Tuesdays With Tonka

The Dog Catcher

    Mom and the other humans have some rent houses in a town close to here. One of the people that rented is the dog catcher in that town. He always mailed his rent until he found out mom had horses. He wanted to come over and see the horses so he did.

   We have a lot of people come to our house all the time. We have nurses and aides almost everyday. Paula and her mom come to feed the horses every day. Then we have the renters. The Fed Ex guy really likes me and lets me get in the back of his truck.

    Mom was at the barn as usual and I was with her as usual. The man drove up so I ran to the house and barked for mom like I am supposed to do. Mom headed down but she was walking. The dog catcher got out of his car and I ran up . Then he backs up to the car and was afraid of me.

   Now I have never seen anyone afraid of me before. The first thing I did was bristle up turn around and see if there was an angry horse or snake behind me. I didn't see anything. So I turn back around to the dog catcher bristled up this time and he about climbs on his car. Mom gets there about this time and says "Tonka sit." And I do. Mom goes on to tell the dog catcher I was just a pup and he was scaring me. He was. We walked back to the barn and he looked at the horses.

  The dog catcher came back a few weeks later cause he was moving. Mom and I were at the barn again. I run to see him and bark just like I supposed to. He gets out of the car and tried to act like he was not afraid. But he holds his arms straight out. He calls to mom as she crosses the fence,"He's trying to get my hands." Mom smiles and answers "He thinks you have a stick." She threw me one and I leap after it.

   I think dog catcher must mean someone that is afraid or doesn't like dogs, but I'm not sure.

   The dog catcher is not coming back anymore. I am glad. I don't think I like dog catchers much.