I can’t tell you much about Bea before June 2020. I can tell you that her racing name was Mohican Ennis on paper but I don’t know if anyone cared enough to call her by a name or if she was just one dog of many to people who were responsible for her.
When Bea moved into rescue she was named Elizabeth. This quickly morphed into Queen Elizabeth, because my goodness is this dog a regal girl, a leader, a diva, whose subjects should bow to her wishes. When she moved in with us, her Aunty Sandra commented that the thing we were missing for her was a red carpet.
We were looking for a shorter name for use with her every day, something we hoped would help her learn her name and come when called. She was initially going to be a Bets but she is very much a Queen Bee – so this is where Bea came from.
In reality she is mostly called a variant of Bea depending on her mood and actions at the time. Queen Bea is the most common, as she nudges her way to the front on a walk or for food or just to see what’s going on. She will lead the way and others will follow, a trait that has been very useful in helping Sam to adjust to being in a house.
Bea Barrier is a frequently used phrase as well – she has a habit of arranging herself, quite deliberately, in ways that you cannot get past her without acknowledging her. I’m not sure if this is part pushy Bea, part herding to keep us where she wants us or part insecurity – for all that she is a determined little diva her past cannot help but have left her with her own unique fears and insecurities. These are not quite as obvious as Sam’s cowering at specific noises but perhaps more manifest themselves in a desire to stick close and not have her people leave her behind – if she is blocking the way she has to be acknowledged or brought along.
Cuddle Monster is another common one – “is Bea being a cuddle monster”? The answer is nearly always yes. Bea is an affectionate people focused girl who wants to love and be loved in return. As she feels more settled and is starting to understand that we aren’t going anywhere and cuddles and a fuss will always be an option, she is becoming less inclined to be a 29kg lap dog and is content settling just next to you as often as not these days. I am aware of the irony of writing that with her literally sprawled across my legs right now – but it’s a rainy Sunday so we have no places to be and here is pretty perfect.
Perhaps my husbands favourite alter ego of Bea is the one he has dubbed Mouse Dog. There are no specific behaviours associated with Bea being a mouse dog, just an angle of her face and positioning of her ears as she stands in front of you for something. It’s adorable and she knows it – this guarantees pretty much every time you will stop what you are doing and focus some attention on her.
The irony of all this – our stubborn strong willed little girl is not very inclined to respond to any of those terms. Answering a call of her name very much depends right now on how interested she is in something else – very much a work in progress!
