The Other Coast by Adrian Raeside for January 21, 2022

My wife’s family had an ex-police dog for years when she was a child. Anyone who came down the front path to the house was tackled by the dog and brought to the ground by their shirt sleeve, unhurt but shaken. After several incidents, the dog was kept inside or on the chain when visitors or the mailman were due.

Ah, that must be Agent K-9.

He used to go to a Good Bar and met a girl who used to Snicker at him. They got married and he got a job, on 5th Ave, making 100 Grand a year. They later had their Baby Ruth.

I would like to contribute something witty here, but it doesn’t go easily “off the cuff”, ya know?

For me, it was a roll of Wintergreen Lifesavers that I stole from the store of a couple who later became my little sister’s In-Laws. Had they caught me, thus impugning my family name it might have prevented that disasterous marriage. It’s the little things in life that can make a difference.

Rusty isn’t going to like the part when the guy bares his soul and confesses to leaving his first dog chained up outside….

The perfect therapy dog