NAME THAT DOG!

I thought about calling him Zoom, after my favorite drink.

Then I thought about naming him Chunks, since he looked kind of like a meatloaf with legs.

Or maybe Mutt, I thought. Because he was definitely one of those.

Or Steve, because how many people have a dog named Steve?

But I just couldn’t decide.

“Maybe you have to get to know him a little bit first,” Mom said. “How about we all go for a nice walk?”

She even had the leash and a plastic bag all ready to go. A few seconds later, we were out the door and headed for the park.

This was going to be AWESOME! Maybe I didn’t have a name for him yet, but I could tell he was going to be a great dog. And I was going to be a great dog-dad, or whatever you call it. I’d take him to the park every day. I’d take him to the woods. I’d take him everywhere. Someday, I’d have my driver’s license and we’d really get to travel. Maybe start with the Grand Canyon, then a quick stop in Las Vegas on our way to Hollywood, Calif—

“RAFE!” Georgia yelled somewhere behind me.

When I turned around, Mom, Grandma Dotty, and Georgia were all standing there, looking at something on the ground.

“Use the plastic bag!” Georgia said. “That’s what it’s for.”

And I thought, Oh, right. That too.

But even that wasn’t so bad. You just have to breathe through your mouth when you pick it up. Then it’s hardly gross at all. Warm? Yeah. Soft? Only if you grab it too hard.

I’m just saying—if you have a dog that you love, it’s totally worth it.

Once we got to the park, there was a big open place where I could let him off the leash to run.

And you know what? That little meatloaf was fast. Those four dog-sized legs of his were just as good as my two human-sized ones, plus a little bit more. I could barely keep up. By the time we got back to Mom, Georgia, and Grandma, I was about ready to throw up a lung.

“That was quick,” Georgia said. “I guess what he doesn’t have in brains he makes up for in speed.”

Just like me, I thought. In fact, it kind of seemed like that dog and I were made for each other. Like he was just a small, four-legged version of me.

And that’s when I finally figured out what his name should be.

Everyone, say hello to Junior, the best, not-quite-smartest, almost-fastest dog a kid could ever hope for.