It was a fine day for a trip to the park, and neither Shuffles nor Nixi were even considering letting it go to waste. Of course, they’d brought their pal, Brandon, who after much convincing and compelling had been persuaded to take them on a grand day out.
The nice thing about the park was the vast amount of people out and about doing their thing and playing the games. Some dashed to and fro, while others hopped up on the playgrounds and slid down the slides.
There was a big group of people all chasing a ball around the field, going back and forth while others were laughing and playing games of tag in their own little circles. Fortunately for the pups, there was still a quiet little spot to set up camp and roam around without stepping on anyone else’s paws.
Brandon set himself on the bench and watched the pups sniff around and roll down the small hill nearby. Some others were nearby, some young ones playing with sticks they’d found, imagining things that were beyond the scope of vision for anyone older.
The sun shone down through the mildly cloudy sky while a nice breeze blew some of the still leafless trees. It wasn’t cold, but nice and cool, perfect for pups to race around without panting for water every other lap.
All seemed normal for a time, that is until the shadow loomed over the pups. They both froze and checked to see what mysterious change this was. There wasn’t any sound, someone or something had just managed to sneak up on them, and now they were on guard, ready to bolt if the need arose.
But it wasn’t anything scary, or so it seemed. There was a smiling man holding out a treat, a very tasty morsel that the pups were finding it super hard to resist. While the pups danced back and forth, sniffing the air, the man beckoned to them, encouraging them to enjoy the gift he was offering. But Shuffles was ruffing, suspect of the hand that they couldn’t see.
When the man insisted that the pups take the treat, both pups became very suspicious that something was not right. They’d been around long enough to know that if you wanted to get a treat from someone, you were probably going to have to sneak it away or take it with a bit of cunning and skill. It was too strange to have someone just show up ready to hand out goodies.
The barking grabbed Brandon’s attention from the nearby park bench and snapped him away from his newspaper. His hard glare at the man would have sent chills down anyone else’s spine, especially one that was up to no good.
But it wasn’t until Brandon got up from his spot to inspect things in more detail that the stranger scooted on his way, glancing back only once to see if anyone was following him. But no one did. The pups hurried back to Brandon, yapping and barking about what all had happened. Yes, they were telling on him. That’s what they do, because they know not to take treats from strangers.
Author:
Jason Duron is a short story writer and author of several fiction stories. Curious and lovable as dogs can be, the Adventures of Rocky, Nixi, and Dante give you a chance to see daily life from a “dog’s eye view” and share in their thoughts. Please enjoy, and we hope that you’ll feel free to comment and give us insight into your dog’s very own adventures.
