RUN BOY, RUN!
Copyright
2005 Jarad Henry
Everyone knew he was a champion. You could tell by the
gold medallions that glistened around his leather collar. If that wasn’t enough, there was
the cheering from the crowd as he circled the judging ring. The humans all clapped, whistled and
called his name. It was music to
his ears. Zeus knew he’d won
even before they had announced his name, just as he had last year, and the year
before that. It was to be a record,
Bossdog said. The first time a Staffordshire Bull Terrier had taken out the
coveted ‘Most Popular Dog’ contest three years running.
Not everyone was thrilled with Zeus’s
success, though, especially the runner-ups in the Poodle Team. But Zeus
didn’t care. He even gave them a little smile as he waltzed by on his lap
of honour. At the winner’s
post, he glanced up at Bossdog and felt an internal warmth. He and Bossdog were
best of mates. Pleasing him was everything.
While the cameras snapped, Zeus poised atop a
wooden box covered in blue ribbon, this year’s first prize medallion
draped around his neck. Keeping his
chiselled jaw firm and square, he held his head up and pouted for the
photographers. His coat was
midnight black, glossed and sleek, a perfectly symmetrical white cross on his
muscular chest. Bossdog said the cross resembled a divine holiness greater than
God himself, whatever that meant. Apparently he was even named after a God.
Yet Zeus knew being good looking wasn’t all
that mattered when it came to the high stakes. Sure, some dogs had been rubbed
out for having crooked teeth, and even though Staffies were, by nature, a
ridiculously good looking breed, there were other factors. Above all was
confidence, and confidence was most obvious in the way you walked. Well, it
wasn’t really a walk. The judges called it a prance, but Zeus
didn’t like that word. Staffies didn’t prance. Poodles
pranced. And Staffies didn’t really trot either. That was for really big
dogs like Horses. No, there was only one way to describe the way a
Staffy should carry oneself. The Strut. This required a certain focus,
coupled with a strong and assertive attitude. To achieve the perfect strut, you had to
remain rigid, keeping all your muscles tensed, so that you literally bounced
from step to step, your paw nails gently skimming the ground. Many of the
others in the Staffy crew had tried to mimic him – he had even tried to
teach some of the young pups – but none carried it with as much ease and
grace as Zeus. It was this, Bossdog
said, that kept him above the rest.
Soon it was time for the audit check, an
opportunity for the runner up team to ensure the winner’s measurements
matched what was on the competition entry. Apparently a Rottweiler was once
disqualified because her tail was shorter than what they had on the entry
forms. That was five years ago, a
year before Zeus was even born.
Zeus said goodbye to Bossdog and followed the official through the arena
to the rear grooming rooms. Humans
he recognised as friends of Bossdog’s shouted comments like “At a
boy Zeusy!” and “On ya Zeus-a!” as he passed. Zeus wagged his tail back at them then
cantered through a sliding door into a room with bright lights and a raised
bench in the middle. The official
closed the door, led Zeus up onto the bench and clipped his collar to a lead
connected to the wall so that he couldn’t move. Not that he would. Like he was going to
let a simple check-up spoil his hat-trick. As if!
When the handler left, an overweight woman in a tight
floral dress appeared. Zeus recognised her as Trudy Titan, head of the Poodle
Team. The losers, two years running.
Word amongst his own team was that she didn’t like Staffies even
being in the competition, let alone winning. Twice! She stepped through the door holding a
tape measure and clipboard. Mrs Titan grunted hello and began writing. Zeus
sniffed, smelled body odour. Being
a Staffy, smell wasn’t his strong point. Imagine being a hound dog, he
thought, someone with a long snout!
After a few minutes, she put the clipboard down
and stared at him, a pair of spectacles resting on the end of her nose. Zeus stared back for a moment then
looked away. The room fell silent and Zeus began to tremble. For some reason he felt as though he was
at the vet, only Bossdog was nowhere to be seen. He told himself to stay calm and that it
would all be over with soon, but something unnerved him. He felt his stomach begin to convulse
and soft weeps seeped out. He
caught himself half way through a wail, reminded himself that he couldn’t
cry. He had an image to protect.
Finally
she drew the tape and wrapped it around him, measuring his chest. ‘You
think you’re special, don’t you?’ she whispered in his
ear. Her breath was worse than her
underarms. Zeus tried to think of something fun like football or Frisbees.
‘You’re just a brut,’ she
said. ‘A dumb, thick-headed
Bull Terrier. You shouldn’t
even be in this competition. This competition is for cute, petite dogs like Poodles
and Dachshunds.’
Petite,
what does that mean? Zeus took a
quick breath, waited while she measured his tail, apparently annoyed that it
matched the figures on the entrance form.
‘Even Blue Heelers have more grace and
poise than you,’ Mrs Titan continued. ‘You’re not even a
smart breed. I bet you can’t even fetch a ball.’
‘I can so!’ Zeus protested.
‘Oh, shut up! I bet you can’t you shake hands
either.’
Reluctantly, Zeus lifted his paw to prove his
point. Immediately she grabbed it and slammed it down. ‘Sit still!’
Zeus grunted in frustration and decided she
wasn’t worth arguing with. Soon she was measuring his legs. He knew to keep extra still while she
checked his paws and nails. Lifting his left arm, she rubbed his paws, gently
tickling him. He hated this, even when Bossdog did it, and went to pull away.
‘I said, keep still, you little brut. If
you want me to stop, you can give your medal back. How about that?’
Closing his eyes, he waited while she completed
her tasks, certain she was deliberately taunting him. Then something bad
happened; she pinched his dew claw, really hard. Sharp pain splintered up his
arm and into his chest. A yelp
escaped his mouth. ‘Oh, shut
your mouth,’ she hissed. ‘You Staffies are nothing but sooks. You
act tough in front of other dogs but I know the truth. It’s ninety
percent bluff, ten percent tough.’
Zeus gritted his teeth, growled under his breath.
‘Just get on with it.’
‘What’s that? Are you growling at
me?’
Reaching her hand under his belly, Zeus
stiffened, knowing his stomach was ultra sensitive. Zeus prided himself on a
high pain threshold. He could tolerate kids pinching him, tugging his ears,
even yanking his tail, but his stomach was another story. And now her finger
nails were tracing a line across his skin.
‘What are you doing,’ he growled. ‘I’ve done
this before and you’re not supposed to touch me there.’
‘Don’t you growl at me, you wretched
little brut. How dare you!’
And just then she squeezed his skin hard and
tight. Zeus felt a bolt of pain he hadn’t felt since he was a pup and two
Golden Retrievers beat him up. He leapt to the side but the lead kept him on the
bench, Mrs Titan still squeezing. Instinctively he thrashed, snapping at her
arm, yanking it free. Mrs Titan let out a high-pitched wail and staggered back
as droplets of blood appeared on her arm. She opened the door and yelled for
help.
‘This savage little beast just attacked me!
Somebody help!’
Next thing, there was pandemonium. Dog handlers in red suits rushed to
carry her away, while competition officials surrounded him. Zeus began to cry,
yelping for Bossdog. They all yelled at him to sit, lay down. Zeus tried to run
but the lead kept him pinned.
‘Where’s Bossdog?’ he yelped,
trembling as he searched the crowd frantically for a familiar face.
Finally Bossdog barged through the officials and
rushed to him. His warm hands and familiar smell and voice had an instant
effect.
‘What happened?’ Bossdog asked the
officials.
‘He bit her,’ one said. ‘He
attacked Trudy Titan.’
‘No!’
Bossdog leant in lose, holding Zeus in his arms.
‘Look at me, Zeus. Look at me!’
Zeus turned his head, ashamed.
‘Look at me, mate!’
Unable to tell Bossdog what he needed to say,
Zeus looked up. ‘She hurt
me,’ he tried. ‘My stomach! She pinched me hard and she
wouldn’t stop. I had to!’
When Bossdog looked back at the officials, Zeus
knew he didn’t understand.
‘I don’t believe it. Zeus has never
bitten anyone,’ Bossdog snapped. ‘He doesn’t bite
humans.’
‘Oh yeah,’ shrieked a loud voice. It
was Mrs Titan. She held her arm to her chest. ‘How do you explain this,
then?’
She glared at Zeus, thrust a finger at him. ‘I want this mongrel put
down! Call the council and have him
taken away.’ She then turned
to the Judging Director. ‘And
I want him disqualified from the competition.’
There was a moment of silence in the crowded room
before she shouted at the officials, ‘Well, what are you waiting for?
Take this mongrel to the pound!’
Zeus didn’t need to ask Bossdog for
assistance, who promptly unclipped the restraining lead and ordered Zeus to
run! Leaping from the bench, he
darted between legs and arms, all seeming to jump out of his way, as if he was
a savage animal. Soon he was back
in the arena, running, looking for a way out.
‘This way, Zeus,’ he heard other
Staffies bark. ‘Over here!’
His Team mates directed him to a doorway then ran
to block the pursuing officials, some now equipped with sticks and nets. Bolting through the door, Zeus sprinted
to the outside oval but stopped when a four wheel drive skidded to a halt in
front of him. Four humans in green
uniforms leapt from the cabin and surrounded him, all holding sticks with
nooses on the ends. Dogs in the background began yelling out for him to
attack. ‘Bite! Bite!
Bite!’ they hollered, but Bossdog had always taught him never to attack a
human.
He searched for a gap to escape but there was
none. Unsure what to do, Zeus cowered, knowing his reputation as a tough Staffy
was now completely ruined. So was his career as a show dog. Bossdog would be
deeply ashamed. Finally he sank to
the ground as the humans rushed to him, capturing his head in their nooses. At
first he struggled, digging his claws into the ground, but the nooses only
tightened, choking him, making it hard to breathe. Eventually he gave up and let them drag
him to the back of the wagon. As
they opened the doors, Zeus heard Bossdog calling. He turned to see officials
holding Bossdog on the ground.
‘Don’t worry, Zeus. I’ll come
get you,’ he called out. ‘Everything will be all right. Just do as
they say.’
Zeus went to reply but was hoisted off the ground
and thrown into the cage. The doors
slammed shut, the engine revved and before he knew it, Zeus was watching the
showgrounds disappear through the meshed window. After a while he slumped on the cold
floor, resting his head on his paws, thinking things through. Why had Mrs Titan pinched him? Was it to
make him bite her, so that she could strip him off his title, thereby
crowning her Poodle the winner? And
what did she mean by taking him to the pound and having him put down? Zeus
wasn’t sure. He wasn’t good at these things, wasn’t smart
enough. If only he was a Boarder Collie or
Soon the wheels hit a dirt road and for a moment
the sound reminded him of the dirt tracks that lead to the beach. He sat up,
looking out the window but didn’t see any beach. Nonetheless, he had the feeling they
were getting close to wherever it was they were taking him. Tall trees rose into the sky on either
side, a cloud of dust left in their wake as they sped along the track. When the wagon slowed and turned into a
driveway, Zeus was even more confused. The smell of dogs drifted into the cage
as they opened the sliding window. Where am I, he wondered?
‘Now sit still!’ one of the humans
commanded. ‘You don’t want to cause any trouble here, get
it?’
That much he understood. When the door opened he cowered in the
corner, trying to stop his body trembling. ‘Leave me alone,’ he
cried. ‘I want my Bossdog?’
‘Oh, he’s a sook,’ the other
said. ‘I thought all Pit Bulls were savage.’
‘I’m not a Pit Bull,’ Zeus
protested. ‘I’m a Staffy.’
‘Nah, he’s only a Staffy,’
replied another, who came up behind the first two and peered in. ‘Not the
sharpest knife in the draw but apparently he’s a champion.’
‘Not anymore. This little brut grabbed a
hold of Trudy Titan’s arm during the final checks. Reckon they’ll
strip his title and send this guy to the sin bin. He’ll be here a few weeks,
maybe a month, then its needle time. Damn shame if you ask me. That’s one
good looking dog.’
Zeus didn’t understand what they were
saying but didn’t like being talked about like this. Again he began to cry, only stopping
when they used the sticks with nooses to drag him out of the cage, across a car
park to a large building. As they
approached, he heard the unmistakable sounds of dogs calling out for their
Bossdogs. The ground smelt thick of
dogs, as though hundreds had been dragged across this car park and into this
building. No longer able to resist, Zeus went limp as they dragged him through
sliding doors, across a smooth but smelly floor to a room that very much
resembled the vet, minus the friendly humans behind the counter.
The humans talked to each other for a while then
opened a back door that lead to a concrete corridor with cages up the side. As
soon as they stepped through the door, Zeus knew he was in the pound. He had heard of this place before. It was where you ended up if you ran
away or got in trouble. Every cage
housed a different dog, all howling ‘New pup! New pup! New pup!’ as
they dragged him past.
Zeus chanced a look as they passed by the row of
cages. One held a Jack Russell that ran in circles, chasing his tail.
‘Come here,’ the tiny dog grunted. ‘Come back! Come back
here!’
Must be crazy, Zeus thought. The next housed an old Kelpie who
charged at the door and growled, ‘Hey, new Pup. You’re in the pound
now. No place for show dogs.’
Zeus wasn’t frightened by an old cattle dog
and went to snarl something back but the humans kept dragging him toward the
end of the corridor. Further down they passed a cage with a giant female
Rhodesian Ridgeback in it. She leapt to the door and stood upright, even taller
than the humans. Zeus looked away, terrified, ignoring the Ridgeback as she
snarled at him. Soon they came to
an empty room with the door open. They dragged him in, pointed to a smelly old
bed and a bowl of dirty water. When the nooses came off, Zeus drank
reluctantly, soothing his dry throat.
As they walked out, they removed a sign with the name Butch on it.
‘Who’s Butch?’ Zeus asked, but
the humans ignored him, slamming the door and walking away. For the next half
hour he paced, occasionally crying out for help, ignoring the jibes from the
others. But it was all to no avail.
Zeus was all alone and eventually he decided there was no point pacing back and
forth on the concrete. Circling the dirty bed, he sniffed at the edges. A
powerful scent he believed belonged to a dog of great strength over rode the
smell of a dozen other dogs. A Rottweiler, Zeus wondered, the hair on his back
instinctively rising as he slumped on the filthy heap. After a while Zeus closed his eyes and drifted
to a much happier place. He was
walking on the beach with Bossdog, chasing a tennis ball into the surf, feeling
the water soak his fur. The sun was
shining, Bossdog swimming in the water around him, holding onto his tail, using
him as tug boat. Then Bossdog was
calling him, ‘Hey boy!’
But it didn’t sound like Bossdog.
‘Hey Boy, you awake?’
It wasn’t Bossdog. The voice was soft,
quiet. Zeus awoke with a start,
realising he was still in the cage. The voice continued. ‘New boy, can
you hear me?’
Zeus sat up, his ears pricked. No one was at the
door. ‘Down here, by the back corner.’
Turning, Zeus saw a hole about the size of a
tennis ball in the wall near the back corner. He walked to it, looked through the hole
and saw the face of a tiny white dog. He couldn’t see much, but going by
the curly white fur, he guessed it was a Maltese.
‘You’re new,’ the face said.
‘What’s your name?’
‘What’s it to you?’
‘We all need friends, especially
you.’
‘What that’s supposed to mean?’
‘Word is you’re a show dog, right?’
‘Right.’
‘Well, you’ll be prime picking for
some of the others in here. Not to
worry, I think I might be able to help you.’
Zeus decided it was safe to relax. Easing onto
his belly, facing the hole, he spoke quietly. ‘Why would I need your
help?’
The little dog chuckled. ‘You’re not
the smartest dog in the pack, are you?’
‘I’m smart enough to know I could
beat you up.’
‘Maybe, but that’s why you’re
in here, isn’t it?’
Zeus huffed. ‘Shut up. I don’t want
to talk about it.’
‘Neither do
Zeus sniffed the paw suspiciously before finally
touching it with his own.
‘I’m Zeus,’ he said. ‘I’m a Staffy. I thought you
were a male.’
Simone left her paw there. ‘I thought you
were a Pit Bull.’
Zeus cringed. He hated being confused with other
Bull Terrier breeds. ‘No way. Pure Staff to the bone.’
‘Not all Pit Bulls are savage, you know.
Butch was a Pit Bull.’
Zeus turned to the slot on the door where the
sign had been. ‘Who’s
Butch?’
Simone sighed, her voice quivered. ‘He was
in your room until yesterday. He
got put down.’
There was that word again. Put down. ‘What
does that mean?’ Zeus asked. ‘I always get told to put the ball
down. I don’t understand.’
‘Are you serious? You don’t know what getting put
down means?’
Zeus frowned, embarrassed. ‘No.’
‘Boy, you have a lot of learning to
do.’ Simone paused, as if thinking of a way to explain it.
‘It’s when nobody wants you or when you do something really bad,
and the humans take you away and you never come back.’
‘You mean never, as in never ever?’
‘Never ever.’
Zeus was stunned. This is what Trudy Titan was talking
about I want this mongrel put down! Was that why he was here? No, it
couldn’t be. He would never
see Bossdog again. Never swim in the ocean, never play in the park. Never ever.
‘That’s why I’m here,’ he
finally said. ‘They’re going to put me down. It wasn’t my fault. She made me
bite her. I have to stop them!’
‘That’s where I can help,’
Simone said. ‘My days are numbered too. See, with a body like mine, nobody wants
me. So if I want to get out of
here, I’m going to have to do it myself.’
Zeus strained to get closer to the hole but
couldn’t see any more than her face.
‘What’s wrong with your body?’
Simone sighed. ‘It’s a long story, but
basically it all started because I ran away from home and got hit by a
car. Broke my back leg and it never
heeled properly, so I’ve walked with a limp ever since. That makes me a target for the
Bitsas.’
‘The Bitsas?’
‘Yeah, the mixed breed dogs. Bits-a-this,
bits-a-that. The humans keep them in a different section. They’ve got
nothing to lose, and they’re jealous of us pure breeds, so they fight
with us whenever they get the chance.
I’m the first one they go for.’
Zeus felt a pang of guilt and anger when he heard
Simone holding back tears. ‘I
can’t survive in here, Zeus. I have to get out, but I need someone brave,
strong and courageous. Someone like you.’
Zeus felt touched by her praise but wasn’t
sure about her choice of words. He’d been called handsome, strong,
muscular and ridiculously good looking many times, but never courageous or
brave. Just then he realised that the hole he was looking through had scratch
marks around it.
‘You and Butch were going to escape,
weren’t you?’
Then Simone did start crying. ‘Yes. We were going to do it soon
but the humans came in yesterday and took him away. I’ve been here a long
time, Zeus. I can’t wait any longer. I’ve got a plan, but I
can’t do it on my own.’
Zeus wasn’t sure. Decisions like this were too
difficult. The most difficult
decision he had to make in his life was which trees to pee on. ‘I don’t know, Simone. Bossdog just said to do as they asked
and everything would be all right.’
‘That’s what Butch’s Bossdog
said.’
‘OK. What about your Bossdog?’
Simone snorted in disgust. ‘That’s why I’m here.
Why do think I ran away in the first place? They got me for Christmas, when I was a
puppy. I was the best thing since ever. For a while anyway. Then they got
bored. They put me outside in a kennel and just left me there. No more walkies,
no play time, no left overs.
Sometimes they even forgot to feed me. Then one day they all went out for a
walk, the whole pack. I cried for
them to take me but they just left me at home.’
Simone sniffed, stifling tears. Zeus was in shock. He’d heard
stories like this, but had never realised how lucky he was.
‘What happened?’
‘I saw the gate left open, and well, I just
ran. I didn’t know where I
was going. I just knew there had to be a better place.’
Zeus perked his ears, hopeful the story got
better. ‘Did you find it, a better place?’
‘No, stupid. I got hit by a car, ended up
at the vet. Now I’m here.’
‘Sorry.’
‘Never mind. Like I said, that was a long
time ago. I’m over it now. To tell you the truth, it’s probably
better here anyway. At least I get food and walkies most days.’
Zeus cringed. There was no way he would choose
this place over home. Thinking of
home made him sad. He missed his
own bed, his own bowl and large backyard.
Then there were all the toys Bossdog bought him. Oh, how he missed
Bossdog. Zeus fought the urge to
howl, focusing instead on Simone.
‘Okay Simone, tell me your plan.’
When she had finished explaining, Zeus felt the
fur on his back stand on end. It was a crazy plan, and he wasn’t sure if
it would even work, but they had to at least try.
The following few hours passed slowly. Occasionally a human would appear, every
so often taking different dogs for a quick walk around the paddock opposite the
row of cages. At one point two humans
came looking at the cages. All the
dogs began pleading to be taken home. Zeus realised they were Bossdogs looking
for a new pet. They stopped at Zeus’s cage but the human in uniform told
them he wasn’t available. In
the end they selected a
‘Simone, are you there?’ he called.
‘Yes, where else would I be?’
‘Ah, I need to go to the toilet. What should I do?’
‘Just do it in the corner. The humans will
clean it up, eventually.’
Zeus turned, looked at the back corner, opposite
the hole in the wall. His bed was
in the middle, way too close.
‘But that’s near my bed. Bossdog always taught me to do it
someplace hidden. I usually go down the back corner of the yard.’
Simone didn’t sound impressed. ‘Good for you. In case you
hadn’t noticed, you’re not at home any more. Different rules here. Just do it wherever you feel like
it.’
‘But that’s gross.’
‘Oh Zeus, it’s a natural bodily
function.’
Zeus decided to hold on for a while but
couldn’t put up with it any longer and eventually crept to the corner and
quietly did his business. Feeling
disgusted, he slumped back on his bed as a human appeared at his door and slid
a bowl of food under. Even before he sniffed it, Zeus knew it was cheap canned
food. Being used to real food like
sliced meat, rice and vegetables, at first he refused to eat it. Then he realised he wasn’t going
to get anything else. Reluctantly he ate then went back to the bed, waiting for
night time, just as Simone had said.
When night fell, the outside lit up with overhead
lights, turning the walkway a dull orange.
A lone dog called out for his master from the other end of the pound,
the howl echoing down the corridor. Gradually Zeus drifted off to sleep,
knowing he would be awoken. Again
his dreams were pleasant, this time of chasing the football, of snuggling in
Bossdog’s bed on cold mornings, of hearing that familiar sound of his
lead being taken off the hook. Then
came the loud sound of banging and Zeus was awake, his heart pounding in his
chest. Simone’s words echoed
in his mind.
‘The
night watch human will wake you up.
He comes every night, banging and screaming. He always starts at the same time and
calls himself Mr Midnight.’
Zeus shuffled closer to the hole in the wall.
‘Simone, are you there?’
‘Yes, what is it?’
‘Is that him, that banging?’
‘Yes, Mr Midnight. Remember what I said, you’re new
so he’ll pay special attention to you. Just ignore him and do as I said.
Okay?’
Zeus lingered by the hole, unsure about
everything. ‘Um, okay.’
‘Good, now get back on your bed. We
don’t want him getting suspicious.’
Zeus crept back to his bed as the banging got
louder. Dogs whimpered as Mr
Midnight headed toward Zeus’s cage. Trembling, Zeus covered his eyes with
his paws as the silhouette of a human appeared at his door. A bright light shone from his hand.
‘Good evening,’ the man bellowed.
‘My name is Mr Midnight.
Welcome to the pound. In
here you are not special. You are no longer somebody’s pet. You are mine
now, a prisoner! You will not bark,
whimper or cry without me saying so. You will not eat, walk or drink without me
saying so. You will not even take a
pee without me saying so. Is that clear?’
Zeus stayed silent.
‘I said, is that clear?’
A grunt.
‘Good. Now, I want to show you
something.’
The human walked away from the door then returned
pushing a television on a trolley.
‘See, I know about you, Zeus.
Seems you’re getting quite famous.’
Turning the television on, Zeus raised his head
and watched as an image of two humans sitting on chairs appeared. It took a moment to realise one of them
was his Bossdog. He ran to the door and stood up, straining to get closer.
‘Bossdog,’ he called. ‘Help me!’
But Bossdog was talking to someone else.
‘Zeus is a placid dog,’ he was saying
to the other human. ‘I
don’t accept he bit Mrs Titan for no reason. I’ve let children go to sleep with
him, like a big teddy bear. In
The other human frowned. ‘So you
don’t accept that sometimes a dog can change? That perhaps Zeus is friendly when
you’re around but he may have, just this once, snapped?’
‘Not unless he was provoked. We will fight
to prove Zeus is innocent and we will fight to have him released.’
When Mr Midnight turned the television off, Zeus
howled, wishing Bossdog was here.
He wanted to call out again for help but there was no point. Better to
focus on Simone’s plan.
Standing in front of the television, Mr Midnight
knelt down close to the door, eye to eye with Zeus. He whispered in a low
voice, ‘From now on, Zeus, you belong to me. From now on, I am your Bossdog.’
Zeus stood from his bed, angry.
‘You’ll never be my Bossdog. Never ever!’
The man raised his eyebrows, shone his torch
right in Zeus’s face, blinding him. ‘How dare you growl at me! Understand this, from now on you belong
to me. Go back to your bed and shut your mouth, or I’ll give you the
hose. Do you want the hose?’
Simone’s voice whimpered through the wall.
‘Do as he says, Zeus! Just ignore him. Please, sit down! Stick to our
plan.’
Anger and fear boiled in Zeus’s stomach,
but Simone’s words calmed him, and he sank back on the filthy bed. Soon the man walked away, continuing to
insult other dogs as he passed their cages.
‘Nice one, Zeus,’ Simone hissed.
‘You nearly blew it. Control your temper.’
‘I’m sorry,’ he defended.
‘He said he was my Bossdog. I
only have one Bossdog, and he’s trying to get me out of here.’
‘And so am I!’ she snarled. ‘So
we need to focus. Now, are you
ready to do this?’
‘I suppose.’
‘Good, then let’s go.’
While Mr Midnight walked away from the cage,
patrolling the corridor, Zeus began to scratch at the floor beneath the
hole. Just as Simone had said, the
area had already been loosened by Butch, so Zeus was able to scrape away most
of the rubble. On the other side, Simone did the same, frantically digging at
the base.
‘Are you ready?’ she called out.
‘I think so,’ Zeus said, stepping
back. ‘Give it a try.’
Crouching down, he watched as Simone pressed her
head into the hole and began to wriggle her way through the wall. Her face took on an awkward strain as
she twisted her shoulders from side to side before she eventually stopped.
‘It’s no good,’ she sighed.
‘I’m stuck.’
Zeus slid his paw into the hole but that was no
use either. She couldn’t get hold of it. ‘What should I do, Simone?’
‘I don’t know. I’m
thinking.’
Zeus’s ears pricked as the sound of
footsteps began getting louder again.
‘Oh no, Mr Midnight’s coming back. Hurry!’
‘Zeus, I don’t think you understand.
I’m stuck! I can’t move.’
Zeus paced back and forth, wishing he was
smarter. Pressing his face against
the cage, he couldn’t see Mr Midnight but could hear him grunting at another
dog. Just then he thought of
something.
‘I don’t know if this’ll
work,’ he said, lowering his head to the hole. ‘But I’m going to open my
mouth and I want you to grab hold of my bottom teeth. Then I’ll pull you out.’
Simone hesitated. ‘I don’t know,
Zeus. That means I have to put my hands in your mouth. What if I cut my
paws?’
‘It’s okay. My teeth aren’t sharp. I’ve chewed too many rocks.’
‘Rocks? You’re not supposed to chew rocks.
Only sticks.’
That’s exactly what Bossdog would say. ‘Never mind, just do it.’
‘How do I know you’re not going to
bite me?’
Zeus huffed, offended. For once he’d
thought of a plan and she wasn’t even prepared to trust him.
‘Please, trust me.’
‘Okay.’
Lowering his jaw, he felt her paws wrap around
his bottom canines. ‘Now hold on tight,’ he grunted, before slowly
pushing backwards with his hind legs and forearms. For once his muscles could be put to
good use. At first she didn’t budge, and her paws slipped several times,
but soon she began to moan as her body scraped against the sharp concrete.
Stopping for breath, the footsteps outside were getting closer.
‘We need to hurry,’ Zeus said.
‘It’s just my back legs,’
Simone replied. ‘Just give it one last pull.’
‘Okay, count to three and hold on.’
‘One, two, three…’
With one final tug, Zeus pressed hard with his
shoulders and used the muscles in his neck to drag Simone all the way through,
right into his cage. When she let
go, Zeus stepped back as she shook the dust and concrete off her white
fur. The first thing he noticed was
how small she was. The second was
her eyes. They were beautiful brown pools that shone when she looked up at him.
He smiled and she smiled back. Then
he heard the footsteps. Mr Midnight
was close, maybe three cages away.
It was time for the next phase of Simone’s plan.
Dragging the bed blankets to the corner, Zeus
crouched down, hiding in the dark, using the blanket to cover himself. Simone took one of the blankets closer
to the door, leaving Zeus hiding under the other in the corner. Simone then began
to savagely attack the blanket, letting out a deafening scream for help.
‘Help me, help!’ she screamed. ‘There’s a possum in my
cage.’
Simone’s screams were so loud Zeus had to
cover his ears as Mr Midnight appeared at the door. Looking in, all he would be able to see
was Simone fighting under the blanket. With her deafening screams for help, the
idea was that he would momentarily assume he was looking into Simone’s
cage, not Zeus’s. Mr Midnight
fumbled with his keys, eventually locating the correct one. And just like that,
the door was open. Now it was Zeus’s turn to act. Taking a deep breath, he waited until
the nightwatchman pulled the blanket off Simone, only to find she was under it
by herself.
‘What the heck?’
That’s when Zeus charged at him from the
corner. The stunned look was
priceless as Zeus leapt into the air and hit him with all his weight, knocking
him over. Simone didn’t waste
any time and took off, out the door with Zeus close behind. They bolted right, heading straight down
the corridor. Despite her limp,
Simone moved quickly, and by the time they heard Mr Midnight call out for them,
they were already half way down the corridor, a dozen revved up dogs barking
and cheering as they sprinted past.
At the end of the corridor Simone instructed Zeus to follow her to the
walking paddock.
‘There’s a hole under the fence near
a patch of trees,’ she said, panting as they ran across the dusty field.
‘That’s our ticket out of here.’
Suddenly the field lit up with bright
spotlights. Zeus assumed Mr
Midnight had alerted the other humans. Now they had to move fast.
‘There’s the trees,’ Simone
said, indicating a row of tall gum trees.
‘Head to the right of them, in the corner of the fence.’
Zeus banked right, darting through the trees, his
shadow flashing between the trunks as the fence line came into view. He reached the corner first but
couldn’t find a hole.
Turning, he saw that Simone had already realised. ‘They must’ve refilled it.
We’re trapped.’
Looking back to the pound, he could see humans
running across the field, torches in hand.
Zeus knew they had to move. Checking the soil at the base of the fence,
he had an idea. ‘We’re
not trapped,’ he said.
‘I can dig this.’
Remembering his days on the beach, when
he’d dig trenches long enough to fit humans in, Zeus powered away at the
soil, paws burning as the hole began to grow. Soon the humans were amongst the trees.
He could hear their voices.
‘Hurry Zeus,’ Simone pleaded.
‘They’re coming.’
‘Almost there.’
Finally he stepped back and told Simone to
go. She didn’t hesitate and
went under easily, but Zeus was almost too big. The humans came up behind him just as
his hind legs slid under the fence, one of them grabbing at his tail. He turned and snapped, causing the human
to let go, then went to run but noticed Simone wasn’t moving. The humans were yelled and shined
torches, some even climbed the fence, but Simone just stood there.
‘Let’s go,’ Zeus said. ‘Come on, hurry!’
‘I can’t,’ she cried.
‘It’s my bad leg. I’m cramped. I can’t run
anymore.’ A tear flooded her
eye. ‘You just go, Zeus.
I’m only going to hold you up.
I should’ve known this would happen.’
Zeus wasn’t going to leave her. He opened his mouth, picked her up by
the scruff of her neck.
‘Ouch, that hurts,’ she complained.
‘What are you doing?’
‘I’m carrying you. I’m not
leaving you here.’
Hoisting her up, he hurried through the trees
away from the humans. As they disappeared into the darkness, Zeus heard one of
them yell, ‘That savage beast just killed Simone. He’s taking her away. He had her in his mouth.’
Zeus recognised the voice. It was Mr Midnight.
The night grew cold as Zeus became tired and
disorientated. They had been
walking for longer than he had ever walked before, and they were still amongst
the trees. All around the sounds of wild animals echoed down from the trees. At
times his vision faltered and he had to rely on Simone to direct him and tell
him which way to go. Not that she knew where she was going. They just knew they were heading away
from the pound and weren’t going back. The thought of the humans hunting them
kept him going, despite his tired legs and saw paws. Soon they came to a road and Zeus
decided to rest a while. Lowering
Simone behind a tree beside the road, he slouched on the cool, damp ground and
blew out his breath.
‘I think we should stay here a
while,’ he said. ‘Then
we’ll take the road. It’ll have to lead somewhere.’
Simone went quiet and Zeus asked what was wrong.
‘Nothing’s wrong,’ she said.
‘It’s just, I’m lucky, that’s all.’
Zeus didn’t think she was lucky at
all. She was on the run, had a
Bossdog that didn’t care about her and she had a bad leg.
‘How are you lucky?’
‘I’m lucky I met you, Zeus. You saved me. I don’t know how to
thank you.’
Zeus blushed. ‘You would’ve done the
same for me. We’re dogs, pack
animals. We stick together.’
Stepping closer, she came up beside him, used her
tongue to clean a smudge of dirt off his cheek. ‘It’s been so long
since I’ve snuggled,’ she said. ‘Let’s rest a while, like
you said.’
‘I don’t think we should sleep,
Simone. We’re on the run and in the middle of the bush. The humans are
after us, and listen to all the animals out there.’
‘So what should we do, then?’
‘I don’t know. You’re the smart
one.’
‘Could’ve fooled me.’
Zeus was confused. ‘What do you
mean?’
‘You’re smarter than you think,
Zeus. You just lack the confidence
to trust your own decisions.’
Zeus frowned, again confused.
‘You thought of pulling me through that
hole,’ Simone said. ‘Then you thought of digging under the fence,
and it was you who thought to carry me. I couldn’t have done any of that,
even without my bad leg. And what’s more, I probably wouldn’t have
even thought of it. So don’t tell me you’re not smart.’
Resting his head on his arms, Zeus thought about
her comments. No one had ever told him he was smart before. Not even Bossdog. Maybe he was smarter
than they thought. Maybe, if he could get Simone and him home safely, then they’d
all realise how smart he was. The
question was how.
Several hours later, Zeus was shivering in the cold,
trying to stay warm. Simone was
tucked under his arms, asleep. The animals rustling in the trees around him
quietened as the sound of birds filled the cool air. His stomach rumbled and he
wanted a drink of water, but they had to push on. Nudging Simone, he woke her and said
they had to move. Stretching, she tested her leg, said she would be able to
walk. ‘If we have to run
again, I might need another lift.’
Zeus smiled knowingly. ‘Don’t get too
used to it.’
Wondering which way to go, Zeus eventually
decided to head right.
Simone trotted up along side him. ‘Why this
direction?’
‘I don’t know. When Bossdog and I go
walkies, we always turn right at the driveway. It’s as good a choice as
any.’
The road wound back and forth, and occasionally a
car would pass. Each time they would duck off the side, hiding in bushes or
behind a tree. At one stage they
came to a muddy puddle. Zeus drank anyway, wished he had some clean water. Soon they passed a dirt track. Sniffing
at the trees beside the track, the hairs on the back of his neck bristled.
‘This leads to the pound,’ he said.
‘This is the way the humans come.’
‘Okay, let’s get out of here.’
Walking quickly now, they came to a service
station. Hiding in trees, they
crept up to the edge of the forecourt, watching. Lots of cars, humans hurrying
back and forth. Zeus spotted a
bucket of water. ‘I have to drink, I have to.’
He went to move but Simone stood in his way. ‘No, just wait. Look!’
She pointed to a newspaper stand with the
headline, EVIL DOG ESCAPES. Beneath
the words was a photo Zeus recognised. ‘That’s me.’
Simone nodded. ‘Right, so they’ll all
be looking out for you. We’ll
get a drink, but let’s just wait until a quiet time.’
Zeus slumped forward, a tremendous sadness
inside. ‘I don’t
understand why they’re doing this to me. Maybe it’s the colour of my
fur.’
‘That’s not it,’ Simone
corrected. ‘It’s because of what you are; a Bull Terrier.’
‘But I’m a Staffy. Everybody loves
Staffies.’
Simone went quiet.
‘What?’ he demanded. ‘What is
it?’
‘Not everyone loves Staffies, Zeus.
You’re a Bull Terrier, and some people hate you simply because they think
you’re dangerous.’
‘That’s not true. When Bossdog and I
go walkies, people stop in the street just to pat me.’
Simone laughed. ‘Yes, but I bet you
don’t notice all the people who cross the street when they see you
coming.’
Zeus said nothing. He was remembering times when people did
just that. He had simply assumed
they had somewhere else to go. Never had he thought it was because they were
scared of him.
‘It’s wrong, I know,’ Simone
continued. ‘But look at what happened to Butch. His Bossdogs wanted him to be vicious,
so they trained him to fight other dogs, chase cats. Even so, he had a good life. He used to
sleep in the house and got all the attention. Then they had a baby human and that was
it; Butch got put outside in a kennel. No more walkies, no more scraps after
dinner. Just like me, except Butch
knew the baby was the reason he was being ignored. So one day he bit the
baby.’
‘That’s not fair,’ Zeus said.
‘It’s not his fault.’
‘No it’s not,’ Simone snapped.
‘It’s humans like that that give dog like you a bad name. Some humans shouldn’t have dogs,
especially dogs like Butch.’
Zeus agreed but had never thought about it like
this before. Truth was he had never had this kind of conversation before. The
Staffies in his Show Team were only ever interested in talking about what
competitions they’d entered and where they’d been for walkies.
‘Simone,’ he said softly.
‘I’m glad I met you. You’re the smartest dog I know.’
‘Oh shush. You’ll make me cry.
I’m glad I’ve met you too, Zeus.’ She pointed suddenly.
‘Look, no humans. Let’s
get a drink.’
At the bucket, Zeus drank gratefully then realised
he was hogging the water. Stepping
back, he saw that Simone was unable to reach her head over. She wasn’t
tall enough. Immediately he knew
what to do. Picking up the bucket,
he carried it to the edge of the forecourt, laid it gently on an angle. Simone
began to drink when suddenly a human stormed out of the service station.
‘Get out of here!’ he yelled,
flapping his arms around. ‘Go on, beat it!’
Zeus and Simone scurried away as the human ran
back to the service station.
‘Quick,’ Simone said, ‘I think
he recognised you. He’s going to call the pound. Let’s go!’
Zeus picked Simone up, went to run but stopped
when he realised he was heading toward a tall wire fence. Turning, he saw that the human was not
heading away but actually closing a gate.
Zeus hadn’t realised before but they were now effectively trapped
in a car park. He ran to the wire
fence, put Simone down and tried to dig but the ground wouldn’t move.
‘It’s no use,’ Simone
said. ‘It’s concrete.
We’re trapped.’
‘Not yet. Wait here.’
Zeus ran the perimeter of the fence line,
searching for a way out. He found
one, tried to squeeze under but his head was too big. ‘Simone, over here!’
Simone limped over, looked at the gap. ‘You can’t fit through
there.’
‘I know, but you can. Go on. Just leave me
here. I’ll be fine.’
Simone stared at him blankly. ‘No. I
can’t.’
‘Why not? We didn’t come this far to just
give up. So just go. Now!’
‘You didn’t leave me before.
I’m not leaving you. We stick
together.’
Zeus sulked. ‘I can’t save you any
more, Simone.’
‘I don’t care. I’m
staying.’
She stood before him, defiant and strong, despite
her size.
‘Okay,’ Zeus finally said. ‘I
guess we go back to the pound then.’
It didn’t take long for the pound wagon to
arrive. The same three humans who
had taken Zeus yesterday from the show slid out of the cabin and stood by the
gate, talking to the human who had trapped them. Occasionally they scratched their heads,
pointing, using telephones. Zeus
and Simone stood well back, determined not to make it easy for them. After a while another car arrived and a
large, overweight woman in a floral dress stepped out, a silky white Poodle
under one arm, the other wrapped in a bandage. Trudy Titan. With her was a
miniature human who Zeus recognised as Trudy’s little girl, Cindy. They were both holding hands as she
hobbled over to the men at the fence, speaking loudly.
‘Get in there and catch that little
brut. And when you take him in this
time, I want him kept on constant watch.
He’s a vicious little brut who ought to be put down
immediately.’
The men appeared to argue with her for a moment
but then gave in. The human who had
trapped them opened the gate and they all crept into the car park, closing the
gate behind them, all three brandishing sticks with nooses on the end. Simone
began to growl and snarl, telling them to back off. Zeus remained mute, trying to think of a
plan.
When more cars arrived, the humans with the
sticks and nooses paused, apparently unsure of what to do. They ignored Trudy Titan’s abuse,
turning instead to see a group of humans arrive with cameras. With Mrs Titan yelling instructions,
Simone growling and the service station forecourt filled with more and more
humans, Zeus began to tremble.
‘What are you waiting for, Zeus?’
Simone yelled. ‘Bark or growl or do something. You’re supposed to
be a big tough Bull Terrier and you’re crying like a baby.’
‘I don’t know what to do,’ he
cried. ‘I want my
Bossdog!’
‘Oh, get a grip, will you. If we growl they’ll get scared and
give us the advantage.’
Zeus tried to growl but instead a high-pitched
yelp escaped. With that, the humans
advanced, creeping closer, their sticks held out like spears. Backing away, he finally managed to
growl but stopped when a car he recognised pulled into the service
station. A tremendous relief came
over him as Bossdog leapt from the car and ran to the fence.
‘Zeus!’ he called.
‘Bossdog!’
Zeus ran, darting around the humans with nooses,
heading toward the fence. He
couldn’t believe it. Bossdog was here to save him! At the fence, he jumped, yelped for
help. Bossdog ran to the fence,
opened the gate and picked Zeus up in a tight hug. Zeus kissed him many times, excited and
happy. Then a squeal stole his
attention. Simone. The humans had her in a noose and were dragging her across
the car park.
Zeus wriggled out of Bossdog’s grip and ran
toward the humans, growling and snarling. ‘Let her go! Let her go!’
‘Oh listen to the little brut,’ Mrs
Titan called. ‘He’s a
savage little beast. Somebody put
him down.’
‘You shut your mouth!’ Bossdog
snapped back. ‘You set this
whole thing up. I know he
doesn’t bite. I bet you
squeezed his ears or something.’
Two of the humans surrounded Zeus, poking him
with the sticks. Somehow he knew
they were tormenting him, wanting him to attack the stick, to make him look
vicious. The humans with cameras were watching. He thought about Butch and all
the other Bull Terrier’s out there whose reputations were on the line
now. At the last minute, he stopped,
slumped on the ground and rolled onto his back, exposing his stomach as if
wanting a pat.
The nooses went on tight and it hurt his paws as
they dragged him across the concrete to the wagon. As Bossdog fought with the humans, Zeus
went to bark but couldn’t breathe.
He gasped for air as they neared the gate. Trudy Titan stood with her arms folded,
patting Princess, her silky white Poodle.
‘Have a nice life, Zeus,’ she said.
Zeus was too weak to respond and went limp as
they opened the doors to the wagon, Simone not far behind. Suddenly the poodle wriggled out of Mrs
Titan’s arms, landed on the ground and began attacking the humans with
the sticks. Zeus came to and gasped
for air as the nooses loosened.
‘Princess, what are you doing?’ Trudy
yelled. ‘Stop it! Stop
now!’
But Princess wasn’t stopping. She reeled
back and snarled like the savage beast Trudy said Zeus was, positioning herself
between the wagon and the humans with sticks. ‘You let him go!’ she
growled. ‘Let them both go, now!’
The humans ignored her but then the miniature
human broke away from Trudy and began screaming. ‘It’s true,’ she
called. ‘It’s all true.
Mummy hurt Zeus. She pinched
him hard on the stomach, making him bite her.’
‘Cindy!’ Trudy scolded. ‘What
the heck are you saying? That is not true.’
‘It is so,’ she cried. ‘I heard you on the phone. You were laughing about it, saying that
because Zeus got taken away, our Princess could win. But Zeus won fair and square and you
cheated.’
Everyone looked at Trudy, her face bright
red. ‘How dare you say
that.’
She stepped towards Cindy but the poodle lurched
toward her, protecting the miniature human. Zeus managed to wriggle out of the
nooses and stood up, stunned. Princess was really upset, growling at Trudy.
‘All my life you’ve wanted me to be better than perfect. You dress
me in ribbons and have my teeth brushed all because you want me to be
beautiful. Aren’t I good
enough the way I am?’
‘It’s okay, Princess,’ the
little girl said, rushing to cuddle the poodle, as though she understood. ‘It’s okay. I love you just
the way you are.’
Princess kissed the miniature human but remained
standing, still positioned between Zeus and the wagon. Bossdog rushed in and demanded Zeus be
set free. When the human’s
finally released him, Zeus rushed to Simone. He looked up at Bossdog and tried to
tell him that he wasn’t leaving Simone. She lay on the road, limp from
lack of air. She wasn’t breathing and Zeus began to panic, yelping,
whimpering. He kissed her face,
telling her to wake up. Finally the humans stepped back and a shiny brown eye
opened.
‘Hey Zeus,’ Simone said. ‘I heard somebody solved our
problem.’
‘You heard? I though you were…’
A smile appeared on her face. ‘Oldest trick in the book; play
dead.’
Zeus had never heard of it but decided it
wasn’t important.
‘I’m not leaving without you, Simone. You’re coming home with me.’
Leaning down, he gently picked her up in his
mouth and carried her to Bossdog.
‘You have a friend, do you?’ Bossdog
said. ‘You want to keep
her?’
Zeus grunted a ‘yes’.
‘Okay mate, I’ll make you a deal. We
can keep her, but no more dog shows.
Deal?’
Zeus held out his paw. ‘Deal!’
Bossdog picked Simone up and cuddled her, leading
Zeus back to the car. Never before had he been so excited about jumping in the
back. With Simone snuggled up
close, never before had he felt so comfortable going to sleep on the cushioned
seat.