That time of year.

I want a dog.
I am constantly in want of a dog.
Until my brother revived the practice of pet ownership a few weeks ago, my family had given up on them altogether. In the 80's we had Ben. He was a Dachsund mutt that everyone loved. He got old and ran away to die. We reasoned such because he loved us so much that he couldn't stand to suffer in our presence. Like an elderly eskimo pushing himself out to sea on a floating ice tomb. For all we know he could have been stolen and sold on the Dachsund mutt black market. After Ben came Abby, I think. She was a Cocker Spaniel and as high strung and crazy as she was pretty. She was a picture dog. That is, the kind of dog you take your picture with. "Hey, get Abby in the picture." And you'd try and try but she was running back and forth with reckless abandon all over the place. We gave her away because she had this crazy look in her eye. I don't know, I was young. Then we had Herschel and he was beautiful but never made it to his formative years. I think mom backed over him in the car and it broke our hearts. I don't know what kind of dog he was but he was small. We Blackney's have always been suckers for the diminutive breeds. After Herschel we were petless for years, our hearts had grown cold. Then, Mom or Dad (I don't recall which) smoked some crack and got two dogs. Miniature something or others. It really happened out of nowhere. They were twins. Brothers actually. That sounds a little odd, twin dogs, but still, entirely true. Caeser and I can't remember. The twins answered the call of the wild one winter or some other season and ran off into the woods. Weeks later only Caeser returned. Either Caeser couldn't coax I can't remember to come home or he was stolen and sold on the unidentified breed black market. Caesar went to Florida we think. Smart money is on Caesar in some retirement village in West Palm Beach.
So, we've been dogless for some time now. But this time every year I get my hopes up. Mom and Dad are gonna get a new dog. Why?
Ever since I can remeber, pre-kindergarten, my father has been a faithful viewer of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. It is intoxicating. We could watch it for hours, which is proper because it is on for hours. And tonight, Best In Show is to be awarded just before 11 P.M. EST on USA, which by the way is the only thing that network is good for. You can rest assured my father will be watching, and I'll be praying.
For a chocolate lab.
Incidentaly, America's favorite breed, the Labrador Retriever, has never won Best In Show.
Maybe tonight's the night.
Tune in to find out. The pomp and circumstance begin at 8.