcher but particularly selfless in her personal and professional life; she did not patent her techniques and was known to give away award money to needy acquaintances.

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  4. American Heros (intellectual and otherwise):

    Orville Wright (flight pioneer)
    Wilbur Wright (flight pioneer)
    Thomas Alva Edison (inventor)
    Teddy Roosevelt (all-around strong personality)
    Amerlia Earhart (female flight pioneer)
    Molly Pitcher (American Revolutionary War)
    Jane Adams (first woman to win Nobel Peace Prize)
    Rosie the Riveter (an icon of all American women who did factory work during WWII)


    I'm going to stop there and hope for Dee's sake the litter isn't bigger than eight! That's a lot of work!

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  5. Clara (Barton) Founder of the American Red Cross

    Juliet (Lowe) Founder of the Girl Scouts

    Diana (Denenberg Durand) My friend who successfully fought three rounds of cancer and lost in 2009

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  6. Marcia suggests:

    Amelia Earhart
    OR
    Because I don't know any specific names I'm asking for help on any names of person or persons who developed the idea and furthered the concept of service dogs to help people? Like Nancy!

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  7. American Heroes:
    Helen Keller
    Ann Sullivan
    George Washington Carver
    Lewis OR Clark OR Sacajawea, of Expedition fame
    Ben Franklin
    Thomas Alva Edison
    Wright brothers -- Orville, Wilbur
    Thomas Jefferson
    Albert Einstein
    Sequoyah...invented an alphabet and put the Cherokee language into writing, among other things
    Laura Ingalls Wilder...may not be a "hero" but her tales of pioneer life are an inspiring peek into American heritage!

    ...OK, that's just a few to get you started! What a fun theme. :)

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  8. Roy (Roy Halladay)
    King (Martin Luther King)
    Luther (Martin Luther King)
    Rosa ( Rosa Parks)
    Sully (Sullenberger)
    Beamer (Todd Beamer)
    Tillman (Pat Tillman)
    Sally (Sally Ride)
    Henry or Hank (Henry Ford)

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  9. Abe, Lincoln, Buzz- Armstrong

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  10. Nancy or Fiery (for Fierer)
    Because she's right up there in terms of honest-to-goodness heroes.

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  11. Maya Anjelou (inspirational writer and poet)
    Eleanor Roosevelt (pioneer of human and civil rights)
    Sally Ride ( first female astronaut)
    Helen Keller (deaf-blind author, political activist, and lecturer)
    Jesse Owens (Olympic athlete who stifled Nazi ideology)
    Neil Armstrong (first astronaut to walk on the moon)

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  12. R.E. Lee - Robert E. Lee
    Grant - Ulysses S. Grant
    Patton - George Patton
    Ike - Dwight Eisenhour
    Amelia - Amelia Earhart
    Eleanor - Eleanor Roosevelt

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  13. Bella Abzug coined the phrase "A woman belongs in the House and the Senate". I think Bella was a hero and what a cute name too!

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  14. Molly Pitcher (Civil War lady hero)

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  15. I would like to suggest
    Pete Seeger- old time, all american folk singer- his songs changed lives - mine, my children and many others- he is still living and in his 90's, lives simply and is always looking towards tomorrow.

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  16. I have a hero, who happen to be my son, When he was in high school he said he wants to join the Marines. He did this when he had finished High School. Today he is still a Marines and his goal is to be a Gunny. As my hero he is a wonderful son, super father to his children and a wonderful husband to his wife. He believes in what he is doing by serving the USMC for our freedom and keeping us safe. "Gunny" or Gunner would be a name for a pup that will be someone else hero when he is trained to be their service dog.
    My son next step for promation is Gunny

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  17. I like Martin

    for Martin Luther King Jr.

    I also had a dog I named Max for Malcolm X.

    I also had a dog named Lincoln. He had a special love for rolling in carcass so we often called him Stinkin' Lincoln.

    Ramon Selove

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  18. Hi I am BRYCE I have Patsy from the country music litter she will be 6 years old tomorrow(April 26th) I like the names Lincoln, Rosie( Rosenvelt) Barack, Jackson(Andrew), Mickey(Mantel) Lou( Gerig), Brianna,(my sister who has to put up with my autism) if you have a chocolate one Hershey.. Walt, or Disney, Anne( Frank), Hillary(Clinton), Theresa(mother), Flo, (Nightengale), I could not live without my Patsy girl so thankyou for all you do. Bryce Bashore 11 years old.

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  19. Wesley Autrey - http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/03/national/main2324961.shtml

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  20. One of my therapy dogs is Ike, I guess after Dwight D. Eisenhower.

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  21. Clara (Barton)


    Carver, (George Washington)

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  22. Nikola Tesla( was an inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer.)

    Bach, Johann Sebastian

    Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus Chrysostom

    Andrea

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  23. Henri (Henri Landwirth holocaust survivor and founder of Give Kids the World a vacation for children with a terminal illness)

    Gary or Smitty (Gary Smith) - a local Harrisburg resident who donated bone marrow to a stranger and save her life)

    Ben (Ben Franklin)
    Christy (Christy McAliffe the teacher lost on the space shuttle)
    Ronnie (Ronald Reagon)
    Milt or Milton (Milton Hershey)
    Erma (Erma Bombeck - humor writer)

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  24. These are very inspirational names! Please keep posting your American Heroes!

    We had a few people email their suggestions, and we wanted to share them with everyone else.

    GIRL NAMES:

    Flo – Florence Nightingale: Civil War battlefield nurse

    Betsy – Betsy Ross: Revolutionary supporter & probably maker of the first flag

    Dolley – Dolley Madison: James Madison’s wife

    Abby – Abigail Adams: John Adams’ wife & John Quincy Adams’ mother

    Helen – Helen Keller: inspirational person & overcomer

    Bev – Beverly Sills: opera singer

    Daisy or Julie – Juliette Gordon Low: founder of Girl Scouts (Daisy was her family nickname)

    Jeannette or Jeannie – Jeannette Rankin: 1st woman in Congress, from Montana, 1916

    Barbara or Barb or Babs – Barbara Jordan: 1st black woman in Congress from TX, 1972

    Tiff or Tiffany – Tiffany jewelers ( I know the designer is a man, but the jewelry definitely belongs to the ladies :-D)

    Molly – Molly Brown: survivor of Titanic sinking



    BOYS NAMES:

    George or Wash – George Washington: general & president

    Abe or Linc – Abraham Lincoln: president

    Dan – Daniel Boone – Revolutionary hero & frontiersman

    Nate or Nathan – Nathan Hale: Revolutionary hero – “I regret I have but one life to give for my country” at 21 yrs of age

    Audie – Audie Murphy: 2nd highest decorated WW2 veteran

    Cotton – Cotton Mather: ended the Salem witch trials by exposing the scamming girl

    Penn – William Penn: founder of Pennsylvania

    Grant – Ulysses S. Grant: general, president

    Billy – Billy Graham: evangelist to the country for over 50 yrs

    Booker – Booker T. Washington: botanist, scientist, farmer

    Sam – Sam Houston, governor of TN & TX, 1st president of TX

    Bob – Bob Hope, friend to military from WW2 till he died

    Ron or Reagan – Ronald Reagan: actor, governor, president

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  25. Callen. This is my father and a true American Hero. Rose above the trials and tribulations of a childhood in and out of foster homes and abusive step fathers. Joined the army at 17 and was a member of the Army Security Agency -later know as the NSA. He returned to find money he sent home gone and his home sold by my grandmother who had pwer of attny. He rose above all, forgave all, and became the best example of a gentleman, father and grandfather I know. In the true spirit of God and America he became a great American Hero.

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  26. Callie for a girl. - see above regarding Callen.

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  27. Oh so many. :) Here are a few.

    Emily Dickenson
    John F. Kennedy
    Robert F. Kennedy
    (could honor both and just use Kennedy)
    Jackie Robinson
    Yogi Berra
    George Patton
    George Washington
    Tony Bennet
    Elvis Presley
    Albert Einstein
    Thomas Edison
    Neil Armstrong
    Lucille Ball

    Just a little mix of everything, music, science, military, political, actor, sports

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  28. Keller (for Helen Keller)
    Merton (for Thomas Merton)
    Anselm ( for St. Anselm Archbishop of Canterbury)
    Chagall (for Marc Chagall famous painter)
    Itzhak Perlman (could be two names)
    Frida Kahlo ( Artist)
    Golda Meir

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  29. Eli Whitney (Cotton Gin) - Whitney could be a girls name
    Elias Howe (Sewing Machine)
    Nasa
    Enola Gay (not a person, but a key component in the American War Effort)
    USS Arizona (may she rest in peace)
    Sputnik
    Christa McCauliffe
    Harriet Tubman
    Mollie Pitcher
    Lou Gehrig
    PeeWee Reese
    Jackie Robinson

    Very eclectic. But Very American

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  30. -"Molly Pitcher" was a female heroine during the American Revolutinary War. She brought pitchers of water out to the hardworking soldiers, risking her life in the battlefield to help others.

    Maybe "Molly" or "Pitcher" would be good name for a service dog? I think Molly Pitcher's legacy would be carried on appropriately by having a sd as one of her name sakes. After all,Service Dogs help someone in need and I suppose they could bring a pitcher to their future handler with a disability.

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  31. Amanda Lollar: founder of Batworld Sanctuary and authority on care and rehabilitation of insectivorious & fruit eating bats. Truly an UNSUNG American hero in my eyes!!! In light of White Nose Syndrome which is decimating these wonderful, NEEDED mammals...

    Helen Keller: Truly a brilliant, amazing woman

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  32. Audie Murphy - most decorated soldier in WW2
    All my other thoughts are already out there!

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  33. Disney
    Sinatra
    Rosa

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  34. Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low- Most people think that heroes are people who are on TV and famous or in the media. My hereo is not someone like that. My hero is Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scouts. Juliette's nickname was Daisy. When she was 25 years old she had an ear infection which was treated with silver nitrate. This damaged her ear and she lost most of the hearing in that ear. In 1886 Juliette married William Low. During the wedding ceremony, a grain of wedding rice got lodged in Juliett'es good ear and it became infected. When the doctor tried to remove the grain of rice it damaged the nerves in her ear and she became totally deaf in that ear. In 1912 she founded Girl Scouts and 11 years later Daisy had cancer and kept the fact she had it a secret and kept working for Girl Scouts. On January 17,1927 Juliette died of cancer in her hometown when she was 66 years old. It is a testament to her will and great resolve that she did not let her deafness define her, rather she took it in stride as part of her life and went on to make history. That is why I think Daisy would be a great name for a puppy. Im hoping to be a puppy raiser soon to get my Gold Award for Girl Scouts. I think it would be neat thing to train a puppy of Daisy's siblings if the name gets picked.

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  35. Boys:
    Orville (Wright)
    Wilbur (Wright)...since there are two brothers
    Thomas Edison
    George Washington
    Frederick Douglas
    Martin Luther King, Jr.
    JFK
    Jackie Robinson
    Neil Armstrong
    Henry Ford
    Sequoyah

    Girls:
    Clara Barton
    Amelia Earhart
    Molly Pitcher
    Rosa Parks
    Helen Keller
    Harriet Tubman
    Sojourner Truth
    Susan B. Anthony
    Margaret Chase Smith
    Elizabeth Cady Stanton
    "Rosie the Riveter"

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