We just witnessed a murder and an innocent dog framed for it!  What do we do?!  Oh sure I boast about keeping our neighborhood safe while on patrol.  But I never imagined a murder could happen on our quiet street, much less right outside our window!  Oh the dogmanity!

Ok, I’ve got to calm down and sort out what I saw out.  There I was looking out the window performing my daily Squirrel patrol, when I noticed our neighbor Odie walking in a rather determined manner across his yard.  This caught my attention because Odie is old and arthritic so tends to stay close to his house and rarely ever ventures to the far reaches of his property.  But there he was, walking towards an old log.  This unusual activity even caught Asa’s attention, and he came over and sat next to me to watch what Odie was doing.  As Odie approached the log he crouched down low, signaling he was stalking his prey.  This really impressed me because I didn’t know Odie had any Wolf left in him.  He’s a very gentle and sweet soul, who is more like a grandfatherly figure than a predator.  However, I couldn’t deny what we were seeing.  Odie was stalking someone!

As he approached the log he cautiously leaned towards it, stretching his old body as close to the log as he could, but yet keeping a safe distance.  Then he stopped, looked around, and just stood there.  Perhaps he was wrong?  Perhaps there was nothing there after all, and Odie was annoyed he wasted all that time and energy walking across his yard?  But then he started sniffing the log again.  I couldn’t control my excitement.  I started barking, “What is it Odie?  What’s in the log?”  He paused and looked towards our house.  Clearly he could hear me, but I’m not sure with his aging eyes if he could pinpoint which window my barking was coming from.  Odie moved closer to the log.

Then with lightening speed moving faster than I ever saw him move before, Odie snatched something out of the log and happily shook it then tossed it in the air and caught it!  What was it?  Who was it?  Asa and I couldn’t tell from our window.  Even Asa started barking now, “Stop Odie!  You’re hurting it!”  Knowing he was seen, Odie dropped his prey, walked a few feet away, and laid down.  Was he basking in the thrill of the kill?  Was he contemplating his next move?  Was he plotting to get rid of any witnesses?  Was he just tired after so much exertion?  I held my breath for what seemed like an eternity as I watched and waited.  Then finally Odie got up and walked with his slow arthritic gait back to his house.  I must have imagined it.  Odie couldn’t hurt anyone, much less kill anyone!  Asa started to whimper, so I knew it wasn’t a dream.

Before I could think of what to say to comfort Asa, Odie’s brother Trouble came bounding across the yard.  Trouble is younger and much more agile than Odie.  Also, as his name indicates, out of the two he is the one more likely to be up to something.  Trouble ran straight to where Odie dropped his prey, sniffed it, then began to examine the log with the ferocity of a Wolf.  Instantly his Mom started yelling, “Come!  Leave It!  NO! NO! NO!”  Trouble snatched up Odie’s victim and ran behind their house, with his Mom running after him, still yelling commands to deaf ears.  In the distance we could hear her yell, “Bad Dog!”  Then silence.

I still can’t wrap my head around what we witnessed.  Did Odie murder someone?  Was Trouble falsely accused of this heinous crime?  As the neighborhood patrol dog am I suppose to do something about it?  What about my sweet little brother?  How will Asa be affected by witnessing this murder?  Apparently he’s not affected at all, because he just sighed and laid down to take a nap.  Then again, maybe Asa’s in shock?  I know I am.  I bark and chase Squirrels, but I never considered what I’d do if I actually caught one.  Odie is a true Wolf!  Perhaps I’ll follow Asa’s lead and quiet my mind with a nap too.  That’ll teach me to never spy on the neighbors again! Oh the dogmanity…