Dodger the Basset Hound

Died 1995 - Deweese, Nebraska

Dodger was an abandoned, hungry pup when he wandered into the small town of Deweese.

He had the good fortune to make his first stop at Virgil Brotman's house, the chairman of the Deweese Community Club and a sucker for orphan puppies. Dodger quickly got a name, a bellyful of food, and an appointment as official town mascot.

Dodger had the run of Deweese for the next five years, bumming food from nearly every home and business, getting fat. Then one winter morning in 1995, Dodger's body was found floating in the town's sewer lagoon. An autopsy was ordered; a bb pellet was found in Dodger's body. Was this an old wound, or was it evidence of foul play? Although Dodger was mourned, the nagging questions surrounding his death were never answered.

Dodger was buried with honors next to the Community Center basketball court, his grave marked by a two-foot-tall stone with his picture on it.

But, perhaps revealingly, Deweese has been in no hurry to adopt a new mascot.

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