Smart Dog and The Man
By: Jessica Zeek Krebsbach
Tags: Fiction, Animals, Dogs

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

Smart Dog and The Man

A short story from “Los Santos”.

Smart Dog and The Man exit the house and enter the cool morning air. The front door clicks shut behind them as they walk single file on the cement path that crosses the short front yard. Other Dog is with them, tugging on his leash and leaping with joy. Smart Dog does not need a leash. He is a smart dog.

When the three reach the street, the front door reopens. The Woman sticks out her round head and says something to The Man. Smart Dog watches as The Man nods slowly several times. The Woman speaks in lyrics of unbroken song, like a bird. Her voice is high-pitched and focused. The Man nods continuously to confirm his attention.

Smart Dog looks across the street towards the corner. He is annoyed by the delay. He sniffs the air. There is nothing of note to detect. He looks back at The Man. Other Dog looks at The Woman with joy and pleasure, wagging his tail unnecessarily. It has been difficult for Other Dog to learn human and he relies heavily on tone. Smart Dog looks back towards the corner. He thinks about his first stop; it is just across the street and around the corner, he can almost see it from here.

The Woman finishes her paragraph of instruction and releases Other Dog and The Man from the tight grip of her vocal cords. Before she has even closed the door, Smart Dog has taken off down the street. He crosses the crumbling asphalt on the other side. There is no sidewalk and the streets are old.

This place has many trees. The landscape is brown and covered in oaks and manzanita. The lawns are not watered. They grow wild with stubby old clover and tall grass with giant burs. At the end of the street, there is a yard with green grass, but the yard is fenced. Smart Dog cannot go there.

The Man walks with a tight ball of yellow plastic bags in his left hand. He has lived his whole life in the suburbs. He and The Woman moved here five years ago to retire. They run a bed and breakfast. Smart Dog is happy here. Other Dog is happy too. Other Dog is always happy.

Smart Dog crosses the street and approaches the corner, ahead of the others and on his own. The Man and Other Dog follow behind. Other Dog pulls unnecessarily on his long leash as The Man lumbers along at a relaxed pace. Smart Dog cuts across the yard with many cats. Black Cat and his brother are watching from the roof. They are unmoved by Smart Dog’s presence; watching casually, as Smart Dog ignores their big tree on his way to the neighbor’s house, the house with the two little girls.

Smart Dog stops several times at the house with the two little girls. He scatters his visits in discrete locations. The Man comes around the corner and sees Smart Dog at the edge of the yard, his usual first stop. The Man lifts his eyes carefully, without moving his head, scanning the house for occupancy. He spots a woman in the kitchen window. A fat little girl yells joyfully as the leash free dog squats in the yard. The Man dutifully plucks something from the grass with one of his yellow bags. He smiles and waves to the woman and the fat little girl. The woman waves back. Other Dog can barely contain himself as they walk past the yard with the two little girls. The fat little girl calls her sister to the window. The two girls smile and wave at the dogs. Other Dog can hear their muffled voices through the window. He wags his tail ferociously. His head twitches with glee. Smart Dog has already moved on. He is on his way to the little gray house down the street.

Smart Dog sniffs the turkey droppings by the trailer. The mulberries have begun to ripen and fall. The mean blue jay that likes to squawk in the overgrown oleander is in a good mood today. He nods politely to Smart Dog as he passes.

The Man walks slowly and with leisure, his back poised. He is wearing an Outback hat in soft brown leather. There is a slight curl to the brim. Otherwise he is casually dressed, in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, with white socks and white tennis shoes.

As they progress farther down the street, Other Dog maintains his huge smile. He is a big dog with a nice round face and snug little ears. His fur is oily and short. His skin is brown.

Smart Dog is smaller. He is a medium sized dog with long, chestnut fur; a pure-bred cattle dog. For eons, his breed has perfected the art of dog wisdom. His grandfather was a cowboy poet of high regard. His mother a descendent of green Tara herself: the great she-Buddha of Tibet. The chew toys around his doggie-bed are arranged in a neat row, with tight little teeth marks befitting a dog of his caliber.

Smart Dog stops in front of the little gray house and squats beside the persimmon tree. Again, he is discreet. The Man will miss this one. This is as Smart Dog intends. He spots a section of grass on the edge of Mr. and Mrs. Crumb’s yard. Over time, he has created a neat circle of dead, brown grass just on the other side of the fence. He beams with pride.

The Man and Other Dog come up from behind. Other Dog stops once at the little gray house. He is not discreet. The Man dutifully collects it with one of his little yellow bags. Other Dog pulls on his leash in a futile effort to catch up. Smart Dog does not wait. Instead, he shuffles quickly across the street to the elementary school. He finds a shady spot to sit down. He watches as Other Dog lifts a leg toward the fence in front of Mr. and Mrs. Crumb’s immaculate yard. The Man scolds Other Dog and pulls him aggressively across the street. Smart Dog shakes his head in disgust.

The three are finally reunited at the shady spot in front of the elementary school. The Man reaches down and attaches Smart Dog to the leash. As they exit the quiet neighborhood and enter the busy section of town, Smart Dog must be leashed. He looks at Other Dog and reminds him to stay calm. Other Dog is not listening. He is licking an old lollypop stuck to the bench. Smart Dog waits for him stop. Other Dog feels the judging eyes of Smart Dog on his back and turns around. He stops licking the bench and hangs his head in shame. Other Dog walks more calmly when Smart Dog is near. But he is also less happy. He wonders why Smart Dog does not like to be happy.

Tethered together, The Man and his two dogs walk towards the courthouse and make a wide loop around the library and other civic buildings. The whole town is only one mile long. When they reach the end, The Man and his dogs turn around and walk home. They pass the courthouse again. The Man drops his collection of used yellow bags in a lonely public trashcan located at the edge of the great lawn. Smart Dog squats several times on the lawn while The Man has his back turned.

Outside the courthouse, on a bench nearby, a victim of the patriarchy smokes a stubby cigarette in the shade; a leather jacket draped across his lap. On the end of his long, outstretched legs are a pair of scuffed-up cowboy boots. A camo-patterned baseball hat sits on his head with a thin, greasy ponytail hanging out the back. His black t-shirt advertises the brand Cabo Wabo. He watches Smart Dog as he squats on the courthouse lawn and smiles to himself. He sees The Man drop his yellow bags into the trashcan. Other Dog does his best to remain depressed, such as he believes is expected of him.

As they reach the elementary school, Smart Dog stops at the shady spot and sits down. The Man unhooks him from the leash. The three companions are tired and moving slowly, but Smart Dog still walks a few feet ahead. Even this short distance between them causes Other Dog to relax and smile again. He tugs at his leash and sniffs the air with pleasure.

The Man walks slowly up the short hill just before the end of the street. When they reach the corner, he can see Smart Dog waiting for him on the front porch of the bed and breakfast. The Man picks up his pace as Other Dog tugs excitedly on his leash. When they reach the front door, The Man unhooks Other Dog and gives him a pat on the head and an aggressive stroke across his body. He winks at Smart Dog. Smart Dog remains stoic. He gestures with his eyebrows. It is time to go inside. The Woman’s flute-like voice flutters over the guests as they drink their morning coffee and dine on homemade scones. Other Dog pushes against the front door joyously. The Man opens the front door, gently scolding Other Dog as he pushes him aside. Smart Dog waits for the commotion to die down before following The Man into the house, his clean, soft tail aloft, as if a tall scepter. The front door clicks shut behind them.