Anyone who knows me knows that I love to talk about my dog, Scooby. We've been best buds for a little more than two years now, ever since I adopted him from the Animal Rescue League in Des Moines. He's 100 pounds of pure fun.
For this week's On the Street, I asked people what breed of dog was their favorite at a dog show at the Linn County Fair. I tell people that Scooby is part Lab and part Great Dane, although I'm not 100 percent sure. The previous owner said he was a Lab/Collie mix, but I wasn't buying it. I haven't seen any Labs or Collies that come up to my dinner table.
If you've seen the TV show Scooby Doo, you know generally what my dog looks like. But instead of pointy ears, he has floppy ones that tend to be inside out when he runs.
Scoobs, as I call him when he's not in trouble, loves to be off his leash and running wild, which is why I'm glad Cedar Rapids has a dog park. Most of the time, he's cooped up with me in a one-bedroom apartment, and that's not the best scenario.
If you give Scooby the opportunity, he will cuddle up to you, as if he's about one-fifth his size. He wouldn't harm a soul, but he might just lick you to death if you let him. Nothing gets him too rattled - he handles fireworks and thunderstorms just fine.
At three years old, the only things he seems afraid of are cell phones and tape measures. Don't ask me why, but it's all part of what makes Scooby unique. And, in my opinion, the best dog in the world.