The Earth-Toned Pill

I know its not a big deal, but it has already come up a few times that people wonder why I named the new puppy with this crazy long formal name...

For me, the reasons are pretty simple, but I'll explain:

This is my first puppy outside of my parents' house, and I always wanted any dogs of mine to have noble names plucked from the greatest men (or women, depending on the puppy's sex...) of our world's history. Being a military history nut and artist, I tend to be biased towards great heads of state, military minds or gifted artists. So it should be no surprise that I chose the name Gustavus Adolphus Mannerheim for our new pug's name. There was a very specific reason behind the name though, which I'll share with you.

First off, Catie chose the name 'Gus' long before I had chosen any formal name. So from the start, I was restricted with Gus. But this wasn't a bad thing at all and I wasn't left thinking too long, because almost immediately the name Gustav II Adolf popped into my head.

For those that don't know who this person is, Gustav II Adolf of Sweden, also known by the latinized Gustavus Adolphus or Gustavus the Great, was one of the greatest rulers of the modern western world. Here is a quick blurb about him from Wikipedia:

He is, and was even during his own time (The Italians referred to him as "The Golden King" and others as "The Lion of the North"), widely regarded as the archetype of what a king should be and one of the few European kings and sovereign princes during the seventeenth century worthy of the office. He was, unquestionably, one of the greatest military generals in all of history, and his battles were studied assiduously by later great military figures such as Napoleon; Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington; Carl von Clausewitz; and Patton, as they are still taught in military science courses today.

Nuff said.

Although the name has only gone to my lowly little dog, I feel it surely is quite fitting tribute to such a great man and if he's watching from beyond the grave, hopefully he might just crack a smile.

The other name I chose has a different and much more personal meaning altogether.

Mannerheim happens to be the last name of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, who was once marshal, regent and president of Finland. Since I am predominantly Finn by blood (mixed with tons of other stuff in truly 'American' fashion), I chose the name of this great man as well for Gus' formal name.

Here is another short piece from Wikipedia on Marshal Mannerheim:

Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim was the Commander-in-Chief of Finland's Defence Forces, Marshal of Finland, a politician, and a military commander. He was Regent of Finland (1918–1919), and the sixth President of Finland (1944–1946). Mannerheim was born in the Grand Duchy of Finland to a notable Finnish noble family that had emigrated to Finland from Sweden. The family originated from Germany, having emigrated to Sweden during the 17th century.[1] He started his military career in the Imperial Russian army, becoming the leader of Finnish government forces in the Finnish Civil War of 1918 and during World War II. He was buried on February 4, 1951 in the Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki in a state funeral with full military honours, and today retains respect as Finland's greatest statesman.

What better way to celebrate my heritage than by honoring the greatest Finn of all time!

So now that you all know the method behind my naming madness, hopefully you don't think me 10% crazier than before you read this post.

Between you and me though, 10% crazy isn't really all that scary...

Gus is the newest member of the Walters household. He's a black purebreed pug with an awesome personality and lots of love to give!

If you want to see more pics of him, head over to my myspace page!