"Si Senor, I am a little worn out. My thin short legs have to work twice as hard as a bigger dog's." Chico whined.

A few hours later, after Chico and Barney caught a little shuteye, they told Dudley what the Tomcat had said. Dudley and Pierre were due to go out on patrol next, he was sure they would catch him.

That evening as Dudley and Pierre were getting ready to leave, they were discussing their game plan when they noticed Simon Siamese and Prissy Pomeranian approaching them.

"Oh great, what does a scrawny cat and a female want with us?" Dudley asked Pierre.

"I don't know, Monsieur Dudley, maybe they want to wish us luck. After all, we both know a cat and a female could be of no other use to us." Pierre said with a chuckle.

Dudley laughed at this because he too felt the same way. They quit whispering when the two drew near.

"Good morning, Dudley." Said Prissy in a charming, soft voice. "Simon and I have a proposition we would like to put to you...if, of course, you have the time." She flirted with Dudley.

It was common knowledge Prissy had a thing for Dudley...well, common knowledge to everyone but Dudley that is.

"Simon and I have come up with a way to find the stray without using any force." She said. "We know this is what you must want to..."

"We don't have the time to listen to any half baked ideas from you two!" Dudley rudely interrupted. "We've got business to attend to...making the streets safe for females and cats." He laughed.

With this remark Dudley and Pierre started their patrol.

"I told you, Prissy, they wouldn't listen to us." Said Simon.

"Well, then we must do what we think is right, Simon." She said.

"Stray or no stray, it would be cruel to hurt an animal if it wasn't necessary."

With this they put their heads together and started making plans.

"Simon, you rally all the cats you know." She ordered. "I'll gather a few of my friends and this is what we will do."

The conversation was buzzing with interest for awhile then they split and went different ways.

Meanwhile, Pierre was prancing around the streets, sidewalks, even an alley or two, though he felt it was beneath him, trying to find the stray. He knew he had last been seen on Elm Street but a stray would stay on the move.

As he was approaching a busy intersection he met a mixed breed he had seen around town and began to quiz him.

"I'm looking for a stray causing trouble, Monsieur. Have you seen anything unusual?" He asked.

Pierre was pretty obvious, the way he kept looking down his long nose at the mixed. breed. He didn't care much for dogs that didn't have a long pedigree. He was a real snob about these things.

"Depends on what you call unusual." The dog answered. "What might seem unusual to a proper dog like you might be something I see everyday...if you get my meaning."

This dog had already sized up Pierre. He knew he was a snob by the way he acted. He was determined not to let it bother him.

"Fancy dogs like you are a dime a dozen." He said. "Come live out here with some of us on the streets and see if your attitude doesn't change."

With this he huffed and walked away.

"Well...," Pierre said, "such manners aren't worth worrying about."

Still being the snob he was he trotted off looking for the infamous stray. He walked the streets until his pampered paws were sore but he didn't find anything.

Across town Dudley was roaming the railroad yard looking for any information he could use. He came upon a small dog who hung around the station. He didn't really belong to anyone but the workers there kept him fed and sheltered whenever they could. He was like a mascot and he got along well with the passengers so they saw no reason why he couldn't stay there.

"Hey...you there!" Dudley bellowed. "Do you have a reason for hanging around here bothering people?"

The small dog didn't understand what Dudley was talking about.

"I stay here with my friends, if that's what you mean. I don't really have a home of my own." The little dog muttered under his breath.

"Dogs like you who mooch off people give us a bad name." Rudely, said Dudley. "We don't encourage your kind to hang around town. You best be on your way."

The little dog looked confused then he turned and slowly walked away down the tracks.

Now honestly! This crime watch thing was getting out of hand. The power had gone to some of the member's heads. Under other circumstances or in the past, Dudley would have never talked to another animal that way. What's going on?

Dudley left the railroad yard and started back towards his end of town. As the others did, he and Pierre were to meet where they started at the end of their shifts.

"I came up blank, Pierre. What about you?" Dudley asked.

"I too found no information that would help us, Monsieur. I saw only a crude hound with no manners." He answered.

As Dudley and Pierre went home to get a little sleep, Prissy, Simon and their friends were beginning an idea of their own. They left with a couple dozen posters to post around town. Their idea seemed simple enough but would it work?

Every time Prissy or Simon hung a poster, animals would gather around to see what it said. It was announcing a free dinner and social gathering to anyone wanting to come. A chance to meet you neighbors, make new friends it said but best of all...it was a free dinner.

Welcome, come one, come all, it read. This had never been done before so before long the whole town was buzzing about it.

"Are you going today?" "Are you going to the dinner?" Everyone was asking one another.

Prissy, Simon and their friends all agreed to give up a portion of their daily feedings. This is the free dinner they were to serve.

There were some yummy sardines, juicy kibbles in gravy, ham bones that still had bits of ham on them. There were doggy treats, chew bones, canned dog food, dry dog food, table scraps, cat food, kitty treats and even some catnip and doggy toys for entertainment later in the evening.

What a Feast! How could anyone refuse to come?

Dudley and Pierre had only been awake for a short time when they got word of what was going on. Barney, Chico, Sam and Ronnie couldn't wait to tell them.

"Wait a minute...one at a time!" He told them. "Barney, what's this all about?" He asked still half asleep.

Barney and the others told Dudley and Pierre about the dinner Prissy and Simon were responsible for.

"Come on, let's get over there. Silly female...what makes her think this stupid idea will work anyway?" He asked himself out loud.

"Females, cats...spare me from all of them." Dudley said full of meanness.

When the guys got there they were surprised to see how many animals actually came. The turnout was beyond expectations.

"Come in...all of you are welcome as well." Prissy told the guys. "Please, fix yourselves something to eat." She told them.

Prissy explained to Dudley and the boys her idea was to make the stray feel welcome, offer to help him if he needed it. They would explain to him how the other pets have been getting blamed for what's been done. She said there may very well be a reason for what he had been doing.

"Oh right." Dudley said as he made fun of Prissy. "Just what kind of reason would a dog have for tipping over trash cans, terrorizing birds and the other things he's been doing?"

"I'm sure I don't know, Dudley." She said. "That, is what I hope to find out by having this dinner. In fact, this may be the first of many dinners to come since everyone seems to be enjoying themselves."

They decided to split up and mingle for awhile. If they saw a dog they didn't recognize they would approach him in a friendly way and discuss the problem with him.

Suddenly, as Prissy and Simon were talking about the success of their dinner, a small black and gray terrier came creeping in. They couldn't decide if he was scared or if he was being sneaky. They decided to go over and invite him in.

"Hello, my name is Prissy. This is my friend, Simon. I don't believe we know you, what's your name...where do you live?" Prissy politely asked the terrier.

"I...I'm sorry if I am crashing your party but...well...I am so hungry. I smelled the food the other animals are eating. I thought I would ask you, please, for some." He said as his face turned red from embarrassment.

"Please...come in. You are as welcome as anyone else here. Eat first then we will talk some more." Prissy told him.

"You are so kind Miss...thank you...thank you." He excitedly told her.

Dudley watched them talking to each other and his curiosity was getting the best of him. He couldn't stand it any longer, he had to know who he was and what he wanted.

"Who is that scared little mutt?" Dudley asked with a smart aleck attitude.

"I don't know his name yet, Dudley." She said. "He is nearly starved, you can count his ribs. He will talk more freely when he has filled his stomach." She told him.

"Bye the way, Mister Dachshund, I used to think quite a bit of you but lately you and your crime watch buddies have been acting absolutely horrible. You've been roaming around town like a bunch of thugs. Just who do you think you are anyway?" She blasted.

"It makes me wonder what you would have done to the stray if you would have found him. It's not your place to judge anyone. You don't know the circumstances that may or may not have caused an animal to do the things you say he's doing. Honestly! She screamed at him.

Now Dudley wasn't used to being talked to by anyone this way, much less a female. I have to tell you it sure made him stop and think about what he and his friends were doing.

They didn't have the right to appoint themselves judge and jury over anyone. Besides, violence never solved a thing. It's better to talk with someone about the differences you may have and try to make peace with one another.

The little terrier ate and ate until, finally, he had his tummy full. He told Prissy and Dudley again how much he appreciated it. He then proceeded to telling them his name...and his story.

"My name is Tinker Terrier." The little dog told them. "About three weeks ago I was traveling with my master across country. We stopped at a roadside picnic table so we could eat and stretch our legs a bit."

"I went running and playing in the woods near the clearing. I don't know how I did it but I got my collar caught on an old log. I tried but I couldn't get loose. It seemed like forever but finally it twisted free. I ran back to where my master was supposed to be but he was gone. I heard him calling me and I know he must have looked for me a long time but I couldn't get loose. The collar was too tight around my throat and I couldn't bark to let him know where I was."

Bye now the little terrier had tears in his eyes as he finished his story. Actually, everyone listening seemed to have tears in his eyes as he went on...

"I don't know how long my master must have searched for me but I guess he had to move on." He went on to say.

"I ran along the highway for days looking for him. I found nothing to eat, I didn't know how. My master had always provided my meals every day." He said as he hung his head.

"When I came to this town I thought I would find someone who would help me. Instead, they threw rocks at me and said, shoo...go away!" He told them.

"I had no choice but to dig in trash cans, try to catch a bird or steal another animal's food. I feel so ashamed...I'm sorry." He apologized. "You have no idea how much hunger can change you."

"I didn't mean to frighten the cats. I only wanted to stop them long enough to ask them where I could find someone to help me find my master. I'm so sorry." He apologized again.

Bye now everyone at the dinner was gathered to listen to Tinker's story.

Prissy and Simon welcomed him to their town and told him they will do anything to help. Then, gradually, everyone else told him they too will share their meals and do whatever it took to get him safely home.

Dudley, Barney, Chico and Ronnie stood around talking for awhile deciding what to say to Tinker. The way they acted was inexcusable so they wanted to take their time discussing it, making sure they said the right things.

"Tinker, I would like to first say you don't have to apologize to us. We should apologize to you and we do. We will all do what we must to help you find your master." Dudley told him.

"Also, Prissy and Simon, I want to apologize to you for the things I said about females and cats. I was being prejudiced and wasn't treating you as equals. That was wrong, I'm sorry." He apologized.

"Next, I would like to announce to everyone that the Canine and Cats Crime Watch will, from this day on, be called the Crisis Center For Lost and Homeless Pets." He proudly stated.

"We found out today, if everyone gets involved, we can each give a portion of our food to a deserving animal to help him. There is no need for an animal to have to get that hungry again." Dudley said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Yea! Yea!" The crowd cheered with enthusiasm.

As the crowd started breaking up and they were left alone, Prissy told Dudley how pleased she was with him. He recognized his faults and he did something to correct them.

She told him she was proud of the way he extended a gesture of friendship and brotherhood to the little lost terrier.

"Well...you know, uh, well...I...er..." He was stammering with a red face.

About that time Sam held up a drink of cool water to the crowd for a toast...

"To the first meeting of the Crisis Center For Lost and Homeless Pets." He toasted.

"Indeed...indeed!" Dudley grinned.

The end

~Webrings~

~Index~