How I Became a Military Dog

My name is Tucker Pants Bernard. I'm a military dog. My mom got me during her last semester of college at North Carolina State University.  My mom's a meteorologist in the Air Force. College was fun, but then my mom graduated and got commissioned. And then, she got stationed overseas in Germany. The next thing I know, I'm in the car driving up to NJ to grandma's house.  My grandma's okay, but I was a little confused at first. Where was my mom? Where was my home?

My mom didn't have any housing when she first got overseas. She didn't know what to do with me! So, the best thing for me was to go to grandma's house until she got settled. It's hard to start a new job, set up a new house and get used to a new culture--take it from me!

 My grandma lives in New Jersey. I lived with her and my uncle, Eric, for most of my first year. She taught me how to go outside to...well..you know...instead of doing that inside. Grandma says I almost gave her a heart attack a half dozen times! There was the time I hid behind the bathroom hamper and didn't come when she called me. I was really small then and I could fit back there. She called the police and they looked all over and couldn't find me! When I came out, after my nap, she hugged me so tight I thought I was going to get squeezed! And there was the time I ate the bushes in the front yard, then threw up all over the house. Grandma had to take me to the doggie emergency room--at 11 pm! She didn't seem that happy about that (or the bill)! And I ran out the front door about a zillion times, making grandma chase me down the block. For a grandma, she's pretty fast!

Anyway, one day, my grandma started packing a suitcase. I know what suitcases mean. I've seen them before. My mom had suitcases out when she was getting ready to go to Germany. I watched my grandma, following her in and out of rooms, sniffing everything she put in the suitcase. Then, she pulled out another kind of suitcase. It was kind of like a long cube with zippers. She put me inside of it! I'm not going to lie--I hated it! But one day, she put me in my carrier (I figured out that was the cube suitcase was!) and I got to go with her to the airport! (She sometimes brought me to work, but she never took me with her on trips!) It was exciting, but also kind of scary. We went to the airport, which was really big! People were really nice to me there. (People say I'm cute, but I don't see it. Tough and intimidating, yeah. But cute?) The Luftansa people were really, really nice. After the plane took off, they could tell I was kind of scared, so they let me sit on grandma's lap instead of making me stay inside that zipper bag under the seat in front of us...as long as I behaved, which was easy to do because I was scared to death! (My first plane ride!)

By the time I got to Germany, I had to pee so badly! And all of a sudden, I saw my mom!! I was so excited, I jumped in her arms and licked her face all over!
I got to sit in the front seat (on grandma's lap) and look outside the window! Germany was beautiful! My new house was beautiful! It was a two story apartment with my own bedroom!!! (But I chose to sleep on mom's bed). And best of all, I had my own back yard! Oh, yeah!! I didn't realize it yet, but I was a military brat. That was the beginning of my travels!

Me playing the "stick" toy grandma bought me when I was
living with her in NJ. 

Me playing the "blankie" game in my new home in Germany!

Me chilling on my new sofa in my new home in Germany!