A dog named Notso

The XO of Marine Aircraft Group 11 had a bulldog named Notso. His last name was Bright.

One year for the Marine Corps Ball, one of our august officers volunteered for duty the day of the Ball so that he would not have to attend. The Commanding Officer took exception to this and looked for someone else to take the duty. Since I would have had to go to the Ball alone, I volunteered and was approved.

I arrived for duty early, received my pass down, and settled in for the evening. The XO arrived shortly thereafter and after making a quick walk through the headquarters, stopped by the duty hut. He had his dog with him. He explained that part of the duty was watching the dog. Okay, no problem at all, I like dogs. He also noted to always keep him on his leash so he didn’t run off. I looked at this overweight bulldog who was getting on in years. I figured he must have emphasized that for a reason.

Duty is boring. The TV was low rent and there was no cable. We watched old leftover movies. It was grim. I took the dog out every hour just to stretch my legs. Well, the first time I took Notso for a walk, dutifully leashed, we went about 38 feet at a snail’s pace and then he looked at me like he was exhausted and wanted to go back into the building. After that, we didn’t bother with the leash. Maybe the XO had an idealized view of his dog as the next Rin Tin Tin, or more likely, he had a great laugh at my expense.