Tuesday, June 2, 2009

A Fictional Dog No One Else Mentions

It seems to me that there ought to be a mention of every fictional dog and cat. We have Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, Morris the Cat.

I've been reading a book, "The Lead Disk," by LeRoy W. Snell, from 1934, published by Cupples & Leon Co. It's an adventure story for boys about a guy who goes to be a Canadian mounted police officer, and follows the travails he has in the wild. And there's lot of travails. You'd almost think being in the Canadian wilderness back then would be a lonely place. But not in the book.

There's an Indian character in the book who has a dog who's like a cross between a wolf and a dog, a very fearsome (but loyal and good -- good to the right people) animal.

And here is his name -- the only mention on the internet insofar as I've been able to locate it -- are you ready? -- It's Me-tah-nic. Pretty good, huh? And his Indian master's name is Lone Walker. The hero's name in the book is Tom Haley.