A mutt’s best friend

Like clockwork, Tyler Hall wakes up each morning to a face-licking from his dog, Kingsley, at about 6:30 a.m. And from there, he and Kingsley start their daily routines as man and BFF — “best furry friend.”

“I don’t even need an alarm clock,” said Hall.

When dogs lap up water, they don’t cup their tongue and lift it in, they curl it backward while quickly pulling it out of the water, which splashes the liquid into their mouth.

Then the duo eats some eggs — Hall makes his over easy, but Kingsley prefers scrambled.

“He goes crazy for bacon grease,” Hall says. “I’ll pour it over the top of his food.”

The dog might not like runny eggs, but going for a run is another matter.

“He’s pretty spoiled,” says Hall. “I take him for at least two or three walks a day. Every morning and then again when I get home.”

Kingsley will be 2 years old this month. Hall isn’t sure how they will celebrate, but last year will be tough to beat. Hall baked a dog-bone-shaped cake.

“No candles, though,” Hall assures. “Mixing Kingsley and fire isn’t a good idea.”

Hall rescued Kingsley as a puppy from a modern day pound (or kill shelter), and it was love at first pant.

“He was a cute little guy, and then he turned into a giant moose,” Hall says.

Patriots for Pets in Mason City, where Kingsley was rescued from, is akin to an underground railroad for canines.

“In San Antonio, they euthanize 1,500 dogs per month,” explains Hall. “So every two months, Patriots for Pets will drive down, fill the van with as many dogs as the code will allow and bring them all back.”

Kingsley is one of the refugees.

“I’ve always been a fan of big dogs,” he said. “Big slobbery dogs. Mutts seem to be friendlier.”

The other dogs at the park seem to agree. Kingsley is popular and easily makes friends.

“Whatever goes on at the dog park, stays at the dog park,” laughs Hall. “Chase dogs or be chased, that’s his favorite thing to do.”

Kingsley was a puppy. Now he’s a bigger puppy. And Tyler Hall’s love of his mutt has only grown greater. He saw the little puppy in the modern day pound, and it was love at first pant. “He was a cute little guy, and then he turned into a giant moose.”

Kingsley has been trained to do some tricks.

“He’ll sit, stay, lay down and fetch,” Hall said, and he also likes to dig holes in the sand at the beach.

But he doesn’t always obey, including when he’s told to roll over.

“Noooo… he doesn’t do that yet,” Hall said. “When he’s in trouble, I say, ‘Kingsley James!’ That’s how he knows. Then he puts his tail in between his legs.”

But it’s good to be Kingsley. The mutt rarely hears his middle name, and his biggest worry is how long he’ll have to wait to see his best friend return each day for a run. For Hall and Kingsley, that old cliché rings true — a dog is a man’s best friend.

“There is something to be said about that,” he said. “It’s honestly true.”