I'LL GET YOU MY PRETTY! AND YOUR LITTLE SIDE KICK KACI TOO!

MERLIN AND TIKA WERE THE ONLY ONES,

 WHO WERE REALLY EVEN TRYING TO HELP ME FIND MY BALL.

     TIKA WAS AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS LOOKING AROUND THE YARD AGAIN,

                 AND MERLIN WAS LOOKING AROUND OVER BY THE AC UNITS!

                                      AND NOT HAVING MUCH LUCK EITHER!

INSTEAD OF CHASING MOLLY DOWN THE STAIRS,

 LIKE SHE THOUGHT I WAS GONNA DO, I DECIDED TO SNEAK BACK IN THE HOUSE AND SEE HOW KACI WAS COMING ALONG WITH TRYING TO FIND A BALL 'DOUBLE' TO TRY AND TRICK ME WITH!

WHEN I FINALLY FOUND HER, I FOUND HER LIKE THIS!

I GOT ABOUT AS CLOSE TO HER AS COMMON SENSE WOULD ALLOW FOR,
AND BARKED LIKE A DOBERMAN!

THAT CRAZY LITTLE CANINE COULDN'T FIND THAT DOGGIE DOOR FAST ENOUGH Y'ALL!

              SHE WAS MADDER THAN A RATTLE SNAKE STUCK IN A HORNETS NEST!

SHE WAS JUST MAD BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T LIKE TO MOVE THAT FAST,

UNLESS THERE'S SOMETHING TO EAT ON THE OTHER END!

      BEFORE SHE COULD SNARL ANOTHER SNARL, I LET HER HAVE IT Y'ALL!
                                
                                "KNOCK OFF THAT GROWLING!" I SNAPPED

"AFTER ALL I HAVE DONE FOR YOU, THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME? 

BY CONSPIRING WITH THAT WITH THAT WANNA BE BORDER COLLIE,

 TO TRY AND FOOL ME WITH AN OLD SPIT BALL!

HAVE YOU BANGED YOUR HEAD OR SOMETHING?

 

DID YOUR LITTLE CANINE COHORT TELL YOU THAT THERE WOULD BE A PRICE TO PAY FOR YOUR LITTLE BETRAYAL? DID SHE?

DON'T YOU ROLL YOUR EYES AND TURN AWAY FROM ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!

 
                                                          LOOK AT ME!

 YOU AND MOLLY ARE GOING TO STAY OUT HERE FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES,

 UNTIL SOMEBODY COMES UP WITH MY BALL!

  EVERY TIME I LOOK YOUR WAY, I BETTER SEE YOU LOOKING FOR MY BALL!

 AND IF YOU DON'T FIND MY BALL BY SUNSET,

I'LL HAVE YOU BACK TO GRAZING ON CRAB GRASS AND DANDELIONS,

 BY MORNING TIME!

  ARE YOU FEELING ME CRITTER? 

NOW GO FIND MY BALL!

                                     IT WAS TIME TO CRACK THE WHIP Y'ALL!

I CALLED MOLLY BACK UP ON THE PORCH, AND PRETTY MUCH TOLD HER THE SAME THING I TOLD KACI..."FIND MY BALL! OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES OF MY WRATH!"

I ALSO WARNED HER, THAT IF SHE EVER BETRAYED ME AGAIN...

I WOULD HIDE HER LEASH SO WELL, 

SHE WOULD NEVER BE ABLE GO FOR ANOTHER WALK AGAIN!

I TOLD HER TO GO CHECK ALONG THE FENCE LINE FOR MY BALL,

 AND REMINDED HER, THAT I WAS GONNA BE ON HER LIKE A MICRO-CHIP!

                                   I TURNED AROUND AND LOOKED FOR KACI...

                                                          THERE SHE WAS!                            

\
                                  AND LOOKING HER LITTLE TAIL OFF TOO!

SHE WAS LOOKING SO HARD FOR THAT BALL, 

I THOUGHT HER LITTLE HEAD WAS GONNA FLY OFF,

 LIKE ONE OF THOSE CLAY PIGEONS,
 YOU SEE FOLKS SHOOTING AT ON THE T & V!

                                    SHE WAS DOUBLE CHECKING THE STAIRS,

                                   AND LOOKING BACK UP ON THE PORCH,,,

                                      AND LOOKING OVER BY THE BIRD BATH...

                SHE EVEN HELPED MOLLY LOOK AROUND THE YARD FOR A WHILE!

            I PULLED KACI OFF TO THE SIDE AND TOLD HER SHE WAS A GOOD GIRL FOR WORKING SO HARD TO FIND MY BALL AND SLIPPED HER THE TREAT I KEEP TAPED TO THE BACK OF ONE OF MY DOG TAGS, FOR JUST SUCH AN OCCASION...

I TOLD HER I FORGAVE HER FOR PLOTTING AGAINST ME,

 AND POLITELY EXCUSED HER FROM ANY FURTHER SEARCHING.

I CAN'T SEEM TO FIND THE PHOTO OF KACI BOWING BEFORE ME

 WITH HUMBLE GRATITUDE, 

BUT SHE DID...AND THEN SHE WADDLED HER WAY BACK INTO THE PALACE!

I WENT BACK UP THE STAIRS TO THE BACK PORCH AND THANKED TIKA FOR HELPING ME TO LOOK FOR MY BALL TOO, AND THEN EXCUSED HER FROM ANY FURTHER SEARCHING AS WELL!

SHE TOO BOWED BEFORE ME WITH RESPECT AND AWE,

 BUT UNFORTUNATELY MY EAGLE-EYED CAMERA-MAN MISSED THE MOMENT!

MERLIN WAS STILL LOOKING AROUND THE YARD TRYING TO HELP ME FIND MY BALL!

I CALLED HIM BACK UP ON THE PORCH,

 TO THANK HIM FOR BEING SUCH A GOOD BOY FOR LOOKING... 

 HE LOOKED AROUND ONE LAST TIME...

                                        AND THEN JOINED ME AT THE TOP...

                                            I TOLD HIM HE WAS MY FAVORITE!

                                         
                                             AND THIS TIME...I MEANT IT

                                            MERLIN WAS OKAY WITH THAT!

I DIDN'T HAVE ANOTHER TREAT HIDDEN UNDER ANOTHER DOG TAG TO GIVE HIM, 

SO I LET HIM LICK THE TAG THE LAST TREAT WAS TAPED TO!

                                                      AND YOU KNOW WHAT?

                                             HE WAS OKAY WITH THAT TOO!

                                            AND THEN...THERE WAS ONE!