(Excerpt edited from "Puppy Breath")
Cash was pretty scary when he first showed up during a February freeze five years ago. I opened the front door and there was this 90 pound, broad shouldered, regal looking boxer standing on my front porch.
My first thought, as I saw him standing there, head up and alert (clear intelligent eyes, clipped ears, docked tail and a pure classic boxer face) was that he must be some official type dog. I wasn't aware of any boxer K-9's, but he looked way too confident and purposeful to be wandering unfettered. He wore a wide, studded leather collar with several tags attached. I assumed he had a home and was someone's master, for he had that self assured air of "owning".
I ran him off after I figured out there wasn't anyone accompanying him. He didn't argue, just trotted off the porch, giving me a disdainful look, as if to say "thanks pal" as he headed across the front lawn.
It was freezing outside so I quickly went back inside. After a bit I heard some commotion on the front porch again and, opening the door to peer through the storm door, saw that he was paws up on the porch rail where the cat's food dish was placed. I noticed that while he had a sleek coat and had obviously been well cared for, he was just a bit on the gaunt side in the flanks.
When I said, "hey Sport, are ya hungry?", his ears perked up and he looked me with eyes that said, "oh yea!".
So I took him into the kitchen and rattled out a bowl of dry food with a half can of Alpo mixed in for good measure. He looked like he might have missed a meal or two and could use the extra calories. I set the double bowl of food and water on the floor and he looked at me expectantly. I motioned towards it and he promptly swallowed the food whole, and then washed it down.
We kinda looked at each other for a few minutes, just checking each other out while he licked his face clean. I finally gathered the nerve to actually approach him. He sat warily and watched me, but didn't argue with me when I reached for his collar to inspect his tags. They were current, among them being a tag that bore the name and number of his vet.
The hour being late, I figured we had a house guest for the evening. He seemed content to lay on the throw rug under the coffee table, and just watch the room. About an hour later the inevitable occurred.
I looked at him and grimaced. With his head on his paws, he cut his eyes in my direction as if to ask, "what did you expect?" I asked him if he thought that was necessary, and he just blinked.
When I let him out the back door, he danced around the frozen snow for a few minutes before taking care of business then made his way back up on my porch.
I called the vet first thing the next morning. They indicated that they knew "Cash" well, and that he was a frequent visitor to their clinic. His file contained a phone number for the owners and the receptionist said she'd make some calls, then let me know.
I run a bail bond business. The weather had made it difficult to get around for several days and I had some "running" to catch up on. The snow had thawed enough to move around a bit, so I figured I was gonna have to take Cash with me to prevent any possible problems on the home front while gone.
I walked out to my car and motioned him in the open door. He took one look at me and hopped in and over the console, into the passenger seat, and sat up like he was gonna be my co-pilot. Looking over at me, he cut his eyes as if to say, "what are we waiting for"?
I dropped the car in gear and we headed toward town and my office, where I tackled some paperwork and planned a couple of stops to collect some funds owed. While I did my business, Cash seemed content to snoot around the office space and check things out. Occasionally focusing on various people walking by the plate glass window on the sidewalk. Shortly, we were back on the road.
Several days passed without a call from the vet. Then one day at the end of the week I made contact with a client, who owed me money and had been avoiding me. He didn't seem to grasp the concept that there's no such thing as a free lunch, and that I'd be forced to put him back in jail if he didn't pay. That's part of the business.
Sleuthing him out wasn't hard and using some trickery, I coaxed him into the passenger seat on the pretext we were gonna update some paperwork. When he settled in the seat, I punched the door locks with the override engaged; (I drive a retired police car). Junior got the picture pretty quick that he wasn't gonna get to leave on his own, and started getting noisy about his displeasure.
Shortly after we had left the office, Cash had lain down in the back seat to take a siesta. He was there when I pulled up to Juniors place, and I didn't give him a thought as the young man sat down in the front seat.
When Junior raised his voice in protest, we both heard a low grumble coming from the back seat. We glanced back at about the same time and there was Cash...standing up in the back seat, muzzle about six inches away from Juniors ear. His own ears were pointed forward, as was his whole body posture, and while he wasn't really baring his fangs, he wasn't just smiling either.
I was a bit surprised myself, for while looking tough enough, Cash had expressed a rather tolerant, and laid back, attitude up till now...Junior, on the other hand, was clearly about to lose control of some critical body functions.
I chuckled and said "Cash, ease up pal, he ain't gonna be a problem". Cash cut his eyes at me once as if to say "he better not be!", and sat down on his haunches. He didn't lay back down but rather remained alert and intently focused on Junior, never blinking. My charge muttered an expletive referencing Cash's possible ancestry, and slowly extended his wrists in my direction.
It was a short trip to the sheriffs lockup where we unloaded Junior. One of the guards I knew was passing my vehicle as I was saddling back up, and noticing Cash, asked me if I had a new partner. I chuckled and said he was auditioning for the spot and I think he just took it! We then headed back to the house.
The next morning I called the vet and told them, "Sorry, Cash is off the market." A week had passed with no calls for him and he was now part of my family, and my business.
Cash now wears a small "recovery agent" badge amongst his tags and has ridden shotgun with me every since.
Cash was pretty scary when he first showed up during a February freeze five years ago. I opened the front door and there was this 90 pound, broad shouldered, regal looking boxer standing on my front porch.
My first thought, as I saw him standing there, head up and alert (clear intelligent eyes, clipped ears, docked tail and a pure classic boxer face) was that he must be some official type dog. I wasn't aware of any boxer K-9's, but he looked way too confident and purposeful to be wandering unfettered. He wore a wide, studded leather collar with several tags attached. I assumed he had a home and was someone's master, for he had that self assured air of "owning".
I ran him off after I figured out there wasn't anyone accompanying him. He didn't argue, just trotted off the porch, giving me a disdainful look, as if to say "thanks pal" as he headed across the front lawn.
It was freezing outside so I quickly went back inside. After a bit I heard some commotion on the front porch again and, opening the door to peer through the storm door, saw that he was paws up on the porch rail where the cat's food dish was placed. I noticed that while he had a sleek coat and had obviously been well cared for, he was just a bit on the gaunt side in the flanks.
When I said, "hey Sport, are ya hungry?", his ears perked up and he looked me with eyes that said, "oh yea!".
So I took him into the kitchen and rattled out a bowl of dry food with a half can of Alpo mixed in for good measure. He looked like he might have missed a meal or two and could use the extra calories. I set the double bowl of food and water on the floor and he looked at me expectantly. I motioned towards it and he promptly swallowed the food whole, and then washed it down.
We kinda looked at each other for a few minutes, just checking each other out while he licked his face clean. I finally gathered the nerve to actually approach him. He sat warily and watched me, but didn't argue with me when I reached for his collar to inspect his tags. They were current, among them being a tag that bore the name and number of his vet.
The hour being late, I figured we had a house guest for the evening. He seemed content to lay on the throw rug under the coffee table, and just watch the room. About an hour later the inevitable occurred.
I looked at him and grimaced. With his head on his paws, he cut his eyes in my direction as if to ask, "what did you expect?" I asked him if he thought that was necessary, and he just blinked.
When I let him out the back door, he danced around the frozen snow for a few minutes before taking care of business then made his way back up on my porch.
I called the vet first thing the next morning. They indicated that they knew "Cash" well, and that he was a frequent visitor to their clinic. His file contained a phone number for the owners and the receptionist said she'd make some calls, then let me know.
I run a bail bond business. The weather had made it difficult to get around for several days and I had some "running" to catch up on. The snow had thawed enough to move around a bit, so I figured I was gonna have to take Cash with me to prevent any possible problems on the home front while gone.
I walked out to my car and motioned him in the open door. He took one look at me and hopped in and over the console, into the passenger seat, and sat up like he was gonna be my co-pilot. Looking over at me, he cut his eyes as if to say, "what are we waiting for"?
I dropped the car in gear and we headed toward town and my office, where I tackled some paperwork and planned a couple of stops to collect some funds owed. While I did my business, Cash seemed content to snoot around the office space and check things out. Occasionally focusing on various people walking by the plate glass window on the sidewalk. Shortly, we were back on the road.
Several days passed without a call from the vet. Then one day at the end of the week I made contact with a client, who owed me money and had been avoiding me. He didn't seem to grasp the concept that there's no such thing as a free lunch, and that I'd be forced to put him back in jail if he didn't pay. That's part of the business.
Sleuthing him out wasn't hard and using some trickery, I coaxed him into the passenger seat on the pretext we were gonna update some paperwork. When he settled in the seat, I punched the door locks with the override engaged; (I drive a retired police car). Junior got the picture pretty quick that he wasn't gonna get to leave on his own, and started getting noisy about his displeasure.
Shortly after we had left the office, Cash had lain down in the back seat to take a siesta. He was there when I pulled up to Juniors place, and I didn't give him a thought as the young man sat down in the front seat.
When Junior raised his voice in protest, we both heard a low grumble coming from the back seat. We glanced back at about the same time and there was Cash...standing up in the back seat, muzzle about six inches away from Juniors ear. His own ears were pointed forward, as was his whole body posture, and while he wasn't really baring his fangs, he wasn't just smiling either.
I was a bit surprised myself, for while looking tough enough, Cash had expressed a rather tolerant, and laid back, attitude up till now...Junior, on the other hand, was clearly about to lose control of some critical body functions.
I chuckled and said "Cash, ease up pal, he ain't gonna be a problem". Cash cut his eyes at me once as if to say "he better not be!", and sat down on his haunches. He didn't lay back down but rather remained alert and intently focused on Junior, never blinking. My charge muttered an expletive referencing Cash's possible ancestry, and slowly extended his wrists in my direction.
It was a short trip to the sheriffs lockup where we unloaded Junior. One of the guards I knew was passing my vehicle as I was saddling back up, and noticing Cash, asked me if I had a new partner. I chuckled and said he was auditioning for the spot and I think he just took it! We then headed back to the house.
The next morning I called the vet and told them, "Sorry, Cash is off the market." A week had passed with no calls for him and he was now part of my family, and my business.
Cash now wears a small "recovery agent" badge amongst his tags and has ridden shotgun with me every since.
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