31/05/2026
Why Scout? Why Jem?
Our amazing dogs came to us under very different circumstances and their names are a story in themselves…
I first heard about Scout when the rescue I’d been volunteering with told me there was a stray Staffy who’d been picked up. It was the middle of the first lockdown, so I put my hand up to foster.
I still remember picking up this dusty, tense little dog who seemed desperate for fuss but also so scared. I knew immediately I was in trouble… my husband grew up with brindle Staffies and I’ve always had a soft spot for bull breeds. She felt like family almost instantly.
Her name took a little longer.
She arrived as Pumpkin but, over the weeks, her personality started to shine through and she reminded me so much of my favourite book character, Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird, fiercely loyal, deeply loving towards her family and completely full of mischief.
She became Scout.
In many ways she’s a typical Staffy. She’ll happily ignore most dogs in favour of humans, who she absolutely adores.
The exception? Dachshunds.
For some reason she was obsessed with them… play bows, spinning, excitement, the full routine!
Then the inevitable happened.
I got tagged in a rehoming post for a standard dachshund cross Chihuahua (thanks Rachel!). He was our dog. And apparently we were his people too.
So of course we named him Jem, Scout’s brother in the book. Slightly more sensible, but usually willing to go along with the hijinks.
We’ve had bumps along the way because multi-dog households rarely run perfectly all the time, but the little rescue family we’ve created feels incredibly special. Two dogs, three cats (the Meowfia) and usually a whole heap of mischief.
So that’s us…
How did your dogs get their names?
