I think every child needs a dog. I was fortunate that my parents felt the same way. My dog was Adam. Adam was a beagle mix. Beagles are known for their energy and their bark. Both are limitless.
I have many fond memories of him. As a youngster I lived out in the country and inherited a paper route from my older brother Bob. A country paper route covered more miles than papers because everyone lived so far apart. I mounted my bike every afternoon at three with baskets full of newspapers. The route covered many miles and many dogs who felt it their duty to nip at the legs of the trusted carrier. My secret weapon was Adam. What he lacked in size he made up for with the typical beagle traits of bark and energy. He never got into a fight but made sure that the biting dogs stayed away. I never figured out how he learned it but there was a stretch of several miles with no houses and a very winding road. He found a shortcut through the woods and would be waiting for me at the side of the road as I rounded the final bend.
I don’t want you to get the mistaken impression that Adam was all about valor. He had a mischievous side as well. We had an English woman that lived nearby. She was quite a baker and used to put pies out to cool on her back porch. One afternoon she came over and told my Mom that a wild animal ate her pumpkin pie while it was cooling. We thought nothing of it; after all we did live out in the country. That evening we were sitting in our family room watching television. Adam was sleeping in the room and happened to burp in his sleep. The entire room filled with the odor of pumpkin. We let our neighbor continue to think it was a wild animal that got her pie.
He was also quite a romantic. I doubt the local government would do it these days but it wasn’t unusual to have the sheriff show up at our door with Adam in his car. If there was a female dog in heat within ten miles he felt it was his duty to camp out in the front yard and court the young lady with the baying that can only be a beagle’s. I am sure the young dogs were flattered but the owner just wanted the noise to go away.
Adam was my constant companion until I left for college and my parents and younger brothers continued to enjoy him for many years. It is truly great to be a kid with a dog.