Many people ask about my name. Today it’s about time to reveal the secret behind it.

First off: No, my name is not “Slappy”. I hate all kinds of associations with slaps by the way. It’s Schlappi, S-C-H-L-A-P-P-I, pronounced [ʃlapɪ].

I cannot remember when I actually got this name. It was years before I met my adoptive parents. But hey, looking back it was a sign! How many other dogs born in Dubai get a German name and end up with German-speaking bipeds years later? Well?

Anyway, “schlapp” means exhausted, tired out, but anyone who has ever met me knows: It would be ironic to call me such a name. As much as calling Speedy Gonzalez a slowcoach.

In fact, there is another meaning to it which refers to the impact of gravitational force on one of my ears. A floppy ear. Which fills breeders with horror but mummy with joy. So when she first saw me, she found it irresistible. And so did daddy. Can you imagine. They did not even take a look at another dog. They saw my floppy ear, and they wanted to have it! It was my ticket out of the shelter, this floppy ear. I had to pee out of excitement. After I had spent more than four years in the shelter, I would be living in a real pack! And all because of my ear!

You can imagine now how much I love my name. What it means to me. So please don’t ever get it wrong. It’s Schlappi.

My First Day at Home