So since I was right before.. lets make some picks...

So I know that some people are surprised by this new Obama presidency. At this point I'm thinking someone needs to update the world of spell-check because as I write this Obama has a dotted red line underneath. Anyway, I called it in 2004. Saw him speak at the DNC that year and said to myself, "Wow, why isn't he running for president?" Eventually, luck would have it, I would have my druthers. So I figured I'd make a few predictions, here is how I see the futures of The Pittsburgh Steelers, The Carolina Panthers, The Charlotte Bobcats, and The Penn State University Nittany Lions Football Team.

Lets start with my beloved Stillers, who are sitting at 6-2 after a week 6 bye. Coming off of a great win against the Skins on monday and facing the Colts at home today. I say we win today 31 - 17, propelling us to 7-2 and setting up 3 possible back to back to back home wins. Beating also the Chargers (week 11 @ PIT), and Bengals (week 12 @ PIT) at home, then hitting the road to lose to the Patriots (week 13), come home to beat-down a beat-up Cowboys (week 14) team. This is where it gets hairy, we will lose one of our last three games, probably to Baltimore (week 15), and then (whether or not anyone else has all season) beating Tennessee (week 16) and Cleveland (week 17 @ PIT) to end the season, but as I said it could be any of those three teams that hand us a loss, but mark my words we will not lose more than 1 of those final 3. Finishing the season at 12-4.

The "mighty" Carolina Panthers, just as the Steelers above, will also make the post-season. I placed my Panthers in quotes because I still don't buy the fact that they haven't just been lucky in half their games, but a win is a win is a win, and if you get enough of them you make it far. We take on the, never as scary as their fans, Oakland Raiders today, victorious! Panthers currently sit at 6-2 and look primed to (thats right I'm saying it here) win their next 6 games in a row bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang. Not too much to ask for knowing the next 6 games are set as Oakland, Detroit, Atlanta, Green Bay, Tampa Bay (Monday night game at home, will be close, but a Panthers victory), and Denver. However, (yes every silver lining has a touch of gray) we will lose our last two games which are both away first loss to the New York football Giants, and second and final regular season game will be a loss to the 'Aints of New Orleans. But, as I've put it here 12-4, do you see a theme developing?

Nittany Lions. I cannot believe you lost to Iowa, although it was your only difficult opponent, you will not lose again, you will beat Indiana and Michigan State pretty handily and go on to beat whomever the BCS chooses as your opponent in whatever Bowl Game you get placed into. One loss isn't that bad, maybe now Joe Pa can retire with pride, but still watch all the games from the press box and still be revered as a football god.

Bobcats. Well, lets say its just a touch too early for me to call this. They could still pull it out and make the playoffs, they NEED to make the playoffs, they have a new coach, but I just cannot call it, its like saying that Sox are going to win the Series next year, you just can't say. As MSNBC would say the Bobcats are too early to call.

So thats what I think, looks solid, as for the post-season results, stay tuned.

If you called my dog a dingo... you were probably right.

I remember it as if it were yesterday.

I thought we were going to LOOK for dogs, but no, Erin had other ideas. In her mind, we were going to GET a dog. Not just any dog, but THE dog, and it had to be a puppy. Boy was it ever a puppy. She was about 4lbs, wrinkles all over, big floppy ears, big knobby paws, and tons of energy. She had fresh stitches on her undercarriage from being spade (which now pisses me off, but what can you do), a fresh tattoo, and a few worms, but other than that she was 100% tough.

Leila Jane sitting on Erin's lap the day we brought her home.

We named her Leila Jane, after the Clapton song, and figured Jane was a good middle name to use, just kind of came together. They told us she was a Chinese Sharpei, Boxer mix, and that she would get to about 35-40 lbs. At six months she was 40 lbs. She continued to grow, but she was always well-behaved, even for being confined to an urban apartment at first and now an even smaller duplex (although I must admit she loves to run the stairs, but with her long legs and muscular frame she only hits about 4 on the way up). She rarely messed inside, and if she did we knew she was sick. She played rough, but thats probably a combination of her size, my constant roughhousing with her and the fact that her best bud in Charlotte was Tanner, my buddy's Pit Bull.

She is now about 19 months old, and weighs in around 70lbs, she is still gentle, very intelligent, loving, and at times a bit weird. Weird, yeah, my dog... hunts dogs, and cats, and birds, and squirrells, and snipes (not really, I told you she was intelligent, she doesn't fall for the "snipe hunt" as quickly as a pledge). You ask, "what do you mean by 'hunt' Shawn"?" Well happy you asked, she gets down low, crouching to about half her normal height, her steps are slow and deliberately placed, eyes fixed on her prey, and just as she senses her timing is perfect, she leaps towards the prey accelerating to almost max speed within fractions of a second, and usually pulling my arm from my shoulder. A funny picture illustrating the end result of Leila's hunting prowess is below. The short of the story is that Leila got into "hunt mode" as she was exiting the house, she chased a kitten around the house behind us to our neighbors back porch. Once I caught up, this is what greeted me.Thank God for picture phones.

At this point if I were you (thank God I'm not, just kidding you seem like a great human), I'd be asking "What does this have to do with the title?" Well essentially this is all pointing to the fact that we cannot for the life of us figure out what type of dog she is. That is until the other day, I was at a friend's house up the road a spell, and his roommate's dog look just like Leila, well just like Leila plus like 30 lbs. After questioning the roommate about his dog I was told he was part American Dingo, also known as Carolina Dog. I had never heard of the breed, nor had I ever seen a Carolina Dog before, so I got home and gots to some reading.

You can click on the title of this article and Wikipedia will break it on down for you like you know they would. Essentially Carolina Dogs are thought to be the original dogs in this part of North America (what part? why the best part, the south east). Its believed that these are the ancestors of Korean dogs, who crossed the Bering land bridge with some of the first (who knows right? I wasn't here) humans to step foot on this beautiful continent, they lived here, side by side with Native Americans, as a type of Pariah dog, communal, a great hunting partner, and obviously a strong breed, as I have one of them using a pillow on my couch right now.

My research proved exciting as each and every bit of Carolina Dog filled my head. She fit EVERY single characteristic, she no longer looked like a Boxer German-Shepherd mutt, or a Sharpei mix, no, she was some sort of mutt with Carolina Dog, if not 100% Carolina Dog. Its a fascinating history these dogs have, still living wild in the lowcountry and swamps of the Carolinas and Georgia. Still living alongside humans thousands of years later, truly man's best friend.

Below I have put a couple of pictures so you can see what I mean as far as the visual similarities between Leila Jane and prime examples of American Dingos/Carolina Dogs. The personality profiles I read were also remarkably similar, and anyone knowing Leila can attest to the fact that she acts a bit unlike most other dogs.

Thanks for reading. Here's some comparison photos.Leila and Erin on the Beach.

Leila (8 mos) sitting on the couch.

Carolina Dogs. (above and below)

Check out more Carolina Dogs/American Dingos by simply performing a Google image search.