CHAPTER 12

THE CANINE POLICE

“So tell us, Georgie,” Rocky said as the dogs walked down the center of the road. “How’d you learn to howl like that?”

The big Saint Bernard ducked his head. “Aw, it’s nothing any dog can’t do.”

“Oh, I’ve known lots of dogs,” Gizmo said, trotting to keep pace. “And none who could roar like that.”

Georgie tilted his head. “Well, believe it or not, I was the smallest of all the puppies in my litter.”

“No way!” Max said.

“It’s true! The others got all the attention, so I had to fight constantly to feed and get played with. Eventually I just got so fed up that I plopped my tiny self in the dirt, raised my nose high, and let all the frustration out in one big howl.” He chuckled. “You’d better believe I got a lot of attention after that. In fact, it was the reason the innkeepers at the beach adopted me and became my pack leaders. They knew if I ever saw anyone getting out of line, I’d howl, and they would come running.”

“Sounds like you’re one heck of an alarm system!” Rocky said.

Max wagged his tail and shook his head as his three friends continued to talk. After all the unpleasantness of the swamp, it was nice to finally be free and take a breather—even if there were still rumors of wolves afoot.

Then, Max saw them—a pack of large figures just down the road.

“Stop,” he whispered, halting midstep.

His friends huddled next to him. Georgie trembled, whimpering.

“Who are they?” Rocky asked. “Are they wolves?”

Max sniffed the air. The wind was blowing in the wrong direction, so he couldn’t get a good read on their scent.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Just be prepared to run.”

The animals—seven in all—trotted side by side in a row. They marched in unison—everyone stepping forward at the same time in the same rhythm. Max had never seen anything like it.

As they grew closer, Max saw that the animals were all German Shepherds. Their coats shone in the midday sun as though the animals were freshly groomed, and their pointed ears were alert. Around each dog’s neck was a dark blue collar from which dangled a gleaming, star-shaped medal.