A short story by Gerard Maurice Emery

In 1963 I was employed at Petswood Kennels in Cantley Quebec. The owner Mrs Joan Desloges had been gone for several days, to go to Toronto to pick up a new dog. The dog was a full grown Sheppard female. The previous owner of this dog, was in failing health and did not want the dog to be put down even though she was almost 6 years old. Mrs Desloges offered to take her because she unlike many kennel owners, cared for dogs more than she did for people. She was very fussy who she sold her dogs to. A few days after her return from Toronto I noticed that Arliss seemed to have a problem. I called Joan from the intercom in the kennel and asked her to come over to see what Arliss was doing. Within a few minutes Joan was in the kennel standing beside me and we watched as Arliss would go around in tiny circles with her nose to the ground. Then Arliss would stop and look at the floor as if there was something there, then she would start going in circles again.

Joan could not understand what the dog was doing even though she knew a lot about all kinds of dogs and their ways. She had grown up in England and had dogs since she was a young girl.

Joan said don't worry about it to me, I think it might be a mental problem. I will have to investigate it further. Joan knew a very good vet and relied on his opinion, he was coming over in a couple of days and would have a look at Arliss.

To say that Joan treated her dogs better than humans was an understatement. The kennel had been built to her specification. It looked like a bungalow, it was about 50 feet long, and 22 feet wide. There was a main office with the main entrance from that. This room also served as my quarters.

Then a main passage way was down the middle of the kennels, it served to access the trap doors to let the dogs out into the outside kennels. The inside kennels had a double row of cages one on top of each other, which where very big and had a door on the inside to be able to bring the dogs into the kitchen or the viewing room. There was also a room to use as an examination room and a bathroom. And finally at the end of this hallway was the whelping room with a separate entrance.

When the vet came over a few days later he had a look at Arliss and asked if she was aggressive. I replied "no." He asked Joan where the dog had come from. Joan told him, and then he wanted to know " how long she had been with the original owner." Joan said " since she was a puppy of nine weeks old." The vet shook his head and seemed to think for a long time. He said "I think she misses her former master so much that she is losing it. The fact that she is with other dogs is probably frightening to her. She is used to being on her own and being the queen of the house." Joan asked is there anything she could do to help Arliss settle in." The vet " said she is too old to be able to train to get used to the other dogs." And that Joan should try to give her some extra attention when possible, also try to keep her away from the other dogs when she was outside. "I'll get Gerry to take her for walks when he can or I will take her." Joan also said to me that from now on Arliss was not to go out in the outside runs, she should be tied out the front of the kennel away from the others. And she would get the material to build a separate kennel at the front.

A few weeks later Joan had to go into town to get some groceries, and this would leave me alone for a couple of hours. "You can handle things I'm sure." I agreed that I could and she left.

I was in the process of doing my regular duties and had tied Arliss out front to a large tree.

I was cleaning some of the outside runs when all hell broke loose. This was signaled by the howling and barking and yelping coming from the inside of the kennels. I ran inside to see what was up,nothing seemed out of place and then I noticed some of the dogs looking out the front of the kennels windows and barking. I looked out and there was Arliss just heading up the steep driveway onto the road. "Arliss!" I yelled. I headed out the front door after her. She was now on the road trotting along happily taking in the sights. I was in a panic but I did not want to scare her into a full run. So I walked quickly and called her name casually, "Arliss come here girl." She ignored me. I quickened my pace and she turned her head to look at me without stopping. She decided "O K that's close enough I'm going to run now see if you can keep up." "Arliss! No!" I shouted. Now she was running faster and I was in hot persuit. She headed down the road going against the traffic, thank God she was staying on the shoulder, this was not a particularly busy road, but it was a secondary highway. Now Arliss was a good fifty feet ahead of me and I was losing ground. I tried to run a little faster but I had reached my top speed and this was not the way to catch her. I looked behind me to see if there were any cars coming, empty, not even a horse could be seen. I kept going and started to feel a stitch in my side. The way Arliss was running it was as if she had gained her freedom and she wasn't going to stop for me or anybody.

Just then I turned and saw a blue car coming and I started to wave at the driver franticly, and yelled "Please stop! Please help me!" The female driver gave me a curious look and slowed down, again I said please help me. She asked "What was the matter?" And I said "one of the dogs from the kennels had gotten loose and could she drive me up ahead of her so that I would be able to catch her. She agreed and I went to the passenger side of the car, the lady said "you will have to sit in the back with my mother, there is no room at the front." I could see why, there was two little girls in the front seat. I grabbed the rear door and yanked it open and sat down. And immediately felt something wet on my rear? "OH you sat on my tomatoes" the driver said. "I'm so sorry I didn't see them there. I looked at granny she gave me a disapproving look and tisked tisked me. I smiled and turned to the driver and said O K let's go then. She started to go forward slowly because Arliss had now decided to cross to the other side of the road and down into the ditch. The driver sped up and passed Arliss and I waited till we were a good way up ahead of her and asked the lady to stop and let me out. She stopped I thanked her and again said I was sorry about her tomatoes. Now I was ahead of Arliss, I made myself as big as I could by spreading my arms out to my sides as to stop Arliss. I was running towards her, I slipped on the loose gravel and fell flat on my face. Arliss had now reached my position, and I tried to get up as quickly as possible. But Arliss performed a ten point Olympic jump over me using my back as a spring board and kept going. "Dam" I cried you little... I started to run after her again. You could see she was thoroughly enjoying this, her tail wagging, tongue hanging out and gleefully running about. "Arliss!! I yelled at the top of my voice, "Stop! come back here!" She was still ignoring me.

I looked behind me hoping maybe another car would come along and maybe help me but the road was empty, mommy, granny and the two kids had gotten out of there as soon as I left their car. Arliss was now way ahead of me and seemed to be heading towards a small house, going up the drive at a good pace. I was hoping there was not a dog or cat in the yard. No dog and no cat seemed to be there by the time I reached the end of the drive. There was a an older lady working in her garden and Arliss was heading towards her. The lady was bent over tending her garden she had on a pair of jeans and her legs where spread apart. Arliss still heading for her, I called out a warning not sure what Arliss was going to do. The woman didn't hear me. The next thing I knew Arliss flew between her legs, at the same time I yelled "Arliss!!" and all this happened in a matter of seconds but I saw it in slow motion. The woman gave out a loud cry did a flip head over heels and landed smack dab in her garden. I hoped it wasn't tomatoes. Arliss turned and started back the way she had come. I quickly ran to the woman and asked if she was alright, she shook her head yes. And I was off again. At least Arliss was now heading back towards the kennels. Arliss went right across the road and into a ditch filled with plenty of weeds and some rain water so where thou goest so must I. Down into the ditch getting wet and yelling like a crazy person I must have been a sight. Arliss was now wet and covered with burrs and so was yours truly, just a couple of country nuts, that's all. Up back onto the shoulder, we went at a slower pace now Arliss was getting tired and I was beyond that stage. We were now about half a mile from the kennels and I was hoping Mrs Desloges was on her way back. If she could only be coming down the road and see me chasing after Arliss, I could hope couldn't I. Then I saw a red car coming towards me "Oh thank God maybe another chance to hitch a ride. I waved franticly at the driver, a young woman with a look you see on somebody who just came out of a horror picture at the theater. Here I was stringy wet hair a big red splotch on my rear end all sweaty and running after a mad looking dog.

Is it any wonder she floored the car, swerved around me and disappeared down the road. What would you have done.

I almost started to cry and yelled "Arliss!!" I was on the verge of complete collapse and just wanted to sit and rest for a few hours. As I ran towards Arliss I saw a man walking towards me on the opposite side of the road and I called please see if you can stop my dog. She is a valuable show dog and there might be a reward if you catch her." [I lied but I felt it was justified]. The man came to my side of the road made a grab for Arliss but missed. As I passed him. "He said I'm sorry she is too fast and good luck." By now we were about a hundred yards from the entrance to the kennels and to my surprise Arliss seemed like she was going to turn down into our driveway. "Oh God could it be?" Sure enough she did and I was never so glad to see this. Now I could stop chasing her, and all I had to do was close the front gate. [Left open by Joan]. Oh joy! Oh bliss! It was going to be O K. As soon as I closed the gate Mrs Desloges came home I stood there looking bedraggled, she motioned for me to open the gate. I shook my head no. She gave me a questioned look and got out of her car. "What's wrong Gerry?" she asked. I gave her the short version of the event, she was smiling and then finally laughed out loud pointing towards the kennel. I turned and there was Arliss sitting at the kennel door waiting to be let in. I turned to Joan and growled. Joan chuckeld some more and said, "Go let her in I think she has had enough exercise for today."