Zazie

noun. [za-zee]
1. title character of the Raymond Queneau novel, Zazie dans le metro
2. French singer and songwriter born Isabelle Marie Anne de Truchis de Varennes on 18 April 1964 in Boulogne-Billancourt.
3. small, mostly beagle, dog.

- origin.
1959. 

- Related forms
zazisme or "zazie-ism"

- Synonyms
 1. preteen, rebellious; 2. pop star, diva, revolutionary; 3. canine, See crazy.


Zazie. It's a rather fun name. To most of the (French) world it refers to a pop singer who first made it big in the 1990s and has produced 7 cds. 

Her songs, primarily in French, speak of love, life, beliefs, and current events (for more see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zazie...ok, it's wikipedia, but cut me some slack, it's in English and I don't speak that much French). For a random sampling of her music - Je suis un homme:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anp4zcjFrAE

However, to those of us here in our quiet little house in our quiet little culdesac, the name "Zazie" brings an entirely different picture to mind:

Meet Zazie, our 4-15 (it's a running debate) year-old, (mostly) beagle. She belongs to the professors whose house we're renting and kind of came as part of the package - like getting a free umbrella at World Market, how could you say no to that? And since almost everyone's first question, following some comment on her small stature, concerns the red thing in her eye, no, she's not in pain; apparently it's just something beagles get, and since it costs quite a pretty penny to get rid of, she survives with the slightly less aesthetically appealing mark. You get used to it.

As appointed guardian of the house, Zazie will quickly make the presence of any visitor known to the entire house. However, she really just wants to welcome you. And she stops once you feel welcomed...usually. The front of the house is truly her domain, though, so she is just making sure you are aware of this. 

Zazie is a hunting dog. Or, at least she thinks she is. Our "walks" often turn in to long periods of the walker standing and just standing while Zazie sniffs and smells and sniffs and smells...

She also has a love for food. Anything edible, actually. Hence, why she must spend her time quartered in the front rooms: the carpet is just too tempting. The kitchen can also be a tempting place, but when you don't have opposable thumbs, life gets slightly more difficult. She does know how to jump on the table and the moment a crumb of anything falls to the floor, she is all over it.

However, if you want to know the true way to this little dog's heart, I will tell you the secret:

CHEESE!

Oh yes, and more specifically, brie cheese. This is her favorite thing in the entire world (that might be a slight overstatement, but it applies at least in her little three room world). She will sit, lie down, twirl, and shake (all the tricks she knows) to get some cheese. Then she will follow you around for the rest of your visit in hopes of getting more.

At night Zazie sleeps on the couches (so, if you have a phobia of dog hair *Michelle* stay away). In the (Southern Californian) winter cold, she likes to burrow in one of her blankets on the couch, snuggle up to whomever is sitting there (probably doing homework), and snore.

**Please note: contrary to what might be assumed from the posting above, I am not a "dog person" now. I just like this one.