Crunkles the Dog

We knew that sooner or later our habit of spontaneously renaming strange dogs on the street would get us in trouble.  It finally happened yesterday.  We were coming home from work when a couple approached with a fine example of man's best friend, a rotund border collie mix with stick legs and a long beak, by their side. 

"Hello Crunkles!" we called to the dog, which we'd never seen before.  Instead of giving us a smile, the man frowned and barked, "His name isn't Crunkles."

What a guy grumpus! Of course this was a Crunkles, a Crunkles down to the bone.  A dog can only have one name, and this dog's name was Crunkles or our name was Willis D. McGillicutty.

"Have a good day, Crunkles," we said, passing.

"His name is Buttercup!" shouted the man, actually outraged.  If you ask us it's the dog who should have been outraged, to be stuck with a moniker like Buttercup when his true name was none other than Crunkles.

"Fight the power, Crunkles!" we called, the couple now to our backside.  "Buttercup!" shouted the man again.  "Crunkles!" we repeated over our shoulder.  "We served with that dog in the 'Nam and his name was Crunkles!"

For his part, the dog seemed unconcerned by the whole affair.  He knew his name was Crunkles, but he also knew who put the food in his bowl, and if that person wanted to call him Buttercup, well so be it.  He would be Buttercup. 

But he knew who he really was.  And we're sure he was appreciative of the fact that at least one other human knew it too. 

Comments

[Jeffers]

Yea Crunkles!

[gillian]

Crunkles, that's a name if ever there was one.

[Jan Martin Löhndorf]

Sounds like some semi-doubtful person from a Charles Dickens-novel. ("Now, Crunkles, let's have another glass o' toddy ... as for our old friend, that Mr. Doorite, ..,")