Dog Names Meaning Lake

Sometimes, dogs can teach us some amazing lessons and frequently do so just by being themselves.  This is the case with our first pop culture pup with a name meaning lake ... Marley.  Marley is a Golden Retriever pup who becomes a family member of a couple (John and Jenny) who are newlyweds.  This darling doggie is so cute and he clumsily wiggles and trips his way into their hearts.  He is quite energetic and incorrigible most of the time.  Feeling like their neurotic pup needs some help, the couple enrolls him in an obedience class - an experience which is totally unsuccessful when he is expelled for his unruliness.  As he grows and matures into the larger dog that he is, he becomes a 97-pound bundle of blunders.  As he grew, this steamroller of love and kisses barreled through screen doors and gouged drywall, even stealing underwear as John and Jenny raised their family over a period of thirteen years, frequently being at their wits end with his behavior.  While Marley was totally unruly and refused the usual behavioral limits on his behavior, he was also constantly showing his equally unlimited brand of love and devotion, teaching the family how to love through the roughest of times.  The memories abounded as they mourned the loss of Marley as a result of a stomach condition called gastric dilatation-volvulus.   The book series was based on the author's own unruly but deeply loved canine companion, the eulogy which he wrote upon the death of his dog gaining more reviews than anything he had written to date.

Our second pop culture spotlight is Swansea Jack, a black Retriever born in 1930 in Swansea, Wales.  He lived in the North Dock/River Tawe area of Swansea with William Thomas, his master.  In 1931, Jack jumped into the nearby river and saved the life of a 12 year old boy who was drowning.  This incident was basically without witnesses and went unreported.  While it seems amazing that this incident went unreported, it was only a few weeks later, the same situation presented itself again.  This time, the distressed swimmer was rescued by Swansea Jack in the presence of a crowd of gawking bystanders.  This incident was appropriately reported and Jack was presented with a silver collar for his actions.  Swansea Jack became known for a number of similar rescues from the river, totalling 27 in all.  In 1936, Jack was awarded the Bravest Dog of the Year by the London Star newspaper, he received a silver cup from the Lord Mayor of London and two bronze medals from the National Canine Defense League (currently known as Dogs Trust).  In 1937, at an early age, Swansea Jack died from ingestion of rat poison, but he will always be remembered as the community erected a monument to his honor.