Lilly - Criminal Dog! (part 1)

( Mug Shot) Lilly talking with Puff

Lilly: Hey Puff, did you hear that a "good neighbor" of ours complained about my barking?

Puff: You're a dog; you bark. Dogs bark, what's with that?

Lilly: Yeah, but this guy called the sheriff! I feel like a criminal. No one ever call the police to complain about cats... that's not fair.

Puff: They called "The Law" on you? For barking? How cool!

Lilly: Dad didn't see it as "cool". I heard him talking to mom and they are as mad at this neighbor as they got at me when I had diarrhea in the living room. Apparently this neighbor is a real "piece of work", I heard dad say. In two years he never called to complain, just - up and calls the sheriff one day at 6:00 in the afternoon.

Puff: So are you going to get arrested - do hard time? Will you get a jailhouse tattoo?

Lilly: Well, I think the sheriff thought this was as funny as you do, he said that in six years on the job he had never cited a barking dog... especially out here in the country. No one seems to complain when I bark at bears, mountain lions or people coming up our drive. I wonder what caused this "good neighbor" of ours to cross over to the "dark side"?

Puff: Let me get this straight... we live 10 miles outside of town on 5 densly wooded acres, you can't even see this neighbor's house from our front yard; we have carnivores like bears, mountain lions, coyotes (oh my!) as regular visitors and you're not allowed to bark? What do we need you for?

Lilly: It seems the county has a law about barking dogs, but according to dad it is a really dumb law. It says that anyone can complain about a dog who is barking unduly", but unduly is not defined. Mom and dad don't know if unduly means I'm allowed to bark 2 min. per hour, 20 min. per hour, before midnight, after lunch, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only.... how dumb is that?

Puff: So, I can complain, that is... I can sick the sheriff on you if you bark 5 times and I think you should only bark three times, is that how I understand this law? Do you have the sheriff's number handy?

Lilly: And they don't think cats are as smart as dogs! Gee Puff, you're a regular Einstein!

Puff: Thanks, is Einstein a cat or a dog?

Lilly: Back to the important things... my liberty and legal limitations of my barking... mom and dad are meeting our "good neighbor" in court. They decided to make the county define when I'm allowed to bark and when I have to be quiet.

NOTE from the pack leader: This conversation between Lilly and Puff(may or) may not have taken place, but the absurd citation for a barking dog was actually served. It was surprising enough to discover that here in rural Montana, a barking dog ordinance actually existed, but what is even more perplexing is that a neighbor living acres away was so inconsiderate as to never call or knock on our door to complain. Lilly's been doing her job as a watchdog for more than two years, and we have NEVER received a complaint from any neighbor.... until the sheriff knocked on our door.

To Be Continued...