LITMIR.BIZ

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of the Joshua Hills police force by name. They all knew Rusty and most of them had met me. Many of them had participated in the raid when I was rescued from Teague Stern’s dog-fighting pit. I asked the K-9 Unit if I could spend some time in their kennels and observe the dogs at work. I thought being around well trained but fierce dogs would acclimate me, so here I was. Every time a dog was released I wanted to run for the hills. Every time a dog barked I jumped in fear.

      Carla released Ricco again but this time Miguel pretended to be a fleeing suspect. Ricco chased him down and tackled him. I remembered what it felt like to be tackled by a large, fierce dog.

      After an hour’s worth of training, they took a break.

      “I think you need to spend time with a big friendly dog,” Miguel suggested. “Do you know where there’s one you can borrow for a few days?”

      I thought for a minute. Amos.

      “Yeah, maybe, I’ll have to ask. Do you think it will work?”

      “It can’t hurt.”

      Yeah, right.

      Kelly Green laughed, “You? You want to borrow Amos? You’re scared to death of him!”

      “That’s the point. I want to get over it. Maybe if I spend some time with him I’ll convince myself it’s silly to be scared of dogs. There was a time when they didn’t bother me and Amos is a great dog. He listens and plays fetch. If there was a big dog that could help me get over this fear it would be him.”

      “Amos is a pest. Can you live with a pest?”

      “Do you mind if I train him a little, if I manage to get over being scared of him?”

      “You are most welcome to try. So far he sits for two seconds and he steals stuff. That’s what makes him a pest. He’s even named after a pest.”

      “Amos? How is he named after a pest?”

      “His registered name is Amos Quito. We had to pick a name that wasn’t taken yet. He was a pest. The name fit.”

      “Leave it to you to give your dog a bad pun for a name. He doesn’t draw blood does he?”

      “He hasn’t since he was teething, so it’s been a while. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

      “So, what do you say?”

      “Sure, you can borrow Amos. It’ll give us time where we don’t have to guard our possessions twenty-four/seven. I suggest hiding dinner in the microwave until you are ready to eat and locking your shoes in a closet. And guard the stovetop while you are cooking. He’s set himself on fire a few times.”

      Oh great. Well, if I spent my time training him, I certainly wouldn’t have time to be scared of him. It sounded like he just needed a firm hand.

      “Will he run away if he’s not on a leash? I don’t have a fenced yard.”

      “He won’t run away but he might wander off. You’ll have to keep an eye on him and call him back to keep him close.”

      “I think I better wait for the weekend to take him. Maybe Rusty will be here for backup.”

      “Good idea.”

      “See if Rhonda wants to come for dinner on Friday.”

      “We’re having company Friday,” I announced at dinner that night.

      “Oh?” Rusty answered.

      “Umm, yeah, I hope you don’t mind. If you don’t want him to stay we can send him back.”

      “Him?”

      “I’m taking care of Amos for a while. Kelly and Rhonda are coming for dinner and Amos is going to stay with us.”

      “Kelly asked you to keep Amos? He knows you’re scared to death of that dog!”

      “Rusty, don’t be angry. I asked Kelly if I could borrow Amos because I thought having a dog around would help me get over being scared of him. It was my idea. Kelly will take him back any time we want him to.”

      I watched out the front window as the big black Labrador retriever pulled Kelly to the front door while Rhonda followed behind. I opened the door and they came in. Amos tugged on the leash, eager to investigate this new place. Kelly braced himself against the tugs. Kelly was a big, strong guy. How was I going to manage a dog this size if Amos gave Kelly a hard time?

      “Food and shoes hidden?” Kelly asked.

      “Yup, safely stashed away.”

      “Are you sure you want him loose?”

      “No, but go ahead. It’s got to start some time and it might as well begin while you are still here. Did you bring his food and training collar?”

      “Training collar? Ha! What you see is what you get.”

      A red nylon collar, red nylon leash and fifty pounds of dog food. Was it a rule that black dogs had to wear red? There had to be one. I couldn’t remember ever seeing a black dog wearing any other color besides red.

      “How much does he eat?”

      “Depends on how much he can steal. I’ll leave that up to you. If you work with him the same way you work with Shadow maybe he’ll be healthier when we pick him up.”

      “How much does he weigh?”

      “A hundred twenty pounds, last time he was at the vet.”

      “He’s bigger than me!”

      “Yeah.”

      “I need to work on that look that dogs don’t like.”

      “That look?”

      “Yeah, it works on men and kids too.”

      “Oh, that look.”

      “It can stop a dog in his tracks if you do it right.”

      “I wish you the best of luck.”

      Amos sat at an empty spot at the dining room table. His nose was just table height and he watched the bowls with a hopeful expression. Kelly watched Amos carefully. Shadow lay in a corner observing the proceedings with interest, knowing his turn would come. I was glad Amos was across the table from me. He looked big staring at me over the tabletop. When Kelly reached for a second helping of potatoes, Amos jumped, placing two big black paws on the table. I reacted on instinct. It was just a training reaction. I leapt to my feet, glared at Amos with that look and said sharply, “Ak, no! Down! Sit!”

      Amos looked at me puzzled and sat.

      “Good sit, stay,” I said firmly.

      There was a moment of silence.

      “Wow, I’m impressed,” Kelly said.

      “Sorry, I am just used to jumping on Shadow.”

      “Don’t apologize to me! I’m taking notes!”

      “What do you say when he does that?”

      “It isn’t very repeatable.”

      “Only use words he knows. He obviously knew no, down or sit. Use a firm tone and limit your words to what he knows and he will tune in better.”

      “I can’t wait to see what kind of a dog we end up with,” Rhonda said.

      “Don’t get your hopes up. I still have to force myself not to run away from him.”

      Kelly and Rhonda obviously were used to clearing the table with Amos around. They took all the food and put it on the counter. One person guarded the food while the other cleared the dirty dishes. They had the system perfected. I’d have to

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