RIN TIN TIN

In 1918 a World War I soldier found a German Shepherd puppy in a bombed out animal shelter in France. The soldier brought the puppy back to the U.S. with him, named it RIN TIN TIN, and raised it to maturity.

After a degree of training, Rin Tin Tin was used in various movies. At the peak of the dog's popularity, the studios received as many as 10,000 letters per day addressed to the canine star.

The bloodline of Rin Tin Tin continues to this day. On June 23, 2007, the latest "heir" to this legacy was born.

All this to say that the only dog in my life that belonged to only me was named Rin Tin Tin. The name was inspired by the dog I watched on our black/white television on the Rin Tin Tin show . I called him "Rinty", but we both knew his full moniker.

I don't remember how long Rinty lived, but he was my faithful companion for his entire life. If I rode my bicycle all day, Rinty never, ever stopped running behind me. If I went swimming in the creek, Rinty went swimming in the creek. At the same time, if any other dog tried to pay me too much attention, they were in for a butt whippin' from Rinty.

Rinty never asked anything of me except my companionship and scraps from our dining table. I suspicion he hunted a bit on his own because we mostly ate every "scrap" that was put on the table.

I guess there are a variety of reasons that I never had another dog, but if I am destined to only have one in my life, I'm grateful for my memories of Rin Tin Tin.