My first dog was a standard dachshund named Drawstring. I got him when I was four years old.

My brother ... who was much older than I was ... told one of his friends, "If you ever come across a good dog, let me know, I'd like to get a dog for Shanna." So, his friend comes over one day, with this six week old puppy in his shirt pocket. My brother said, "Ummm, no. I meant a German shepherd or something like that." About that time, I came into the room and saw the puppy and it was all over.

He got his name because my mom had one of those ugly 70's doorstops .... a soda pop bottle filled with sand, with a crocheted poodle body around it. (Remember those? Eeek!) Anyway, the poodle's head was held onto the bottle with a drawstring, and I asked her what it was called. When she told me, I said, "That's what I want to name the puppy." Who knows ... I was four years old!