A Dog Named Oscar

Do you want to know the thing I miss the most about home while I'm away at college? It's not my family, my dog, or even my books. It's my bed. Or more specifically, my ability to jump unto my bed whilst I'm at home.

Throwing myself on my bed (often after a running start down the hallway) is a long-standing tradition for me. I do it when I'm sad, mad, silly, or just tired.
And though these feelings are present even when I'm in my dorm room, I find that I can't relieve them in the same way. Why not, you ask?

Because of the darn loft bed.

Though I'd like to end on that resounding note, I think I should probably explain the post title. My family has been planning for a while now to get a puppy in the spring. Our current dog, Annie, is 8 years old (which is pretty old for a large dog), and we want to get another dog while Annie's still around so that the puppy can learn from her (though it kills me (no pun intended) to even think of Annie dying...).

Anyway, earlier today, while watching my sister's volleyball tournament, I started to think of possible dog names. My all-time favorite is Atticus. Isn't that just the greatest name for a dog, or for a German Shepherd, more specifically? (All of our dogs have been that breed; they're the best.)

My family unfortunately doesn't like the name Atticus (apparently they don't love To Kill A Mockingbird like I do), so I kept brainstorming. I know I want the dog to be named after something, preferably a book character or a Beatles song. I'm currently reading The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao. "Oscar!" I thought, "What a cool name for a puppy!" Everyone loved it until my parents decided that we would be getting a female dog because they're less aggressive than males.

Darn it.

Well, here's the female name list so far (though I'm still a tad bent out of shape about the loss of Oscar):
Juno or Juneau (May fly with Mom and Dad-they haven't seen the movie, but they love Alaska)
Jude (Hey Jude-think about it)
Mina (From Dracula-read it!)
Saoirse (An actress I like. Pronounced Seer-sha. No offense to the person, but her name is also great for a dog.)
Farrah (I'm kidding. Mostly.)
Lucy (Though I think this name is already fairly popular for dogs, and I want something original.)
Yoko (Hahahaha)
Liesl (Very German. Appropriate?)
Rosie (Yes, I had to sneak in some Neil Diamond.)

Okay, that's all I've got. Maybe you have some suggestions? Props for allusive names.