Contest: And We Have A WINNER!

First Place Winner: "So How Did YOU Name YOUR Dog?" Blog Contest

Greetings, all! It’s time to announce the winner of my “So How Did YOU Name YOUR Dog?” contest from my blog post on June 30, 2014.

We got some great, clever, and creative dog names, and heartbreaking as well as hilarious stories in the comments/ entries section. Thanks so much to all who participated and shared your story.

Tara Rist

So without further ado (other than a drum roll, please), I’m delighted to announce that the First Place Winner is Sergeant Jeremy Rist (retired), with his German Shepherd/ Labrador mix Tara Rist. In my opinion, you can’t get much more clever than that. Congratulations, Jeremy! I’m proud to share Jeremy and his family’s story here below.

---

Meet the Rists!

Sgt. Jeremy Rist (ret.)

Sergeant Jeremy Rist (retired) is a wounded American veteran, for which he was awarded the prestigious Purple Heart. He was deployed in 2005 to Ar Ramadi, a city in central Iraq 68 miles west of Baghdad. Jeremy served in the 172nd Mountain Battalion until 2006, when he was wounded by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device). While deployed in Iraq, Jeremy was an infantryman. His job consisted of doing foot patrols, mounted patrols in Bradleys and HMMWVs (Humvee), and watching over the town for anti-coalition activities.

In the 172nd Mountain Battalion, Jeremy worked closely with the bomb dogs' handlers, Special Operations, the Air Force, Marines, Navy, Iraqi Security Force, and many other military divisions. Additionally, the 172nd provided security for Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technicians (EOD).

---

Sgt. Jeremy Rist in Ar Ramadi, Iraq

After being Honorably Discharged due to his injury, Jeremy returned home to his family in the United States. Since returning home, Jeremy and his family consider themselves fortunate to have found two special dogs that provide a great service to Jeremy and the rest of his family.

---

Left to right: Katie, Jackie, Jeremy, and Ryan Rist

Jeremy and his lovely wife Jackie have two adorable children: nine-year-old Katie, and five-year-old Ryan. They also have two wonderful dogs that they consider to be their children as well, a German Shepherd named Barkley Finn, and the winner of our contest, Tara Rist.

Tara Rist

Barkley Finn

Tara Rist, helping out

Above gallery: Tara, Barkley Finn, and Tara (helping in the yard!)

The Rists like to think of themselves as your average American family that enjoys spending time together doing just about anything fun. You can see from the photo of Katie and Ryan below that they have their own unique way of having fun together. Due to his service in the military, Jeremy thought it would be fitting to name their female German Shepherd/ Lab mix Tara. According to Jeremy, ever since then, Tara has lived up to her name!

Katie & Ryan Rist doing their Groucho Marx impressions

Jeremy has received a signed copy of my paranormal thriller SOULSNATCHER as his First Place Winner prize. Additionally, Tara Rist will be the name of my canine protagonist in my next novel I write, and I may use some other dog names posted in the contest blog as additional fictional dogs. Jeremy and his wife Jackie say they are huge science fiction fans. Here is Jeremy’s original post/ entry from my Comments section of the contest blog post:

I have a 2 year old GSD/Lab mix named Tara. At first thought many people don't make the connection with her first name and my last name. As a wounded combat veteran coming home and settling down I wanted to get a dog that would help with my transition back to a normal life. After a few years I was able to make this happen for my family and I. After hours of trying to think of a name for our new bundle of fur I had that “aha” moment and said to the wife... “her name needs to be Tara, Tara Rist.” Since that moment she has lived up to her name. She manages to destroy entire rooms in seconds, dig huge holes in our yard, and eat our kids’ shoes like dog treats! Although she is a terror she is still a member of our family and we look forward to having her around for many, many years.

Congratulations again to Jeremy and Tara, and thanks again to everyone who entered the contest and shared their special dog-naming story.

Finally, a very special thanks to Jeremy and all of his fellow volunteers—past and present—in our American Armed Forces for their honorable service, unparalleled courage, and selfless sacrifice. You all have my utmost eternal thanks, admiration, and respect.

Second Place Winner:
Sheri Taylor-Emery and her chocolate-and-caramel-colored Dachshund Snickers

Third Place Winner:
Cindy Lommel and her rescued Yorkie Stinker, nicknamed Tink

Runners-up:
Barbara Barth and her rescued hunting dog Miss April in Paris and Chaneta Juliet Copeland and her dog Maximus Charlie Brown Devareaux

I encourage all my readers to leave a comment and congratulations to Jeremy and Tara in the “Comments” section below, like us on Facebook, Tweet and share this post, and be sure to thank Jeremy for his service in our military.

Thanks again to everyone, and may you all live your lives with tails wagging and wind-in-fur!