Every Dog Has Its Day

The new dog on the block and the park outcast become fast friends

The big red truck rolled to a stop at our new house and My Boy and I jumped out.  “Come on, Jack!” he shouted, “Let’s find a park!” I took off, my shiny collar jingling as I ran.  There were three dogs in the park and I wasn’t shy.  The first was a pretty dog named Chelsea.  She had some rope as a collar.  The second was Rex.  He was really little and REALLY loud with a spikey collar.  The third was King, big and handsome with a huge golden collar!

We had fun chasing sticks and squirrels while Rex chased his tail…and of course, sniffing each other’s butts!

Suddenly, I sniffed a sniff I’ve never sniffed before.  I plugged my nose with my paws it smelled so bad!  “Guys!”  I said, “What STINKS?”

“Mutt!”  said Chelsea.

“MUTT?!wherewherewhere?”  yipped Rex, “LetsgethimGETHIM!!!”

“Who’s Mutt?” I said.

“A dog that doesn’t belong here,” said King’s deep voice.  “He has no family, no owner, and no collar.  He’s got to go.”  King took off.

“Coming?” Chelsea barked.

“I…I guess…” I said.  We followed our noses to a garbage can with a dirty tail poking out.  King barked in his deepest voice, “MUTT!”

There was a yelp from the can and a dog shot out.  He had brown ears, a dirty white coat, and he STANK!

“You know the rules,” growled King.  “OWNED DOGS ONLY.”  Mutt’s ears sagged.  I felt bad for him.  Didn’t King know if he had no family he’d be just like Mutt?

“Get him!” barked Chelsea.  Mutt ran so fast his stink had to catch up to him.  We followed him to a forest, and running through the bushes, my collar got caught and snapped right off!  Mutt gave us the slip.  “WeweweLOSTHIM!” yapped Rex.

“Just wait for the smell to come back,” said King.  And then…

A branch ‘crrrracked’.  “That mutts around here somewhere…” grunted a nasty human voice.  King, Chelsea, and Rex ran like the wind.  I was wondering why they ran when something tight slipped round my neck!

“HAHAHA! I gotcha now you mangy mutt!” I turned and saw a mean looking man in a shirt that said “DOG POUND.”  He thinks I’m a stray because my collar fell off!  He dragged me to a big van with “DOG POUND” painted on it.  I started to bark, I didn’t belong in the pound!  “SHUT UP YOU-OOOOHHHHWHEEWIEEE” The dog catcher shouted.  Then I smelt it.  That smelly smell.

Mutt.

He ran at the dog catcher, jumped in his arms and huffed a big blast of dog breath right in his face!  The Dog Catcher’s hair stood out from his head as Mutt’s stink swirled up his nose.  CRASH!  The Dog Catcher fell like a tree, knocked out cold.  Mutt pulled the noose off my neck.

“I hope he didn’t hurt you…” he said, scratching his ear.

I stared in amazement. He still saved me after we had chased him out of the park!  “Mutt…I…”

“Aw, it was nothing.” Mutt said, his tail wagging.

Just then I heard My Boy’s whistle.

“I gotta go…” I said.

“Oh…ok…well, see you around then…” Mutt said, tail and ears drooping.  He ran away.

My doggy heart was breaking.  “Mutt! Wait up!”  I took off after him.

“Would you like to live with us?!” I asked, my tail wagging.

“Oh, gee…Humans don’t like me much…” Mutt said.

“Mine are different! They’ll love you!”

Then Mutt’s tail started to wag, and I don’t think it’s stopped wagging since.