Read Online Play Dead by Leslie O'Kane - Free Book Online

guess here and say that Mugsy hadn’t
been around children much until you and Sarah got married.”
    “That’s true.”
    I turned my gaze to Sarah. “You and the
children had no pets at all until you married John?”
    “That’s right.” Sarah asked meekly, “Are
we doing something wrong?”
    I very much wanted to laugh at the
obviousness of that answer, but didn’t. “Benjamin?” The boy was squirming
around behind the couch section nearest the wall.
    He raised up and said, “Yessy?”
    “Can you tell me about the last time that
Mugsy bit you?”
    “Mugsy bit me.” He averted his eyes and
started fidgeting with the wooden gun in his hands, reloading a rubber band.
    “Where were you at the time?”
    “Don’t remember.”
    “Were you in your room?”
    He shook his head. “This room.”
    “And what were you doing?”
    “Nothing.”
    “Did you have anything in your hands at
the time?”
    Benjamin dropped the gun on the couch as
if it were red hot and said, “No.”
    “Benjamin!” John said. “Were you shooting
rubber bands at Mugsy? Like we told you over and over again not to do?”
    “No, I wasn’t!” Benjamin got to his feet
and stuck his lip out. “I was shooting past her! We were playing cowboy and
Indian.”
    John rolled his eyes and let out a
chagrined puff of air. “I told you so, Sarah. Mugsy was just defending herself.”
    “This doesn’t explain why she bit Emmy,
though,” Sarah said to me, stiffening. “I saw the whole thing, and Emmy didn’t
do a thing to the dog. Emmy is always completely gentle with everything. Aren’t
you, Emmy?”
    Emmy nodded. She chanced a smile at me,
then again buried her face against her mother. She was very cute with those big
eyes and that glorious Irish-setter red hair.
    “Were you scolding Emmy at the time?” I
asked the mother.
    “Why, yes. She’d made a mess, and I was
sending her to her room for a time-out. But how could that have anything to do
with the dog’s behavior? The incident had nothing whatsoever to do with Mugsy.”
    “Was Mugsy nipping at Emmy’s heels as she
went to her room?”
    “Yes, and like I said, Emmy wasn’t doing a
thing to her.”
    “Mugsy was trying to help you discipline
your daughter by helping to hurry her into her room.”
    Sarah scoffed. “Oh, come on, now! Aren’t
you anthropomorphizing here? How can a dog want to help discipline a child?
Emmy’s still bigger than she is, after all, so she can’t possibly know the
difference in authority between us and a child.”
    “Sarah,” John said, “you’re
underestimating Mugsy. She’s a smart dog. Right, Mugsy?”
    Mugsy barked.
    Sarah looked away in disgust.
    “Could we let the children go back to
their television show for a minute?” I asked.
    Benjamin needed no other excuse and shot
out of the room calling, “Bye,” behind him. Emmy waited a moment, then ran
after her brother. Mugsy, who’d briefly settled down once again at her master’s
feet, got up and trotted to the hallway after the children, then stopped when
she saw John wasn’t following. She watched him for a moment, then settled down
in the hallway, within eyesight of John.
    I waited until the children were out of
earshot. John put his arm around his wife and stared at me as if bracing
himself for some serious bad news.
    “There are some things I can do to help
you to get Mugsy to behave better. I have no doubt that we can make some
adjustments and train her not to nip at the children, with the caveat that all
dogs have sharp teeth and are capable of biting. Most importantly, you both
have to start by training your son to be gentler with the dog.”
    I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “However,
Sarah, none of this might change the fact that you’re not happy living with
this dog.”
    Sarah squirmed in her seat a little, but
said nothing.
    I continued, “Before we can start, I need
to know that you’re all truly committed to keeping Mugsy. Otherwise, I’ll be
working with my hands