Fight Or Flight

by Amy Shojai

  Lia stared down the long line of immaculate but empty kennels. The office might look shabby, but she kept the boarding area pristine. Dogs away from the comfort of home deserved to feel safe, and Lia couldn’t wait to turn Corazon Boarding Kennels into a state of the art facility. Meanwhile, just keeping them clean was a point of pride with her.

  She paused to greet Dolly in the first kennel on the left. The big black dog snuffled her palm through the chain link gate, rubbing her rust color muzzle against the barrier as she slicked her ears back and wriggled a hello. But when the men followed too close, Dolly’s hackles rose and she backed away with stiff legs. A bass rumble started deep in the dog’s wide, muscular chest.

  “There she is! That’s Dolly-Danger, the baddest Rottweiler in North Texas.” Derek beamed, his expression vulpine. “I guarantee, her pups will be just as ferocious, Coop.” He pulled Lia away from the door. “You better not have babied her and let her get all soft. I brought her training collar if she needs a refresher.” He banged the wire with his fist. “Go on, Dolly, get fired up. Show us what you’ve got!”

  Dolly bounced forward, mixing snarls with barks, trying to get at Derek through the barrier.

  Coop jumped backwards with a frightened cry, and then punched Derek on the shoulder with a shit-eating grin of satisfaction. “If the pups are halfway that badass, you’ve got a deal.”

  Lia’s stomach clenched and her cheeks heated. Training collar refresher? That explained Dolly’s sketchy personality. Derek meant a shock collar.

  Chapter 5

  Karma heard the girl’s voice from the office and wriggled upright from the soft blanket where she and her siblings slept. The fabric smelled good, safe, comforting—like her dam and littermates. Karma yawned and stretched, and couldn’t wait to play another game with Lia.

  Puppies took cues from their dam about new things, so they’d know to be cautious or curious. But Karma had learned to ignore much of Dolly’s suspicious nature when her mother’s fear proved unfounded. Humans confused Karma, but the girl’s presence meant treats, toys, and games. She’d been the first of her siblings to learn that. She was smart that way.

  Two strangers stood beside Lia. One of the men banged the wire on the other side of the hall with his fist and shouted.

  Fear-stink poured off Dolly. The acrid scent stirred up the entire litter even before Dolly snarled and bounded toward the gate. She barked and flailed, doing her best to reach the man through the wire barrier.

  The litter squealed in response, and Karma yelped with surprise. Dolly’s raging echoed so loud in the cement-floored room, it hurt a good-dog’s ears and Karma shrank away. She’d never smelled or heard her mother so distressed. But curiosity overcame caution. After all, Dolly viewed everything with fear. And Karma knew sometimes bravery earned good-dogs a treat.

  The other man spoke and laughed. “If the pups are halfway that badass, you’ve got a deal.”

  She didn’t know what the words meant, but that was okay. She learned new words every day. Understanding the happy, satisfied emotion in the stranger’s voice was enough for her.

  Karma stumbled away from the safety of the whimpering puppy pile, padded to the front of the kennel, and strained to see Lia.

  Nothing scared Karma. At least not for long. The girl always jollied Karma and the other puppies with happy words when they acted scared, turning the unknown into an exciting game. That didn’t always work with Dolly, but Karma had decided the world was too interesting to waste time being scared. Especially if she got paid with treats to be brave.

  Maybe Lia had more of the yummies in her pockets.

  So she stuck her rust-colored muzzle through the gaps in the metal barrier to figure out what had her mother so upset and fearful. The stub of her black tail pointed to the ceiling and her butt wiggled when the girl reached down and touched her cheek. Karma panted and then sniffed long and hard. Her brow wrinkled, recognizing the girl’s unease. She wondered why, and concentrated harder, testing the air and reading the scent-names of the two strange men.

  “Good-girl, Karma. What a brave puppy-girl.”

  Karma wagged even harder at the girl’s words.

  “Derek, you’ve got Dolly so upset, it’ll skew the puppy tests.”

  The man she called Derek made a snorting sound. “We’re not testing the bitch, Lia, just the pups. And that big one you’re petting doesn’t look rattled at all. What did you just called it?”

  “Don’t call her an it, Derek.” Lia’s sharp words softened when she stroked Karma’s black fur. “I call her Karma. She has a nose for trouble. Nothing bad, but it seemed appropriate.” Karma wriggled at Lia’s affectionate tone.

  “Bad-ass puppy needs a better name than Karma.” Even though Derek had no hackles to raise, Karma’s fur bristled at his mocking tone. “Don’t you dare tell me what to do. You’re just the hired help, Lia.” He looked her up and down, a sneer in his voice and something worse in his eyes. “Just a tawdry Hawaiian souvenir your tramp mother brought back from vacation.”

  Karma cocked her head when Lia gasped and recoiled. She pawed the door, wanting Lia to continue scratching her cheek, and then did a paws-up on the doorframe when the girl stepped away.

  She smelled anger and a bitter nose-wrinkling aggression spilling from Derek, and her siblings shifted uneasily. But Karma wanted closer. The scent made her teeth ache to bite, and the thump-feeling in her chest sped up.

  “What are you waiting for, Lia?” Derek spat the words. “Get the pups ready for the temperament tests.” He whirled and strode away.

  Chapter 6

  Lia took two shaky breaths before she remembered to close her mouth. She swallowed past the lump in her throat, glanced over her shoulder where the two men stood whispering, and told herself she didn’t care. Derek paid her to do a job, so she’d do it. She didn’t have to like him. As for the rest, the scandalous circumstance of her birth was old news.

  “Water under the bridge, right Karma-girl?” Her whisper prompted the big Rottie pup to wriggle and jump up against the wire gate.

  This was her place. She was in control. Lia adjusted the bandanna holding her flyaway hair, and crossed to the men, determined to keep the meeting on a professional level.

  “The camera’s in the far kennel run, like I said. Mr. Cooper—uh, I mean, Coop, you can join me there. I’ll show you how it works.” She raised an eyebrow and turned to Derek, offering her client an option. “Unless you’d prefer Coop to handle the pups? It’s a better comparison if the test person stays the same.” She nodded at the pass-through gate to the outside. “The umbrella and other test stuff is in the yard.” She couldn’t imagine Coop muddying his fine boots chasing puppies through the grass, and wagered Derek would spoil his top-dollar high tops just to make a point.

  “Fine. Like before.” He didn’t look at her as he passed by, so she didn’t have to hide her grin.

  Distant thunder rumbled. No time to waste. It’d take five or six minutes for each pup, but the storm wasn’t due to hit for an hour. The building had no storm cellar, so she’d already moved Sunny Babcock’s dogs, Buster and Beau, to the kennels that shared walls with the office proper. The safest spot was the center of the building with no windows nearby.

  “Coop, are you familiar with temperament tests?” She met his eyes without flinching, daring him to comment on Derek’s rude behavior.

  “In principle, sure.” He held open the kennel gate for her like the door to an office. “Derek says it predicts the best pups, so you know what you get.”

  She smiled. “That’s the theory, but nothing is a crystal ball. We use a series of tests to measure personality tendencies. Based on the results, we can figure out which pups may do better in different circumstances. That helps with placing pups with the right family or in the right job.”

  He nodded. “Like the best attack dog. Which one’s the most alpha?” He grinned. “I want the pup that’ll turn into the biggest, baddest, most aggressive puppy. And I want a bitch
I can breed, to recoup my investment.”

  Lia took a beat before she answered. “Far be it from me to argue with Derek, they’re his pups after all. That whole alpha dog thing, though . . .” Her voice trailed off at his stubborn expression. Derek had already sold him on the concept, never mind that the most aggressive dog was more likely a fearful dog, like Dolly. But she couldn’t live with herself without trying. “It’s a bit more complicated. The rank of puppies in a litter changes over time and tests on very young pups may not be accurate. Then socialization and training, even the environment, can impact and change predicted outcomes as the puppy matures.” She shrugged. “That’s why we’re testing Dolly’s litter again today.” She finished in a rush, trying to make her point. “The best protection dogs test middle of the road on temperament.” One look at his face and she knew she wasted her breath. He’d believe what he wanted, and Derek fed him what Coop wanted to hear.

  Poor puppies.

  She escorted Coop to the camera she’d focused on the brown Bermuda grass just outside the kennel and pointed out the start/stop buttons. Last time, she’d just turn it on and let it run, but with an extra pair of hands, Coop could man the camera. “Derek will get each pup in the frame for the various tests. You just need to start and stop the camera in between, while I record the results and switch out the pups. Work for you?”

  He nodded and moved into place.

  Lia left him fiddling with the camera, collected the clipboard she’d prepared, and returned to the puppies. She picked up the first puppy and carried him to the exit and stepped through. “Derek, this is Mr. Green Collar.”

  Derek waved his readiness.

  She set the youngster on the grass. He snuffled the ground, ears flopping and bobbed tail wiggling.

  Derek called the pup, clapping his hands and squatting to get the youngster’s attention to test “social attraction” and “following.” The pup ambled toward him and jumped up and tried to bite his hands until Derek stood to step away. The little dog followed, getting underfoot and biting at Derek’s shoes. Lia recorded the pup’s reaction. Next, Derek stooped and gently rolled Mr. Green on his back, to see how the pup tolerated the stress of social or physical domination. Mr. Green whined and struggled and flailed, and Derek had to let the pup go before ten seconds passed.

  Lia marked the restraint test score and frowned. So far, Mr. Green wasn’t doing well.

  As Derek let the puppy up and began to stroke him, the Rottie pup tolerated a few strokes and then wandered away. The man followed, scooped up the pup and cradled him with cupped hands under Mr. Green’s tummy. He held the youngster just above the ground.

  Sighing, Lia recorded Mr. Green’s growls and struggles. Five more tests to go, but she’d already seen enough. She suspected, though, that Coop and Derek would find this puppy attitude to be ideal.

  She’d scored each of the first five test on the standard 1 through 6 scale. Mr. Green Collar scored a 1 or 2 on all parameters. The opposite end of the spectrum—5 and 6 scores—indicated pups that refused to follow or interact out of indifference or fear. The mid-range score of 3 was the ideal for a working dog and indicated a pup eager and willing to engage with people, but not too fearful or pushy. The remaining tests with Mr. Green went as expected.

  Derek tossed a wadded piece of paper, and then a small ball. Studies had shown a high correlation between willingness to retrieve and successful service dogs or obedience canines. Lia had seen puppy reactions vary from those who stole the toy and raced off with it to pups that brought it back, to those with no interest in retrieving at all. Mr. Green Collar ignored the toy.

  The noise sensitivity test, Derek banging a spoon on a metal pan, brought the puppy running. That was how Lia called the pups to dinner, so the reaction wasn’t surprising. But Mr. Green had no interest in the cloth rag or the sheepskin tug toy dragged across the grass. He circled the umbrella with suspicion when Derek opened it and set it on the ground, and then wandered off.

  In the final test, Derek grasped the toe webbing of one forepaw between his thumb and forefinger and pressed, slowly increasing the pressure. He stopped as soon as the pup resisted. “That’s six seconds on the sensitivity test,” said Derek.

  Finally, a mid-range score. Lia scribbled the last score on her paper and set aside the clipboard. “Mr. Green’s scores of 1’s and 2’s predict a quick-to-bite extremely dominant dog with aggressive tendencies. He’ll require a very experienced and talented trainer.”

  Derek shut her down. “Let us worry about that. Go get the next pup.”

  There should be a similar test for prospective owners. She’d already scored both Coop and Derek. Mr. Green would be out of their league.

  Taking the struggling Mr. Green from Derek, Lia placed him in the kennel with Dolly before selecting another pup. This one, Miss Yellow Collar, scored at the other end with 5s on the test. That indicated extreme shyness that could be crippling, and another difficult dog for an average owner to handle. “She’s not a good candidate for protection or police dog training, Derek. She’d need lots of help to build her confidence.” At his scowl, she bit her lip. Up to him whether he took her advice or not, but she had to warn him. Shy dogs could become fear-biters like Dolly, a danger to the humans around them and themselves.

  After Miss Yellow Lia moved on to Mr. Dark Blue, Mr. Orange, Miss Red, Mr. Light Blue, Miss Tan, and Mr. Black in turn, until only Miss Purple Collar—Karma—remained. Lia scooped her up, realizing she’d delayed the inevitable as long as possible.

  During her first temperament test at six weeks old, Karma had scored at the high end for working dog potential, so Lia assumed today’s scores would be similar. She had mixed feelings, though, both wanting Karma to do well on the test but not wanting her to go to someone like Coop.

  “What’s the hold up?” Derek yelled from the yard, and she saw him look at the clouds when a louder rumble sounded.

  No more delays. “Karma-girl, make me proud.” She whispered the words into the puppy’s soft neck, and Karma wriggled around to slurp Lia on the lips. Not a kiss, not affection, but just polite puppy deference behavior. Still, Lia’s heart melted. Aww...puppy breath! She set the big puppy on the ground, and Karma jumped, pawing at Lia’s thigh for the attention to continue.

  “C’mon, here puppy-puppy-puppy. Karma-pup, here-here-here!” Derek clapped his hands and waved, beckoning from the center of the grassy area.

  Lia’s shoulders hunched at Derek’s mocking tone. But it got the baby’s attention, and Karma whirled, tail up, and raced to reach the man. When he squatted within reach, Karma leaped up to reach his hands, licking and grabbing at them.

  Social Attraction Score = 2. Better than Mr. Green.

  Derek rose, and ran away, calling the pup. Lia had worked on the pup’s recall with this exercise, but Derek was a stranger. Much of their training hadn’t yet generalized to all situations. The other girl puppies had either refused to come or only reluctantly followed with their tails down or even tucked.

  Not Karma. Tail up, she bounced after Derek, grabbed at his shoelaces, and tripped him in the process.

  Lia hid a smile. The pup was a fast study, volunteering the behavior on her own without the trigger command. In any event, she scored a 1. The baby-girl learned to chain the cue into a tug game. But Derek didn’t have to know that.

  The man crouched down, disengaged Karma from growling and gripping his shoe, and rolled her on her back. Karma whined and struggled for about five seconds, then settled. She stared up at Derek’s face for a few heartbeats, and began to struggle and squeal again. Ultimately she settled. Karma stretched her neck, straining to look upside down toward Lia.

  Good-girl, that’s a 3. The score predicted a balanced personality willing to accept leadership.

  “Okay, now the social dominance test, Derek.” Lia flipped back on her clipboard to see the previous test results, noting that Karma scored a 3 previously with much licking and snuggling. As Karma got older, she no longer liked being hel
d, though. And this time, as Derek tried to pet Karma, the big puppy looked around the yard, spotted Lia and came trotting over to her with a wide puppy grin. Lia circled the 6 on the score—predictive of independence. That could be good or bad, again depending on the trainer going forward.

  Karma squealed when Derek hurried to scoop her up, and held her above the grass. Lia feared the man’s rush would influence the score. The pup scored a 2 before at the six weeks test, with much struggling and crying. But this time, four-month-old Karma just looked back at Lia and yawned. A solid score of 3, indicating acceptance of human guidance and a commonsense attitude. Yay, Karma!

  Lightning unzipped the clouds, followed by a delayed rumble. Three heads as one, two human and one canine, checked out the sky. When the distant sirens swelled, the dogs still inside the kennel wailed their answer.

  Derek grimaced. “That’s the tornado siren. They must have a funnel on the ground somewhere near. Only a few more to go, let’s finish before the weather hits.”

  Lia nodded, but couldn’t help the tightening worry. Static electricity charged her hair, creating a halo of frizz, a portent of more lightning to come. She’d rather cut the tests short, and resume when they weren’t rushed, but Derek paid the bills. Or he would, once the tests were complete.

  They ran the last few tests in less than a minute each, and Karma scored well on each. She chased the paper ball and returned it to Derek, asking him to throw again. Her touch sensitivity tested in the moderate range. She investigated the spoon banged on the pan without a peep, and even climbed inside the umbrella before deciding to use it as a chew toy. She earned a solid 3 on all these tests, except for the last one.

  For the sight sensitivity test, Derek dragged the towel across the grass and Karma watched it for just a moment. Then she exploded, attacked the towel, grabbing it and shaking with a ferocious puppy snarl. She only released it when Derek offered a swap with the sheepskin lure.