This story intersects at loss, renewal, generations of Italian heritage and a bit of Latin, all rolled into a bustling Savaglia Financial Advisors (SFA) office. Here goes…
The loss came in February when we lost our beloved 13-year-old miniature poodle, Petey. Petey joined our family soon after Don and I were married and his loss was devastating to us.
A renewal of sorts began soon after Don surprised me with a same-breed puppy. We knew he could never replace Petey, but we welcomed our new addition. Training and love commenced. What to name the pup proved a challenge of international proportions, dating back more than 100 years. Really … and it’s complicated.
Don’s Italian roots connect to his paternal grandfather from Acquavena, Italy, who started the process of immigrating to the US in 1906, hoping for a better life. He made numerous Atlantic Ocean crossings in a ship’s “steerage” (the lowest cost and class of travel), eventually bringing his growing family to the US, including Don’s dad. Hearing stories about his dad’s youth in Acquavena, Don and I have been fortunate to go several times to re-connect with family and experience a part of his family history that was fading with each passing year. Our recent visit was a wonderful and moving experience.
We channeled a bit of this rediscovered family history to our new puppy, through a proper Italian name, Fido (a Latin origin word, pronounced FEE-DO, meaning “I trust”). Fido is a revered dog’s name in Italy, because of the real-life Fido that an Italian laborer rescued in 1941. Each workday the dog would accompany his owner to a public bus stop that the man would journey from to his factory job. Ever faithful, the dog would wait for hours at the stop each day for his return. During WWII the man was killed when the factory was bombed. For more than 10 years after, Fido still waited at the bus stop for the man who would never return. A bronze statue of Fido is in the town in Borgo San Lorenzo, Italy, commemorating the dog’s unwavering trust and faith.
Fido, our newest SFA office “staff member” with a name steeped in Italian lore. A friendly reminder when you next visit SFA and Fido finds the time to greet you, he prefers the Latin pronunciation, Fee-do. It’s out of deepest respect.