Singer’s real-life story could be a country hit

Staples of a good country music song: heartbreak (good and bad), alcohol (good and bad), farm equipment, mamas, wives and girlfriends — and dogs.

You’ve got your classics: Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog,” Stonewall Jackson’s “Me and You and a Dog Named Boo,” Tom T. Hall’s “Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine” and “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?”

Then the newer versions: Pirates of the Mississippi’s “Feed Jake,” Blake Shelton’s “Ol Red” and Toby Keith’s “Big Dog Daddy,” although I don’t think that’s really about a dog.

When it comes to country dog songs of the future, we might have to put Tracy Lawrence on that list because his beloved 2-year-old English bulldog was stolen this week.

When Tracy Lawrence was at JD Legends in Franklin last September, he was accompanied by his crew, managers and a chubby little pup named “Tank.”

I kept trying to pin him down for a picture, but Tank was too interested in meeting everyone else.

Tracy was clearly enamored with the little guy, giving his head a scratch before he went on stage.

He had told me the bulldog had been a Father’s Day gift.

Last week, that beloved dog went missing.

According to Tracy’s website, he had stopped by a Walgreen’s just outside Nashville on Tuesday night to pick up some batteries.

Tank was riding shotgun, having just come from the groomer’s, and not wearing a collar or tags.

You know that famous line “I was only gone two seconds?”

When Tracy returned to his pick-up, he found it empty. Someone had taken his beloved four-legged baby.

Tracy put up a $1,000 reward for information leading to Tank’s return.

In a very rare happy ending for a country song, Tank was found Thursday afternoon.

Tracy’s not sure if Tank was actually taken or if he simply jumped out of the truck.

But all’s well that ends well.

I can just picture Tracy Lawrence’s next release, “Lock Up the Truck or Dog’s Gone!”

It’s got No. 1 written all over it.

Contact Nancy Wilson, a morning-radio personality at WHKO-FM (K99.1), by e-mail through the website at k99online.com.

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