Home
Southwind TME Purple Majesty
Galaxy
Digit
(2015-2023)

Pomegranate
(2009-2019)

Bison
(2002-2011)

— Pictures of Bison
— Pedigree
— Health Clearances
— Bison's titles
About the name
— Show Stories & Record
— Show Schedule
Orca
(2005-2014)

Panda
(1996-2005)

Pockets
(1990-2006)

Many people comment on the unusualness of dog's registered names. While some have an obvious connection to their name, some are completely different. Amy and I debated Bison's call and registered names for several days. We were about to give up when I said he's "the player to be named later." This being the censored version of what Kevin Costner first says in Bull Durham, I put my fingers to my head and said "Tatonka", imitating Dances with Wolves.

We played with the Tatonka concept and then I said "Bison". The moment it escaped my lips, Amy loved it. I hated it. It just didn't seem to be easy to say. But it stuck, and grew on me.

As for the registered name, I had been playing around with the concept of royalty, sort of using the "Princes of Maine" bit from Cider House Rules as a basis. When we were thinking of calling him Shakespeare, The Player King seemed to be a leading contender. But once we moved over to Bison, we had to think differently. Thinking of where the buffalo roam (and the deer and the antelope play), the phrase "purple mountain majesty" came to me. Since Rebecca Kent had already chosen that for her Marcy, I had to keep searching. Dropping mountain from the name (obvious, since that's in the breed name), I was left with Purple Majesty. But that seemed short.

Then I happened upon Herman Melville. While most folks know him from Moby-Dick, I've read some of his other works (which are better). The quotation that I found came from the dedication to Pierre.
I here devoutly kneel, and render up my gratitude, whether, thereto, The Most Excellent Purple Majesty of Greylock benignantly incline his hoary crown or no.
Perfect. Greylock, being the highest peak in Massachusetts, captured the essence of the breed. But what to do with the length.... aha! Acronym! The Most Excellent became TME, and TME Purple Majesty got hooked up to the Southwind kennel name of the breeder.