Type "sounder" into Google and the first thing that pops up is a reference to a 1969 book about the story of a young African-American boy living with his sharecropper's family.
The reason the book is called "Sounder" is because that happens to be the name of the only character in the entire book that has a name - the family dog.
As the story goes, the dog that was thought to have been dead or missing is discovered again and a whole bunch of other things happen to the dog throughout the story. Don't worry, I won't spoil it for you - read the book.
All of this information is relevant because of the news that Howe Sound Secondary School (HSSS) is looking for some sort of new mascot to represent the school's sports teams, which are known as the Sounders.
Why not a dog?
It's nearly impossible to go anywhere in Squamish without encountering several dozen dogs. Small dogs, big dogs, fat dogs, dogs not on leashes and, of course, you'll find all sorts of variations of the presents they leave behind for us on the sidewalks, fields and parking lots of our town.
It almost causes you to become an outcast by admitting to not owning a hound. I recall hearing gasps when I told friends and neighbours that I don't have one of the creatures.
It's not that I don't like dogs. They're nice, but just not for me right now. Dogs need space and room to roam and I think any dog owned by a male living on his own in a basement suite who's rarely home would be miserable.
A sounder is also known as a group of wild boars or domestic pigs foraging in woodland, an image that I don't think is all that intimidating. What would the logo be? A trough?
Other suggestions from the students included a bear, a killer whale or a flaming unicorn. I like flaming unicorns probably about as much as the next guy, but I don't see the connection between a fiery, mythical beast and a sounder.
Of course, there's also the fact that a sounder can refer to a device that transmits a signal and uses the signal to measure characteristics of an object. That explanation almost put me to sleep, so I'm going to have to pass on that suggestion, too.
It's really simple - the only reasonable choice for a mascot or logo is a dog. It gives the nod to a well-respected piece of literature, represents Squamish and is easily identifiable for fans.
We could even encourage fans to bring their dogs to football or basketball games to show their support to the teams.
Just imagine the potential economic spike in biodegradable doggy poop bags alone
