The Good Little Puppy

The puppy pushed a bit harder on the boards of the fence. She could feel them moving, if she could just push them a bit more then maybe… She stepped back with a low whine. She was so close to doing this that at this point it was more to prove she could than any real desire to get out.

She dug at the dirt around the loose post, shifting a bit more out of the way. Digging her paws into the ground she set her shoulders to the loose planks and pushed, feeling it giving way. A gap opened up. She quickly shoved her muzzle through, pushing harder, forcing the gap wider and wider.

With a long, low growl she got her head through, feeling the wood scrape along her neck as she did so, thankful for her thick fur coat keeping it from actually causing any injury. The gap was about as wide as it would go, she could just barely fit her shoulders through, if she could get them through… almost... almost…

With a loud yelp she went flying out of the gap, tumbling over onto her back as she popped free of the fence. Quickly rolling to her paws she leaped up into the air and gave an excited yip, she’d shown that fence who was boss.

She paused for a moment to look herself over. Making sure her safety bell was still securely attached to the end of her tail and that her hoof, or in this case paw, straps were still in place around each leg. Each one tailor made to provide a safe and secure point to attach whatever restraints her Owner may wish.

She wished she had a mirror to check more, but she already knew what she’d see, a large, red collie. Or at least as close to one as the transformation potion could get her looking. They weren’t totally perfect, at least not the ones she used. Still, it was more than enough to make clear she was a puppy, albeit one only slightly smaller than a pony, but still a puppy; she even had a nice, shiny, black collar and everything.

Her introspection died down as she realized she was on the other side of the fence, outside of the pet daycare she was supposed to stay at till Owner came back to pick her up. She rushed back to the fence, trying to push the boards back out of the way with no success. She’d just barely managed to push them aside enough to get out, and the gap wasn’t going to open at all the other way.

She laid down, covering her face with her paws as she whined. Why did she have to do this? Why did she have to try and get out to begin with? Just to see if she could? She was a good little puppy, she should have known better. Now Owner would be upset, maybe even worried if he came back and she wasn’t there.

She could just go around to the front and get the daycare attendants to let her in, but they’d be sure to tell Owner she had been, she flinched even thinking it, a bad puppy! But, a worried Owner that was concerned about not being able to find her would be even worse than an Owner upset at her for being curious.

Maybe she could find another gap in the fence, a way to slip inside without being seen. She got back up on her paws and shook some of the dirt off her coat. Yeah that was what she’d do. Just follow the fence around and if she didn’t find another way through by the time she reached the main entrance she’d just have to explain things and hope Owner wouldn’t be too upset.

The daycare was built on the edge of the main Pet Town complex, so there was nothing around her on this side of it but open fields filled with scattered trees. She walked the length of the fence, testing it regularly for any loose planks but found nothing. To make matters worse, the side of the park was built right up against another building, not even the slightest gap between the wall and the fence. Still, this could be a good thing. If she could slip into that building, maybe she could find a window or even a door the led right into the daycare!

She hurried along the back of the buildings, passing a few before finally finding an alley she could cut through to get to the front of them. She skid a bit as she burst out onto the street, two pony-sized felines hissing at her from their perches on reinforced windowsills. She ignored them, turning to hurry back towards the daycare.

She also completely ignored the two, white suited stallions standing by a large, cage filled wagon. The Dog Catchers only worried about stray or misbehaving animals after all and she was a good puppy who had a loving Owner to take care of her. An Owner who… wasn’t… with her…

She slowed, the realization of what this looked like dawning on her only a moment before the net crashed down on top of her. She struggled, trying to get clear of the mesh, it was only over her head and forepaws so she managed to hold it down with those while backing out. Just as she pulled her head out from the net, there was a sudden pressure on the back of her neck and a loud click.

Already knowing what she would find, she turned her head. Sure enough, the larger of the two Dog Catchers was holding a long pole, its far end now clamped around her collar. “You ain’t gonna give us any trouble, are ya you sweet little thing?” He drawled out as his partner lowered the ramp on the back of the wagon and opened the cage.

The puppy shook her head, she was a good puppy, this was all just a misunderstanding. She pulled away a bit, just enough to get as much distance as she could from the stallions, but not enough to make it look like she was trying to get away.

What should she do? Go with them? She had her collar and her tags, they could find Owner easily enough, but then he’d find out she had been naughty. He might even punish her, that would be very not good... even if that thought made her tail wag. She took a quick moment to get the silly thing under control. She was a good puppy; she had to be back at the daycare when Owner came back. But she couldn’t get away.

If she went with them, she’d be taken to The Pound. She whined at the thought, at the stories about what happened to the bad pets who got sent there. But she wasn’t a bad pet, maybe they had an area for pets like her, who were just lost, not runaways?

The Dog Catchers were just standing there, watching her as she looked between them and the place Owner was expecting her, weighing her options. Neither making a move to force her anywhere. It took her a moment to realize it was clear she wasn’t sure about this and they were waiting on her to decide. She could just ring the bell tied to the end of her tail a few times and walk away. Call this whole thing off.

No, no. She shook that idea out of her head, where was the fun in that? But that left either fight to get away, something she wasn’t sure she could do, or just go with them. Fighting would just have them treat her rougher and make sure she got sent to the bad puppy side of The Pound. She let out a little whimper, forcing her tail still as it tried to start wagging again at the thought of what might happen to here there.

She had to go with them and hope they would help her find Owner. Owner was kind, and gentle, and forgiving, he might be annoyed she was naughty but he would understand. Maybe even punish her since they would be at the pound anyway...

She yipped at the Dog Catchers and nodded, jerking her head towards the wagon and trying to keep her tail tucked down between her legs to hide just how excited the thought of what might happen there made her.

But she was still a good puppy, she’d do anything she had to to get back to her Owner as quickly as possible. If they wouldn’t help her with that, she’d just have to try something else once she got there. After having a bit of fun if she could of course.

She let them lead her into the cage, giving a quick yip to the poodle that was sharing the wagon with her. The other dog gave her a whine, its muzzle and the chains locked around its legs keeping it from doing much more. Clearly this was a bad puppy who had fought back.

The Dog Catchers harnessed themselves into place and began to pull their latest catches towards the Pound. As the cart started to rock, the puppy crawled closer to her companion, staying low, her tail wagging playfully. The chained up puppy growled, but she also had a fun little grin as she shook her head at the playful, excited collie.

The free puppy tried playing with the clearly not wholly unfriendly new puppy-friend, but her being chained up and muzzled limited what they could do, finally the good little puppy simply laid down to wait for them to reach their destination.