away from the dogcatchers, who were currently discussing him and the elderly woman.  The prospect of a ‘snack’ and by extension, dinner later, was simply the icing on the cake.  Shale permitted himself to be led toward the exit, although when they got there, a burly dogcatcher waylaid them.

“Here now!” he said loudly.  “You know those dogs aren’t allowed in here.”

“Well he just got away from me this morning and he must have ran in here,” the old woman said.  “He didn’t do any harm and now we’re on our way.”

“Be sure that you keep him tied up,” said the dogcatcher.  “We’ve got our jobs to do, you know.”  The old woman turned a keen eye on the man towering over her.

“You’re Brian O’Malley, aren’t you!” she said in a shrill voice, pointing one withered finger at him like a weapon.  “Didn’t I have you in my third grade class?  Unless I disremember, you were often causing trouble.”  She turned a withering glare on him, the same she’d used to silence unruly third graders for nearly forty years.  The glare had never failed to have its effect, and it did not fail now.  The dogcatcher, now recognizing his old teacher, became abashed, looked down at the ground and kicked at a pebble self-consciously.  His partner snickered aloud.

“Oh…um…yes, Miss Harris,” he said, blushing from his chin to the roots of his crew cut.  “You…er…have a nice day now.” Miss Harris swished past him, Shale trailing behind in her wake.  The man’s partner was now laughing aloud.  With that, Shale was free once more.  Naturally, he could have simply run away from the old woman and she would have never been able to catch him.  However, as before, the prospect of dinner was tantalizing, and he was content to be called ‘Snookums’ for at least a while longer.  The woman continued along the sidewalk at a slow but steady pace, and Shale was content to walk along beside her, her old hand resting comfortably on his upper back.

Within a few minutes, they arrived at the old woman’s house, which was a dark and rather forbidding structure, set back from the road.  It wasn’t particularly large, however it seemed to loom over the yard and the various small trees and plants that made up the landscaping. Shale was slightly nervous about the house, although he had no concrete reason why.

“Well come on, Snookums,” the old lady shrilled.  “Come in and we’ll get you that snack!”  This was enough for Shale to recover from his initial fright, and he ambled gratefully inside.  The door opened into a long hallway, which was done in hardwood flooring.  Shale’s toenails clicked with every step he took. He was careful of his tail, especially, because the hallway contained a variety of end tables and knickknacks that he was afraid of knocking over.  The old woman led him into an adjoining room, which turned out to be a cozy and well-kept kitchen.  The lighting in this kitchen was much better than in the hallway.  The woman swept over to the refrigerator and retrieved a small, but delicious looking piece of meat.  Shale’s ears perked up at the thought of the treat he was about to receive. The woman was bending over to put the meat on a dish on the floor, when she seemed to take her first close look at the dog standing near her.

“Why…why…you’re not Snookums!” she shouted.  Shale, who had known all along that he was not, figured the woman must only be frightened. She seemed nice enough, so he thought that perhaps she only needed some reassurance and then she’d continue with the serving of the meat.  He trotted up to her and jumped up, putting his paws on her shoulders.  He made as though to kiss her on the face.  “Ahh!” she shouted, which was not the response Shale had expected. She put both hands on his chest and shoved him backwards with all the force her five-foot frame could muster. As it turned out, this was quite a great deal of force.  Shale toppled over on his back, landing with a thud on the floor.  “Get out of my house, you…you…imposter!” she yelled. Shale, never one to overstay his welcome, snatched the piece of meat off the dish on the floor and raced out into the hallway.  However, he misjudged his ability to run on hardwood, and he careened off course, slamming into an end table and knocking a lamp to the ground with a crash.

At this, the woman’s voice became a piercing, fire engine shriek.  “My lamp!” she cried.  “Get out of this house, you monster!  How dare you pretend to be my Snookums?”  She came after him, swinging her cane as though it were a hockey stick and Shale were a puck, lined up for a slap shot.  Shale, sensing that bodily harm was imminent, recovered his balance and took off down the hall.  He simply leaped through the door, crashing through the screen. Luckily for him, the old woman hadn’t closed the heavy oak door on the outside.  A bound took him down the front steps and two more took him all the way to the sidewalk.  With the old woman behind him, still howling about monsters and Shale’s audacity at pretending to be Snookums, he button hooked to the right and was off down the street. 

After a block or so, he slowed so that he could enjoy some of the meat he’d grabbed.  He gulped down the meat and licked his lips happily.  Despite its problems, the day had turned out all right after all.