Dog asks for a new name

 Candice McCarty

Professor Morgan Peters

English 200-08

December 15, 2011

Ever had a name for yourself that you didn’t really like? “Homewrecker,” “Bully,” “Slut”? The list could really go on, but to think in terms of how you got this name, someone doesn’t just randomly wake up and say hey I think today I’m going to call Sally, a murderer today; well at least that isn’t always the case. You get this name, whether it is good or bad because it is based upon your personality, and traits that you show to other people over a period of time. Names like this reflect your behavior and Dog in Dog Asks for a New Name is trying to get rid of his unfavorable nickname of “Thief”.

 Just like everyone who seeks help with a problem out of their control, Dog take a trip out to visit God to get this problem resolved. God is always more than willing to help out his friends, so he asks Dog to watch over a dead cow with which he says he is going to barbeque later. He asks that he not let any piece be removed from it before he gets back and when he returns he will change his name.

Nonetheless Dog, true to his name takes some of the meat from the cow, and when God returns he tries to cover his tracks. God then says that he has found a new name for Dog and that he forever shall be called “Just-the-same-as-ever” Dog is pleased and then returns home. There when a small boy finds him in the street he calls out to him “Thief” Dog tells him “No my name is “Just-the-same-as-ever”. The boy simply looks at him and says yes “Just-the-same-as-ever, Dog lives by his thieving”.

Again here is another story of how God is the ultimate ruler of his kingdom and no one can outsmart him. Dog was given his challenge and he failed to prove he wasn’t a thief and God put him back in his place. You cannot simply change how others think about you, you must earn it. It is easier to make a name for yourself, than it is to change it. If people think you are one way, you can’t simply change that you must prove to people that you have changed, and that you are a different person worthy of a new reputation. It isn’t going to be easy and it is going to take some time but I believe if you work for something you want, it will all pay off in the end. If you want something bad enough, you will find the strength to overcome your difficulties.