Paw and Order

by V. M. Burns

  “She’s so loud and disruptive, what am I going to do?” I asked Dixie.

  She picked up a blanket laying across the arm of one of the chairs and placed it over the small dog crate. Similar to covering a squawking bird, the cover immediately quieted the angry poodle.

  I stared at my friend. “You’re a genius.”

  She shook her head. “Not even close, but this isn’t my first rodeo. You should have heard Chyna when she was a puppy.”

  Beau shook his head. “She screamed whenever Dixie took Leia out and left her behind.”

  Dixie left to talk to the volunteers who were working the trial. As one of the judges, she had some duties but was only judging a small group of puppies so she could participate in the obedience demonstrations later. Tomorrow, she’d take a more active role.

  Beau and I sat and watched. The tent was sectioned into three major areas and each area was a ring with different poodles being judged. Dixie’s puppy group was first and there were multiple fluff balls, all groomed to perfection, prancing around the ring as though they owned it. Dixie examined each one from head to tail and quickly pronounced a beautiful gray poodle the winner.

  I passed several hours comfortably with Beau. We watched the trials and killed time by trying to guess the winners. Beau was right more often than I, but he’d spent a lot more years in this world than I had. Eventually, Dixie returned.

  “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,” she announced.

  Beau slid a cooler from behind his chair and opened it to reveal sandwiches, salads, and small containers filled with the jerky Dixie used to entice her dogs to perform to their highest levels. She called it, ‘food they’d sell their souls for.’ There was also a good supply of bottled water and cans of Diet Coke.

  “I need to use the facilities, but…” I glanced around.

  Dixie understood my revulsion of portable potties and smiled. “We’ll go to the RV and take care of business and then we’ll come back and eat.” She turned to Beau. “Why don’t you see if the dogs need to go potty.”

  Beau looked around for the leashes. “I’m not sure I’m up for task of taking four at once.” He turned to Dixie. “Do you think they’ll be—”

  Dixie waved her hand. “Of course. They’ll be fine. Just take them two at a time.”

  He nodded and took the two standard poodles first. Chyna and Leia were so well-behaved, they didn’t need to be leashed, but I learned from Dixie that all dogs had to be leashed on the grounds of a dog show.

  Dixie and I walked the short distance to the RV and took care of business. We were just on our way back when we heard a huge commotion.

  “STOP!” I recognized Beau’s voice and we ran toward it.

  Just as a mother will recognize her child’s cry in a room full of babies, I recognized Aggie’s bark. My children called it my mom “Spidey sense.” She had several different barks and while I hadn’t figured out what they all meant yet, I knew this one wasn’t good. There was a growl in between each bark that made the hair on my arms stand up. “Oh my God, Aggie!”

  Chapter 5

  We ran through the crowd. Just as we turned the corner, I saw a figure dressed in black pants, a black hoodie with a baseball cap and sunglasses racing across the grounds. I knew from experience that Aggie had issues with men wearing baseball caps, but there was a lot more going on here. The figure was running, and Aggie was pouncing and nipping at his pant legs, her leash trailing behind.

  I rushed toward the fray screaming, “Aggie, no!”

  Just as I got within fifty feet, I noticed that the figure dressed in black was also holding a small gray poodle.

  I stopped and pointed. “He’s got Rex.”

  At that moment, the figure turned toward us and saw me pointing. That’s when Aggie leapt into the air like a guided missile and sunk her teeth into the man’s arm.

  He screamed and dropped his arm to his side with Aggie still attached to the fabric. In the commotion of trying to dislodge Aggie’s teeth from his sleeve, he dropped Rex who fell to the ground. The poodle rolled a couple of times but then stood up and shook himself and then turned to add his bark to the fight.

  The man gave his arm a vigorous shake and Aggie lost her grip on his sleeve and flew through the air.

  “You get Aggie. I’ll get Rex.” Dixie ordered.

  The man took off running full steam ahead dodging poodles, grooming tables and crowds of people. He rushed through the parking lot and jumped into a black pickup truck.

  Aggie followed in hot pursuit. She lunged at the door of the truck, but the stranger managed to get inside. He quickly started the ignition with Aggie still barking and jumping at the truck’s door.

  The stranger gunned the engine, spinning dirt, pebbles and grass from his tires as he took off.

  My heart pounded as I watched Aggie getting sprayed by the debris and still racing after her prey.

  From the edge of the parking lot, I screamed, “Aggie, come!”

  To my complete and utter surprise, she stopped, turned to look at me and then ran toward me full steam. From five feet away, she took a flying leap into my arms.

  I reached out and caught her and then held her tightly to my chest.

  Dixie ran up to me with Rex clutched in her arms. “That little poodle is fearless.” She stared at Aggie.

  I snuggled Aggie close. “I can’t believe she actually came when I called.” I turned to Dixie. “I’m so happy, I could cry.”

  * * * *

  For over an hour I sat in Dixie’s RV clutching Aggie to my chest. When Red arrived, he literally had to pry her out of my arms. It was only then that I realized I was shaking.

  He pulled me to my feet, drew me close and held me tightly until the shaking stopped. I held onto him and cried.

  “I’ll be in the tent if you need me.” Dixie slipped out of the RV.

  I cried for what felt like hours. When I didn’t have any more tears, I pushed away.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Red lifted my chin, forcing me to look him in the eyes. “You don’t have to apologize to me for being human.”

  I hiccupped. “How about for ruining your shirt.” I pointed to where I had gotten makeup on his white shirt. I looked around for my purse. “I’m sure I have a wipe or a pen here that will get that stain—”

  He gave me a gentle shake. “Lilly, I don’t care about the shirt. I care about you.” He glanced down at me. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded. “I’m fine…now.”

  “Can you tell me what happened?” He looked around with surprise.

  “What?”

  “Nothing, it’s just…this is a really nice RV.”

  I realized he’d seen Dixie’s RV many times, but this was his first time inside. I smiled. “Want the guided tour?”

  He shook his head. “Maybe later.” He directed me toward a surprisingly comfortable sofa and mumbled, “Might need a GPS to find my way out.”

  I smiled and sat. Aggie hopped onto my lap.

  I petted her absently and recapped what happened.

  He asked several questions which I felt like I should know the answer to. ‘Did I get a good look at the person? Was I certain it was a man? How tall was he or she? Had I ever seen him or her before?’ On and on the questions came until I wasn’t sure about anything, other than the fact that I was tired.

  He looked down at Rex. “Are poodles valuable?”

  I shrugged. “You’ll need to ask Dixie. She’s the expert, but I do know that some champions can be worth several thousand dollars.”

  His eyes widened. “For a dog?”

  I nodded, then reached into my purse and pulled out my cell phone and dialed Dixie’s cell.

  When she picked up, I asked, “Are you busy?”

  She wasn’t and said she’d be there shortly.

  Aft
er a few minutes, there was a knock on the door and Dixie climbed inside.

  Red asked her the same questions he’d already asked me, and her answers were much the same as mine. We were both more focused on the dogs than on the person who’d just tried to steal them. When Red asked Dixie about the value of the dogs, she confirmed what I’d said.

  Red shook his head. “Is there a market for the dogs? I mean, if someone were to steal one of these dogs, would they be able to sell it?”

  Dixie went into teaching mode. “Not really, not like stealing a valuable painting or a piece of jewelry. You can’t just sell them to a collector. Like champion racehorses, the value is in the lineage and stud fees. If you have a champion that comes from a long line of champions, then you can sell the stud fees.” She shrugged. “But you couldn’t show the dog because you’d need the papers from the kennel registry.” She sighed and got quiet.

  “What?” Red asked.

  Dixie took a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot and it doesn’t make any sense. I mean, why take Rex? You can’t do anything without the papers from the American Kennel Club. No one is going to breed the dog without the AKC papers proving lineage and ownership. Besides, most responsible dog owners have their dogs microchipped or tattooed.”

  “I’ve heard of that with racehorses,” Red said.

  She nodded. “Exactly, most dogs,” she waved her hand to indicate Aggie, “are not only tattooed and microchipped, but now they have tracking devices built into their collars.” She picked up Rex who was sprawled out on the floor. She pointed to a small rectangular disc that appeared to be part of his collar.

  I stared closely. “Is that what that is? I thought it was just part of the gaudy baubles on his collar.”

  Dixie shook her head. “It’s a GPS tracking device.”

  Red stared. “So, if he had managed to get away with the dog, you could have tracked him like OnStar in a car?”

  She nodded. “Exactly.”

  “I need to get one of those for Aggie.”

  She smiled. “They used to be pretty pricey, but now they’re very affordable. You need the app on your cell phone, but they are great for locating lost pets. I haven’t bothered with Chyna or Leia because they’re both so well-behaved and obedient that I don’t worry about them running off.” She shivered. “I’ve never felt unsafe at dog shows before today. It’s such a small, tight-knit community that I never bothered. However, I think I’ll be purchasing trackers for both of my dogs.” She glanced down at Aggie. “I don’t think you need to worry about that little dog. She’s a scrappy little thing.”

  I looked down at Aggie who was curled up in a ball on my lap and smiled.

  We talked a bit longer but neither Dixie nor I had any additional insight into who might want to steal Rex or why. Eventually, Red left to question some of the people from nearby campers and RVs to see if they knew anything that would help him track down our poodle napper.

  Beau brought in Chyna and Leia and we left the dogs locked inside the RV for the remainder of the day. Considering Dixie’s RV was more luxurious than most people’s houses, it wasn’t a punishment. The dogs were all fine playing, chewing on digestible bones, and sleeping in the air-conditioned luxury.

  Dixie and Beau had both driven separately, so he followed her home while Aggie, Rex and I rode with Red.

  In a vehicle smaller than a 747, the drive down the mountain didn’t seem quite as perilous as it had when riding with Dixie. Nevertheless, I was extremely happy to be back on the relatively level ground of Chattanooga.

  Rex offered to take me to dinner, but I was worn out and opted instead for a pizza which we picked up and ate at my house.

  “How are you and Stevie doing?”

  Stevie was ‘Steve Austin,’ a Pitbull/Labrador mix that had adopted Red. The dog seemed vicious in the beginning, but had proven to be a real pussycat. He and Aggie became friends at first sight. I was always surprised at how gentle the big dog was with her whenever they played.

  “I’m fine, although he’s going to need reform school. He’s got a problem.” He leaned closely and whispered, “He likes to steal things. If you turn your back for more than two minutes, he’ll nab something and then head downstairs where he collects the stuff. When I confront him, he just lays down on top of it and looks up at me like, What? I have no idea how your underwear and socks got here.”

  I smiled. “Aggie used to do that. Dixie said it’s because it has your scent on it.”

  He stared. “Why would he need to do that?”

  “It makes him feel close to you.” I smiled. “He’s bonded to you and he misses you.”

  “That’s weird.”

  I gave him a playful punch. “No, it’s not. It’s cute. He misses you. Haven’t you ever worn something that belonged to someone you cared about because it had their scent on it and made you feel close to them?”

  His lips twitched. “I suppose so, but Steve doesn’t strike me as particularly sentimental, especially considering he likes to drink from the toilet and enjoys licking himself in front of company.”

  I laughed. “Just because he’s uninhibited doesn’t mean he isn’t sentimental.”

  We finished eating and then Red stretched and prepared to leave. We lingered over our goodbyes and when we came up for air, he searched my eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay? I can stay if you need me to?”

  I glanced down at Aggie who was doing a full body stretch that looked like a complicated yoga position. “I’ll be fine. I’ve got my watch poodles.”

  He reached down and picked up Aggie. “She is certainly a fierce little dog.” He held Aggie so she faced him. “Don’t ever let anyone tell you you’re not a big dog.”

  Aggie licked his nose.

  Red left and I locked the door after him. I tidied up the kitchen, tossed the pizza box, and put the remains of the wine in the fridge. I was just about to let the dogs out when my cell phone rang. One glance showed me the caller was Red.

  “Did you forget something?”

  “Don’t forget to turn on your alarm system.”

  I smiled. “I will, just as soon as Aggie and Rex finish going potty.”

  We chatted a bit longer about nothing important, but the conversation left my cheeks feeling warm and a smile on my face. When the dogs were done, I let them in, engaged the alarm and headed to my bedroom.

  I took a long bath and prepared for bed. By the time I was done, Rex and Aggie were curled up on my bed. I picked them up and moved them to their crate. Rex seemed fine with the arrangement but Aggie, who was accustomed to sleeping with me, wasn’t happy.

  “I’m sorry, girl, but you need to keep your brother company. He can’t be trusted in the bed yet.”

  Aggie made her displeasure known for quite some time, but I turned on the television and settled down with my iPad to kill some time before I fell asleep. That’s when I realized that in all of the confusion, I hadn’t checked my emails all day. I had one from Stephanie with an itinerary for a flight to Chattanooga. I glanced at the times and realized her flight was scheduled to land in fifteen minutes.

  I rushed to throw on a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt on top of my nightshirt, slipped on a pair of tennis shoes, and to Aggie’s delight, I opened the crate and released the poodles. “Come on, we’re going to the airport.”

  Fortunately, I lived close to the airport. By the time I arrived, Stephanie was just coming out with her suitcase and her golden retriever, Lucky.

  “Perfect timing.” She hugged me while Lucky relieved himself at the curb and then stood on his hind legs and looked through the glass of the rear window at Aggie who was barking and pawing at the window, excited to see her friend.

  We loaded her luggage into the rear of my SUV, opened the back door and allowed Lucky to jump in and reunite with Aggie.

  “I’m glad to see you, but I alm
ost missed your email.”

  Stephanie sighed. “I needed to get away. I needed to think.”

  “Does Joe know where you are?” I asked hesitantly.

  She shook her head. “I told him we needed to take a break, but I didn’t tell him I was coming here.” She kept her face turned away so I couldn’t see her, but her voice sounded tired.

  “I’m sorry you two are going through a rough patch, but I’m glad you’re here.” I kept up a light-hearted commentary for the short trip home.

  I pulled into the garage, opened the door to let the dogs out and helped Stephanie get her luggage.

  Rex was excited about meeting Lucky and ran in circles.

  Stephanie stared. “Who’s this little guy?”

  “Oh, I haven’t told you about Rex.” I scooped him up and headed up the stairs to unlock the door. “Come inside and we’ll have some coffee and I’ll introduce you properly.”

  I forgot to disarm the alarm and after a few moments, it went off. My hands were full with luggage and Rex and I yelled to Stephanie, “Can you disarm that for me? The code is your birthday month and year, and then press disarm.”

  Stephanie entered the code and the noise stopped. I took the dogs to the back door and put them all outside to allow Stephanie and me a few minutes of breathing space.

  She glanced up at the vaulted ceiling. It was contemporary with angles and details that had been popular in the seventies and eighties. “Very modern.”

  “You don’t like it?” I asked tentatively.

  She shook her head. “No, I do like it. I saw the pictures you sent and the video that David took when he was here, but I had no idea how tall the ceilings really were.” She paused. “It’s just so different from the house you had in Lighthouse Dunes.”

  I nodded. “Exactly. I never really liked that house. That was your father’s idea.” I took a deep breath. “This house isn’t large, and I know it needs updating, but I really like how all of the houses are different and the neighborhood has duplexes and single-family homes as well as townhouses. It’s not a subdivision so there are no rules about what I can and can’t do to my property.”