Homeless military veteran.
And it's accurate as far as labels go.
But he spent years as a different persona, a mountain man living off the land. For three decades, he says, he walked the West, trailed by his two donkeys. In 2004, the newspaper in Big Bear, Calif., wrote about the mountain man who lived in his tent and treated himself with an occasional trip to the grocery store.
When his donkeys passed away and his knees began to ache, Reed bought a battered 1975 Ford F100, built a camper shell, and painted the whole thing camouflage.
Arizona was his home, summering near Flagstaff, wintering in Lake Havasu City (where he rents a mailbox at a UPS store), moving among campgrounds that welcome visitors.
It was on one of his occasional trips three years ago when Reed ran into an acquaintance in Washington who owed him money. The man offered Reed a choice: cash or a dog.
"The dog," Reed says now, recalling the moment he laid eyes on the puppy he would call Timber. "A dog lasts longer than money."
Adjustments had to be made. He glued a Big Gulp cup to the floorboard for a water bowl. Some of his military pension went to canine maintenance, including food, leashes, a collar and the occasional vet visit.
Just about every day they would venture out with Timber on a 6-foot leash -- the "walkin' leash" -- or the dog could roam on his 50-foot tether -- the "explorin' leash."
In the evening Timber would relax under Reed's mattress, propped on a makeshift platform. And when Reed crawled into bed, Timber jumped in beside him.
But Reed's favorite moments came when he pulled the keys from his pocket and Timber danced at his feet waiting for those magic words: "Wanna go for a ride?"
A man traveling solo in a camouflage truck can be intimidating. But a man in a camouflage truck playing with a handsome dog can be welcoming.
So in April, as Reed camped outside Ash Fork, west of Flagstaff, a woman camping nearby approached and introduced herself and her two dogs.
They talked about a shared love of the road. In April, Reed thought it was only a chance meeting.
Sue Rogers is a cautious traveler. Since April 2011, when she sold her home in Georgia and bought a 17-foot trailer just large enough for her and her dogs, Spike and Badger, the 60-something hit the road and hasn't looked back.
She prefers a solitary life, noting that on her blog at rvsueandcrew.com.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2012/08/31/20120831lone-wolf-his-lost-dog-internet-miracle.html#ixzz25tQPALv3
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