My mom and dad had recently become friends with another family – two dogs, two people. The people, Stephanie and Steven, were police officers, and their dogs, Switchblade and Slasher were what the people referred to as “canine officers”. These dogs were unlike any dogs I had ever met before.
Switchblade was a Dutch Shepherd, and he was every bit as frightening as his name would suggest; big eyes, big teeth and a very big voice. He walked like he ruled the world and as far as I was concerned he did. When Switchblade came in to the clinic, he decided what was going to be done. If he didn't want the beeping machine up his back end, he didn't get it. When mother needed to get some red syrup, she had to wait until Switchblade gave her his paw --- everything was on his terms.
Slasher on the other hand, seemed to be missing something. He didn't talk much, or walk with the same attitude that Switchblade did. He was a German Shepherd and, to me, all of those Shepherds just look alike – big. There was something about Slasher that made his size a lot less scary. Maybe it was the way his ears lay back against his head, or the way his tail never moved, or the fact that I didn't feel the need to run and hide when he looked directly at me.
Today, mother and father went to have afternoon kibbles with Stephanie and Steven, so Switchblade and Slasher stayed at the clinic. Stephanie and Steven never left the house without their dogs, whether they were working or not, so it always worked out well that the dogs could stay with us. Bea had no interest in the big dogs, but I couldn't help but be fascinated.
After the people left, I finally got the chance to find out why Slasher acted the way he did.
Switchblade did most of the talking, I think he liked the sound of his own voice – I mean really, what self-respecting dog doesn't. Switchblade told me that he and Slasher used to police the entire town. There wasn't a bad person or dog in town that didn't respect their authority. If a child was lost, they would find it, if a bad person was running away from the human officers they would run him down and take a few nibbles just for good measure. I have to admit, Switchblade made it sound good to be a police officer. Knowing that you could do good, fun work everyday, keep the people happy, and get rewarded all made my tail wag at the thought.
Switchblade continued to talk until he fell asleep, and finally Slasher started to speak up. “It's not all as good as he makes it sound” grumbled Slasher, referring to Switchblade. “He doesn't just follow the rules, he makes his own rules, and sometimes he makes more trouble”. Slasher admitted that he used to follow Switchblade with complete devotion, playfully doling out the canine authority. Then one day, one of the dog trainers was on the other side of the flashing red and blue lights. Officer Steven had pulled over one of the dog trainers; he had been driving the roaring tire machine all over the road. Steven and Switchblade handled the situation, but since the dog trainer was known to them both, nothing was done. The trainer was allowed on his way. It wasn't until later that night, when Switchblade and Slasher were out for their nightly bathroom runs that the consequences of their leniency became evident. The trainer lived just down the road from Stephanie and Steven, so no one thought twice when they saw his car coming down the road. Even Switchblade and Slasher knew he would slow down when he got close. But not that night. The trainer hit Slasher and just kept on going. “I was in the hospital for two weeks after that. I was sleepy most of the time and my belly hurt a lot. I felt really weak and my tail has not been able to wag since. I know that Switchblade and my dad were just trying to help the trainer out that night, doing a friend a favor. But I was trained in the dog academy that we follow the rules for a reason, not just for the people we don't like, but to keep everyone safe. My whole body hurts every day now, so I have a constant reminder of that. The really sad thing is that Switchblade still to this day doesn't realize that he did anything wrong. He would do a favor like that again, just because he can. It's like the power has gone to his head. Makes me glad I don't work anymore.”, grumbled Slasher.
After hearing Slasher's story, I was really glad that mother treats sick dogs and cats for work. That way, at least I know that I'm safe.
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