Starve the dog. Feed the dog. Throw him a piece of meat. He’ll stop barking and he’ll even lick your face. Then the poor dog trusts that his master will always feed him, but the next day, the dog finds no food on his dish, no water in his bowl.

More days go by. The dog gets weaker and hungrier. Then one day, the master returns and throws him another piece of meat and spritzes his bowl with water. The helpless dog learns that to survive, he must never bark at his master again. He must obey him to stay alive.

He gets used to the routine and he waits patiently for his food and water. He looks out the window. His master is nowhere to be seen. He has to find food to eat, so one day he jumps through the window glass. With open wounds bleeding from his nose to his tail, he musters enough strength to walk down the road in search for food and water.

The day turns into night. The night turns into day. The dog can barely walk. He stops to sit, panting so hard his tongue nearly touches the ground. It begins to rain. The cool drops soothe his parched tongue. He sees a puddle of water on the side of the road. He stops to drink in long gulps. The water refreshes his dry throat. He feels a surge of energy and continues his journey in search of food.

Night falls. The dog finds a soft patch of grass where he lies down to sleep. He awakens in the night. His stomach is gurgling. He must find food soon. He decides to not wait for daylight and walks up to the road, not knowing where he’s going.

Down the road apiece, the dog hears a whimper coming from behind a tree. He hears the whimper again so he decides to check it out. Behind the tree lies another dog, larger than him and darker in color. The whimpering dog stands. Together they do what dogs do, smelling each other from head to foot. The larger dog steps into the moonlight. He is thin, so thin his rib bones bulge out against his skin.

The smaller dog steps back onto the road. He looks behind him and the larger dog follows but is having great difficulty keeping up.

The sun rises, and suddenly a billow of barking lifts over the horizon and into the ears of the two dogs. They follow the sound to the other side of a hill, where they see dogs here, dogs there, dogs everywhere all barking in a chorus of canine cacophony.

Suddenly, what the smaller dog recognizes to be his master appears at the top of the hill. The larger dog passes him, wagging his tail. Could it be they both have the same master?

In the force of a fierce wind, the dogs in front of the pack move toward the master, all wagging their tails. The master removes pieces of meat and tosses them toward the approaching pack. They jump at the food in a frenzy of chaos, tearing the meat apart.

The master tosses more meat. More dogs dive into the pile. Large dogs begin to bite small dogs in a desperate fight for the food. Yelps of pain fill the air. Blood spills on the ground. The master lifts his hands as if to say, “No more.”

The larger and smaller dog finally get to the front of the pack to find all the meat has been eaten. Not one morsel remains. The smaller dog looks up at the master and bares his teeth. The larger dog stands alongside and utters a guttural growl before he breaks into a series of barks interrupted by more growls.

The large pack of animals mimic the two dogs. The once quiet countryside is now disturbed by an ear-splitting echo of barking and growling. The master steps back in fear. An attack is imminent. He runs away.

Suddenly, another human appears at the top of the hill. The entire pack of dogs stop barking and growling. They sense something different, something better. They sit down in a show of unity.

More humans appear. Each carries food and water. The dogs stand and wag their tails. The humans move from dog to dog, placing bowls of food and water before each of them. The humans pet the dogs, who in return jump up to lick their faces.

The band of humans walk each dog back to where they lived, where another human awaits to welcome them home. It’s a new day in Poochville. The next day, the small dog prances down the road with his new master. Along the walk, the dog meets up with his fellow pooches and he stops to exchange some friendly smells and nudges.

All across the land, dogs and humans unite to become a life force, armed with kindness and acceptance. Big dogs play in the parks with small dogs. Black dogs frolic with white dogs. Pedigrees allow mixed breeds to drink from the same water bowls. No more growling, biting. Happy tail wagging and welcome to our home barking happen every day in every town.

No longer do masters have to be served. Instead, the new masters honor the privilege to serve their communities.

One summer evening an eagle swoops down and flaps a wonderful breeze with its large wings over the small dog. He looks up to the sky and barks to acknowledge the proud eagle, the symbol of Old Glory, the Red, White and Blue that hangs from every house now, signaling a new dawn and a new day all across America.

Email Rich Strack at richiesadie11@gmail.com