Thompson Square and EttaIf you've been following Keifer and Shawna Thompson of Thompson Square, you probably know that the couple are now proud parents. Okay, hold up--there's no baby on the way (that we know of)! The Thompsons are another kind of parents; ones that a lot of fans will relate to.
That would be dog parents! The Thompsons' adorable "Schnorkie" (that's part Schnauzer and part Yorkie) pup, Etta, has been poking her furry little mug into the hitmaking duo's daily rounds...even accompanying them on the road. Don't ask if the puppy is housebroken, because, as Keifer notes, "She doesn't live in a house, she lives on a bus!"
The addition of the little pup, who arrived in the family at a very sad time for the Thompsons--Shawna had recently lost her father, and the pair had to put down their elderly dog the same week--has brought a lot of light back to their lives.
"She's smart as a whip," Keifer notes of Etta, while Shawna explains that the clever puppy even chose her own name.
"Keifer and I are both big fans of the Band, and they have a song called 'Ophelia,' so we were like, maybe that would be a cool name," she explains, adding that Band legend Levon Helm had just passed away at the time as well. "So we called her Ophelia and we didn't really get a response."
They tried out another favorite musical influence instead. "We called her Etta and she pricked her little ears up."
So, Etta is actually a blues fan? "I hope Thompson Square is her favorite [music]!" laughs Keifer.
Etta is more than just a happy influence in her owners' lives. Due to Shawna's proud tweets about Etta, the pair was approached by Purina Dog Chow to participate in a special initiative, called "Dog Families Know." By serving as a face for the campaign, the couple are working to spread that light back to help the animals that make such a positive difference to so many families.
Keifer even offered up a song he wrote 10 years ago which he thought would be perfect for the project. "Songs have a way of finding their own life," he notes. "When Purina asked us to do this, I said, I have a song that might work for you. And I thnk it's a really perfect fit."
He relates that the song, "A Dog's Life," appeared originally on the pair's first independent album as a hidden track, and came from an idea he had about writing from a dog's perspective. He also notes that it's one of the few songs he's ever written that made Shawna cry. The video was shot in New York City and features plenty of Etta footage for fans to coo over and enjoy.
Thompson Square are proud to be part of Purina Dog Chow's initiative, which has a fun and easy premise: Anyone can upload a photo, video, or simply a story about how their dog has impacted their family to Purina Dog Chow's Facebook page. For each unique upload, Dog Chow will donate a $1 up to $25,000 total to Patriot Rovers. This organization is a charitable group focused on raising and training service dogs to come alongside our wounded troops or those experiencing post traumatic stress when returning to the states, to aid them in readjusting to daily life.
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