What’s in a Name?

We adopted Baki in January of 2005 from Helping Hands Rescue in Gainesville, Florida.  They had named him Baki, a word that means balance in Swahili (or so they told us).  He was such a good boy that they thought that name worked well.   We are not big on changing our rescues’ names.  Too lazy I guess.  So his name has remained Baki, and he is still our most mentally balanced basenji.

 

Several years ago we were at an off leash dog park in Gainesville with our three basenjis and our two greyhounds.  My husband was talking to a nice young couple with their approximately 7 year old daughter and two beagle puppies.  The little girl was enamored of the greyhounds, as they were just the right height, and she loved the basenjis and their tails.  “So cute,” she said.  My husband explained to the little girl’s father that basenjis are African dogs and that they don’t bark.  The little girl asked what each dog’s name was and my husband told her.  We were leashing them up to head home and the little girl came over to me and said, “I know this one’s name,” pointing to one of the greyhounds.  “Lady” she said.  I told her she was absolutely right.  Then she pointed to Baki and with a very, very excited look on her face, she said, “Oh, I get it.  He doesn’t bark so you named him Barki!”  To this day we mostly call him Barki, Mr. Barker, or just plain Barker ,and he answers to those names every bit as well as he does Baki!

~ Judy Murray

 

Mr. Barker not barking