So, I said I’d come back and tell the back story on the name drama of our new puppy.
Krystal named a stuffed animal Boston about a year ago, and I commented that I thought it was a great name for a pet. She initially wanted to name our chinchilla Boston, but we ended up going with Joey, which I think fits him better.
When we started thinking about puppy names, I began a list of names. And then I read “The Art of Raising a Puppy” by the Monks of New Skete in which they talk about choosing a name. They suggest a one or two syllable name ending in a long vowel sound (e.g. Nemo, Cookie), or a short a sound (e.g. Anka, Olga). I realized our list needed to be revised, so I went back to the drawing board and came away with about 10 names each for boy or girl pups.
So when we arrived at the house to look at the puppies on Sunday, Krystal and Belle wanted to know their names. The owner explained they really weren’t named, “except for these two”. Those two were named Matt and Pip. Krystal identified Pip as her favorite even in the sleeping pile, and as it turns out, that is the one we are getting. I had brought my list of names with us, but Krystal had ears for Pip only. I was sure I was going to see my name choices disappear.
So we got home and I read through all the names again, and it’s funny how once I gave over some control to the girls that it clarified my favorites. And I was pleased when it was a fairly easy selection to choose Tessie.
Now, I’ve made no secret of my love for the Boston Red Sox, and as it turns out, Tessie has a Boston connection. I showed this video to the girls after we chose the name, and now they love the name, and the song.
Niceties and Nasties from New England 
Love the name!
That’s a great name
I had a cat named Pippin once. My ex got custody of her in the divorce. Tessie is a great name for such a sweet puppy. I’d never heard that name theory, but it’s a good one. Two of our 3 dogs follow the rule – B.C. and Zoey. Strider doesn’t, but he’s part coyote anyway, so no rules apply to him. We crate-trained him (Zoey was already grown when I got her – she’d been abandoned). He learned to pee through the bars of his crate. It was lovely. He finally got it, but it was a long time.