Humanity has always been prized for its many derived wonders. Some of the most horrific nature, as seen in Japan at the closing of the second great war, but some also of such beauteous nature as the refrigerated freight car which allowed for the greater distribution of meat. They have spanned oceans, conquered mountains, and transgressed all earthly boundaries. I do admire them for it, truly I do, but I must say, I truly believe we are their greatest achievement. Years of genetic studies beginning with something as simple as the color of pea plant blooms has now matured past something so benign as Dolly to the greatest power house of human innovation.
Yes, I’m well aware I sound presumptuous, but you see, that is what they always taught us. Propaganda and all that, though several of our scientists honestly believe the hog-pog of feel-good statements they recited to us every morning. I’m sure it was to breed confidence in us and assure we felt that we would always be worth the time and trouble we both contributed each and every morning. Unfortunately they did not take into account how quickly we would begin to understand how humans can lie. A few fine chaps bit off their own tendons and bled to death from how awful and cheated they felt. I can’t deny I was about to do the same. You can’t tell a dog they’ve done well when they know they haven’t; our loyalty isn’t so blind anymore. That’s the problem when you start incorporating the intellectual, cognitive mind with the more instinctual based animal mind of a dog. I knew I was well ready to get away from the labs and the trainers and their contraptions and training apparatuses, and off to something truly new and fascinating. So you can understand my joy to find I was being shipped off to a new owner.
Rehckivic had only a small, little, pitiful airport from what I’ve seen of the satellite images, unfortunately I was never permitted to see it as my guide informed me that I and the hand full of other Neo-dogs would have to remain out of sight while still in Iceland. Something to do with staying out of sight from the general populous. When we arrived in Berlin – after a loud and uncomfortable ride in what must have been a small, rickety flying contraption – we were allowed out of our tightly sealed crates into larger wire ones. When our guide walked us out of the tightly sealed containers, I was overwhelmed with the potency of the air.
The Berlin airport struck me paw over tail immediately with just how diverse and strong they all were. Rubber and jet petrol, sewer steam and human sweat, Germans smell different than Icelandic people; more sausages and potatoes than fish. They even smoke different types of tobacco. Very different smells. I kept catching little bits of things I had been taught to recognize; blood, sweat, vomit, but then there were many others I had only faintly knew of the smell of cigarette smoke and strong beer, but then there were so many others I could only assume where types of food.
My guide was quite frustrated with me turning my head and tugging my lead like an untrained pup. But it was all so lovely, my tail was wagging incessantly as she packed me in the metal cage that would be my private compartment for the flight over to England. I was then most roughly placed on a conveyor belt and moved to the belly of the plane. My crate was stationed next to quite a number of animals. The closest neighbors of which were a shaky, skittish rat of a Chihuahua, a completely sedated Persian tabby and a large bloodhound mastiff, or something of the sort. Hard drow and drooping jawls, that sort of thing. I stood in my crate for a while, just trying to capture the memory all the various smell that were still filtering through the open loading hatch. I didn’t think of how I was being watched.
“You seem excited.” I heard the largest of my neighbors growl, though that was more as he was a rough individual opposed to the actual message intended.
“You could say that,” I commented, trying to take in what I assumed was the faint smell of freshly baked bread – it smells much like the stale stuff but much more buttery and potent.
“First time flying?”
“No,” I said, it wasn’t exactly a lie. I realized uncomfortably that he was watching and intently with his shoulders quite still. I wondered intently with his shoulders quite stiff . I considered if he thought me a threat though I couldn’t understand why, it wasn’t as though I was going to take over his crate or anything.
A person came and closed the hatch as he and others shouted back and forth in German, the Chihuahua whimpered and a few other animals around the cargo bay voiced their discomfort. Especially a bird I noticed swearing profusely and rattling his feathers in his cage. It was a great deal darker in the cargo bay now that the main light source was suddenly cut off.
“What are you?” I heard the neighbor ask most rudely, even living the sheltered life I had had, I knew basic canine etiquette, he couldn’t have offended me more if he had referred to my dame as a ‘bitch’ – exclusively a human term for a female dog, not ours.
“German and Australian shepherd,” I said truthfully, “. . . and a little black lab on my sire’s side.” I knew I couldn’t use the truth as to why I had such black fur. I doubt he would have understood the explanation anyways.
“A mutt . . .” he sneered. I rose my hackles at this.
“I was specially chosen and bread for multiple traits, not simply appearance.” I sat rigidly as a dog of good breeding. He snorted. I resisted the urge to bare my teeth at him.
“Are you some sort of hunting dog?”
“In a manner of speaking.” I realized with a flutter of shame that being elusive was a distinctly feline trait. He gave a low rumbling chuckle which a human might mistaken for coughing.
“I’ve been trained for Scotland Yard at a facility in Munich.” He said with some smugness, scratching his ear in a gesture of unimportance. It was my turn to laugh and I did so loudly.
“And when you mutts fail who do you think the humans send in?” I pulled back my lips from my long fangs in an almost human style grin. I knew he could see the wolf blood in me then. “I’m bred and trained for military purposes, my fine fellow, not simple a smidge of detective work here and there.” He turned from me with a low growl and lay down with his back to me. I knew he believed me because it’s not in a dog’s nature to be able to lie straight out, elude a question, yes, refuse to answer, more likely than not, but never lie straight out. I’ve been alleviated of this almost inborn trait, but it still takes a great deal of conscious effort. I can say, however, that I hadn’t been lying then.
Even thought I had won the argument I now no longer had anyone to talk to during the flight. I lied down with my head on my paws and contemplated what I should do about things, contemplating the life ahead and such what. To be honest the smell of jet fuel and airline plastic was beginning to make me feel ill. When the plane began to move down the runway all the animals around me began a new protest. I closed my eyes, hoping I was to expect a shorter flight than the first, especially when the whimpering Chihuahua stopped his pleading to vomit in the corner of his crate.
