Most of us know that moment when a new pet enters our world, there’s a healthy balance of excitement and concern; excitement because this is a new addition to your family and we marvel as it gingerly makes its way around your home, getting the lay of the land. Concern because you are now in control of a life, with all the fiscal and emotional cost that comes along with it.
For our very own Tracee Columbia, Director of Human Resources, and her husband Todd, these exact feelings came into play on December 30 of 2017. Just a few weeks prior, they had lost their beloved dog Bella. However, they agreed it was time to welcome a new pup into their home, a 6-month-old, female Jack Russell mix who was as sweet as she was sassy, and as cute as she was smart.
The Columbias made the smart decision to live with the dog for a few days to see if the fit was right, however they quickly discovered the fit was perfect and a new family was formed. Not satisfied with the name the SPCA provided, “Shortbread” they set out to find a name that perfectly fit her personality.
Tracee decided to open the debate up to her twitter followers with a simple tweet that posed the question, “any suggestions for naming our new female puppy?” This was accompanied with a few adorable photos attached of course. The responses were underwhelming, and the Columbias resigned to take matters into their own hands by naming her Missy, a nod to Doctor Who.
This was before one last tweet appeared, a tweet from super model and TV personality, Chrissy Teigen. The response was short and sweet with one simple word (or 7 characters), Butters.
“When I first saw the tweet, I thought it was a joke, or a fake account but the blue ‘verified’ checkmark told me it was the actual Chrissy Teigen!” states Tracee. She continues, “now I am not saying we chose to include this name because of its famous source but being a fan of both her and the name it was truly a no-brainer. When a supermodel/mogul/inspiration for John Legend’s ‘All of Me” gives you a name you keep it!”
Thus, the full name officially became “Missy Butters Columbia.”
Now four plus years later, Missy Butters has fully embraced her name and life, and her owners have a great story to tell.