He's nuthin' but a dirty old egg-suckin' dawg.
That was Johnny Cash's lyrical description of his favorite mutt.
The Editor's all-time favorite was Sam-Sam, a flat-coated black retriever that single-handedly disrupted family life in mostly positive ways.
Sam II, Ben and Fudge--black, yellow and dark-chocolate Labrador retrievers--later would contribute their own delightful memories--but Sam-Sam was over the top.
He grabbed baseballs hit to left field in T-Ball, scooted after soccer balls during youth games. He would chase anything spherical in the neighborhood.
And Sam-Sam never met a vehicle seat he didn't like. It once took several minutes to extract him from the driver's side of a visiting motorhome.
While no-seeums on camping trips chased him through tents of sleepers, Sam-Sam never backed down from a snarling possum.
Mombassa Sam-Sam Beejus Flower laRue: a real once-in-a-lifetime dawg. (28 SEPTEMBER 2014)