Travels with AJ Meets Travels with Charlie

I'm sure a lot of you out in Geneva Patchland are big Steinbeck fans, as I am.

So you're probably familiar with Travels with Charley, which is Steinbeck's "On the Road" with your basic French poodle, Charley. John Steinbeck might be America's greatest novelist. We can debate that some other time. But he's a guy you can't help but admire, being a writer nearly on my level, and a dog-lover to boot.

"Travels with AJ" is a little tip of the floppy ears in Steinbeck's direction.

And so, with all of that backstory, you can well imagine my inclination to like a dog named Charlie. 

I met him at DePaw University, where he's staying for now. He's a 45-pound neutered male. They're calling him a Beagle or hound mix. ("Finestkind," is what I say ... Name that novel.)

Charlie is housebroken and friendly with people. He doesn’t do well with dominant males. He is very sweet and he looks a lot like me, only brown all over—a very handsome guy. He is up-to-date on shots, taking heartworm medicine on the first of each month and appears to me to be darned healthy.

DePaw employees take the dogs home periodically—and especially during the holidays—to keep them acclimated to a home atmosphere and, of course, to spoil them.

If you're interested in adopting Charlie—or or —visit info@depawk9campus.com or call 630-232-8663.

Steinbeck traveled 10,000 miles to write Travels with Charley—from Long Island to California and back again. Your adventure can start with a visit to a place of higher learning—, 100 S. Glengarry Dr., Geneva, IL 60134.