There are only two things I remember about my first dog Sooner, a squatty, shaved, three shades of gray miniature schnauzer we had when I was a little boy. He was a fun and loving dog and he was the object of malevolence by the ghost living in our Oklahoma home.  It was common for us to wake up in the morning and find Sooner in the backyard even though when we went to bed he was asleep inside. Sometimes the poor guy would cry in the middle of the night and my parents would find him shaking in his bed, scared by something.  I barely remember the spooky shenanigans, I do remember he was great family dog.

After that came Waylon and Willie. Waylon was another schnauzer and Willie was a Dachshund mix. The two never left each other’s side and when a neighborhood kid left our gate open and Waylon ran away, Willie never was the same. Willie died a few months later without any signs of sickness. I think he died with a broken heart and it shows how much dogs can feel about people and other dogs.

It was well over a decade before I picked my next pup, a rambunctious, lightning-quick Husky named Kuni. Rather he picked me. Kuni was named after Iwakuni, the town I was stationed at in Japan. I found a respected breeder and at her farm was directed to a ten foot circular pen with six Husky puppies in it. The lady advised me they might be a little shy and don’t take it the wrong way. Sure enough as I entered the pen five of the puppies went to the opposite end. However one ran towards me, sat near my feet, and yiped the cutest bark. He was mine. Ironic since he didn’t bark on the drive home. Black and white with fierce brown eyes Kuni was all looks and a real handful. When my wife at the time fell ill some hard choices needed to be made.  We found a home for Kuni on a ranch in Montana coincidentally and he had an amazing life chasing livestock and running free on the open range. Through the grapevine we heard he had a nasty incident with a porcupine but Kuni always was the kid who burned his hand on the stove after you’ve told him it’s hot.

No dog presently. My sister has two dogs. My mom has a small dog named (don’t make me say it)….. Miss Priss. I get my dog fix through them. There’s no question I would love to have a pooch but I want the timing to be right. I won’t have a dog just to have a dog. I want a good size dog, 60-80 pounds. I want an awesome home for my dog. I want to be there for my dog. The next eighteen months will be a whirlwind of traveling, writing, and doing whatever it takes to set up a great situation for me and my dog. That is my reward for all of this: a shiny, new, slobbering Rob’s best friend

Until then I think of names and here are a few-

D-Day (always wanted a dog named D-Day), Grover (stop laughing), Sake (really stop laughing), Glacier (this was high on the list until I came here and every fourth dog is named Glacier), JoeJoe (go ahead steal it), Bear, Husker Du (having a dog with a band’s name reeks of hipster-ness but I like it, or for comedy value and just to see the look on people’s faces when I cal him/her…..Snorkle. “Here Snorkle!” “Come here Snorkle!”  “That’s a good Snorkle”

Truthfully it’s already settled. No matter the breed, size, disposition or color I’ve settled on a name.

I can’t wait to get my new dog….Red.