The MO- Ment I have been waiting for ….

I have a new dog in my life!

Ladies and gentlemen, may I officially introduce you to my newest son. All the way from Hammond, Louisiana home of The Tangipahoa African Heritage Museum,  please meet-

Moe “Kingfish” Katz who joins my other beloved boys Max, Emerson, and Stanley Katz as a treasured member of my mishpucha.

Uncork the MO-gen David! Let the kvelling begin.

Let It Snow

Standing on the edge of the Mighty Mutts truck, my Louisiana Lab stands poised to begin his new life in NY

On the first snowstorm of the season this past Saturday I drove an hour and a half up to Nanuet New York to pick up this southern boy who had been traveling up north for four long days in a large truck.

As I drove into the town the signs for this new dog were all around me it was truly Mo-Town, the first sight I saw was a Moes Southwestern Grill next to a restaurant with the name MoMoyama

He was in for a whole lot of life changes and weather was only one of them. Sure there were the Noo Yawk accents he’d have to adjust to, and an unfamiliar house shared with two strangers. But the biggest life change for this rescue dog was the amount of love and attention he would now get.

Bonding on the first hour at his new home

Not just a member of the family, he would be the focus of the family.

A dog who previously spent too much of his life in a crate has now made himself completely to home, cuddling on the couch and sleeping contently the whole night between Hersh and I in our bed.

He gets an A+ for adjustment and is doing amazingly well and is so darn happy. I think Mo knows he’s really home. He keeps gently placing his paw on my heart, and I feel his soul.

Everyone kept remarking on how this new dog won the doggie lottery. But I feel like I’ve won Powerball.

A new lab to warm my heart

This search has been months in the making and not always an easy process.  In fact, it took a village to get to where I am right now with a sweet blonde boy sitting by my feet as I write this.

So many different adoption forms, rescue organizations, shelters, and breeders they all begin to blur. Ironically at the same time I was also interviewing new therapists, and the names of the revolving door of dogs and therapist blur. Was Ellie a shrink or a golden retriever from Georgia?

The Name Game

Manny or Moe, the name dilemma

Once he was home, the only unresolved issue was his name.

While the dog known as Mo was biding his time in Louisiana counting the days before he made his big trek up north, here in NY I was contemplating when to make my baby naming announcement.

Several weeks back I had settled on a new name I loved for this new lab.

Manny “Kingfish” Katz. The Kingfish of course was a nod to his Louisiana roots named for that state’s notorious Governor  and US Senator from the 1930s,  Huey Long, aka “The Kingfish.”

In a split screen as I talked to his southern foster mama he was always “Mo” his name given by his first family but among a few friends who knew about my new arrival he was always referred to as “Manny”. Compounding the situation, the name he was adopted under was “Monte” assigned by his rescue group when they took custody of him.

Changing rescue dogs’ names is common. Trainers and friends suggested I call him Manny Mo when he gets home to help in the transition to his new name, which I have done.

But then on social media, Mo morphed into Moe and honestly, Moe Katz has a certain ring to it.

For a few days, this pure-bred lab had a mixed identity. It was even reflected in his upcoming vet appointment that booked him under Moe/Manny.

An informal vote online skewed heavily toward Moe. But it was the look in his golden brown eyes that told me who he was.

Hey Moe, who’s a good boy?

© Sally Edelstein and Envisioning The American Dream, 2024. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sally Edelstein and Envisioning The American Dream with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.