Every Wolf's Howl by Barry Grills

Author:Barry Grills
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Freehand Books
Published: 2012-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

Late spring now. Taking advantage of the warmer weather, Lupus and I explore other parks in the city. On this particular day, we walk several blocks down to the waterfront. There, I leash Lupus to my belt so that we can sit down and enjoy the shade from a maple’s thick foliage. The large park is crowded with tourists out for a stroll and other people walking their dogs. Everyone behaves themselves. All the dogs are leashed and, as if by tacit agreement, we give each other a wide berth. All of us are careful in case our animals grow quarrelsome.

A short time later, a large Rottweiler suddenly intrudes on this peaceful setting. I hear it coming before I actually see it. I have just enough time to get to my feet, Lupus still leashed to my belt, before the Rottweiler charges. There are no preliminaries. The big dog attacks without warning. The encounter is brief but fierce. The Rottweiler sustains significant injuries to its throat and neck before it concludes it should retreat. I am helpless during the battle. To pull Lupus away could leave him defenceless. At the same time, until the Rottweiler retreats, I am caught in the middle of the two combatants, one of whom is leashed to my belt. I know it takes only seconds, but it seems much longer than that before the young man to whom the Rottweiler belongs arrives on the scene. He leashes his animal as I pull Lupus away.

“Jesus,” he says, “look at my goddamned dog.”

I do. It has been cut in several places around the neck. Bits of bloodied fur lie on the ground. After a closer examination, I am relieved to conclude that the injuries look more serious than they actually are.

“My dog is leashed,” I say without sympathy. “This is a public park. You should leash your fucking dog, especially when he’s aggressive like that.”

A crowd has now gathered and most of them have witnessed the disturbance. I hear them murmuring in agreement with my stern response. The Rottweiler and its owner have no basis for argument. And Lupus, whether deviously or not, has now sat down by my leg as if little of what has just transpired had anything to do with him.

“What kind of dog fights like that?” the young man protests feebly before he turns away.

“A dog on a leash that is attacked by a bigger dog that isn’t,” I reply with a calm I do not feel.

The murmurs of assent from around me are enthusiastic; they even approach the verge of scattered applause. The young man and his Rottweiler are relieved to withdraw. But I find myself trembling again. While I am pleased Lupus can defend himself with skill, I detest violence of this kind. For his part, Lupus merely lies back down in the shade, the incident now apparently forgotten.

I think, in many cases, dogs become what their human masters wish them to be. While specific breeds are prone to

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