Sunday, August 24, 2008

Scruffy Supercops



Once upon a time, in the year 2008, there were two young dogs, William and William (their Mom couldn't think of another name, but she really liked William). They were born behind the watermelon stand in Mladost, Sofia, and the world presented many possibilities to them. They learned the ways of the neighborhood from the older dogs, but they couldn't seem to settle on a career path. They tried their paws at hole digging, tram chasing, endurance napping, and garbage can tipping. They spent a day as mascots for the watermelon stand, luring customers in with their friendly tail wags and liquid brown eyes. They even tried to hire themselves out as taste testers to the butcher, but he didn't want that kind of help, and nothing else felt right. 

Then one day their mother happened to be passing by a new apartment building. It was tall with bright orange and red walls and cute little balconies scooting off the corners. There were no dogs in sight. Immediately, she thought of William and William. This new apartment building would need some guard dogs to keep away the other dogs, once people began to move in. 

William and William were thrilled to apply for the post, it was just the right job for them. The interview was long and difficult, and some of the test scenarios tried their wits to the utmost. They generally fell back upon "Bark" as a solid answer to the situations, and that seemed to work. They came to terms with the owner and put their prints to the contract; they would guard the building all night long, keeping away the other dogs in exchange for a daily ration of delicious dog chow. 

Now Mladost residents can hear William and William every morning from 3-5 am, faithfully keeping the other dogs away with their strong clear barks. They keep the orange and red building safe from intruders by night, and sleep away the hot hours of the day under whatever shade they can find. They're scruffy supercops, slightly in need of a bath. 

Though some personal details such as names have been altered to protect the privacy of the individuals, this essential story line is true. Our building really does have two dogs that are fed to protect it from other dogs. Bet you don't have any guard against the dogs dog guards in your hometown! And don't worry, William is friendly to people. And so is William.

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