Outskirts Press, INC.

“I Have a Dog Who Has Bitten a Teenager”

Strike one for Scout was biting that kid, a boy who did not know how to interact with a dog. Perhaps this was strike two, as Scout had already been abandoned, a mixed breed, some Beagle, some Collie, some other smart dogs in his ancestry, not a pure-bred by any means. Strike three might lead to being labeled a “dangerous dog” or even “put to sleep,” his demise. Scout needed rigorous training, fast. Riverview Animal Shelter could provide that training if it survived the schemes of a shady lawyer. Meanwhile, a key member of the RAS was coping with a different kind of trouble, something growing in her brain. Two others connected with the RAS had serious but different medical problems. Scout’s home was changed because of this, and it was not the last such change for him. Pixie, a young, shy girl, fell in love with Scout, and he with her, becoming her protective playmate and the excuse for two single adults to spend time together. “Do I smell smoke?” Yes. Where there is smoke, often there is fire, and sometimes an arsonist. Fire changes lives, including Scout’s and Pixie’s.