The Origin of 'Sherman'

Last night a young man scratched Sherman's belly and asked if he was "Sherman, like the general." In an effort to clarify the motivation and influences behind Sherman's name, I have put together this handy visual examination of Sherman's being named 'Sherman.'

To start, let's first answer that nice (if naive) young man from last night. No, Sherman is not named after William Tecumseh Sherman. (Although one has to at least respect General Sherman's tenacity and, as well, I greatly admire the artistic ingenuity of Ross McElwee's 1986 documentary "Sherman's March").

General Sherman did not inspire Sherman's name and neither did two other figures: the writer Sherman Alexie and Mister Peabody's pet boy, Sherman, from "Rocky and Bullwinkle." Full disclosure: we were not conscious of Mr. Alexie and pet-boy Sherman when we were thinking of names, although I sometimes wish that we were because they would have made honorable and clever influences, respectively.

The main influences for 'Sherman' actually came from two of our favorite movies: Elliot Sherman, CPA, the title character of Michael Showalter's "The Baxter"; and "P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney, Australia," the important address in "Finding Nemo."

Ultimately, even though there were certain impetuses for it, the name Sherman sounded right for a chubby fluff ball from northern MN.

Sherman and Nico, Happy Hour

We did a for-the-fun-of-it Google search and unexpectedly came across a flickr account that Sherman's friend, Nico, had started. Apparently they hung out at Von bar the other evening.

The Lost Nixta Tapes

Thanks to our new friends Nick, Dani, and Nico, we have more pictures of the Sherm online! From Von Bar (right before the Sherm knocked over 3 pints by jumping on the table) to his snappy eel moves at the park (with Nico the beautiful Husky), I give you Sherman through the eyes of Nixta.



Sherman, you snappy little turtle!

Sweet Dreams

Sherman loves Wild Boar so much. It goes with him everywhere and he insists on using it as a pillow. For a long time the only time you would hear Sherman growl was in his sleep. Now he snarls at the dog park and when mom picks him up when he doesn't want to be held.

Sweet dreams my little lamb.

The Mondays

Sherman was not too keen on getting out of bed this morning. When I finally got him going to the dog park it seemed that everyone else shared his sentiment -- the dog park was empty! None of the usual mid-morning risers were there! Sherman was left to eat garbage and bark at nothing in particular. I'm sure he'll be nice and hyper today at Poppy!

Gone to Tompkins Sq Park

We're off to the 10.5 acre oasis of Tompkins Square Park. Although I've heard stories of rampant drug use, tent villages, and, what we'll politely call, public displays of affection, Tompkins is now (relatively) clean and home to the best dog park on Manhattan.

And Sherman is one of the regulars.

Here are some recent photos from the past couple of weekends...


(Sherman to his Golden Retriever friends: "Will I ever be as big as you?")

Adolescent Dog

Sherman's progression from 4 to 6 months of age. His first day at the dog park, his first bath in the tub here and his adult face (his nosie is much smaller in person, I must say). The Sherm is moving forward whether I like it or not! Although, I am looking forward to 2 1/2 years when I can officially consider him an adult and we'll have some experience under our belts!

PS Happy Birthday, Aimee!!! Sherm sends wet kisses!

Evidence of a Beagle

This post is meant to serve as a reminder that a) Sherman did look a puppy once, b) he used to almost be tri-colored and c) his tail has grown a lot! Let's not forget that there is a Beagle under there! During his most recent bath I made a point of super-scrubbing a spot at the base of his neck that looked particularly dirty, it turned out to be a hidden spot from his younger days. Maybe they will resurface when he's an old man, but for now we have a very beige dog. How tasteful.

I'm Awake!

There are so many pictures of Shermie sleeping, so here's a shot of him conscious. There's Wild Boar in the background!

Belly Up!

He obviously feels completely comfortable around the apartment...

Sleeping on the Job

Sherman had a very hard day forecasting the trends for Fall 2009.

Two Sleepy Heads

The two men of the house. Sherman and Andrew share a great hobby in common: sleeping. They can sleep with the best of them.