Brigit
Brigit wasn’t sure exactly where Megan had driven her and the lady whose clothes smelled faintly of the sausage she’d had for breakfast. But the dog knew from the unusual scents and sounds coming through the open window that wherever they’d come was beyond their normal patrol area.
“Need a potty break, girl?” Megan asked.
Brigit wagged her tail. She knew what “potty” meant, and even though she didn’t need to potty, she always liked getting out of the car and stretching her legs and sniffing around a new place. Besides, there was a big cow with long horns at the fence nearby, and she wanted to check him out.
She hopped down onto the dried grass that lined the road. Megan clipped the leash onto Brigit’s collar, but there was enough give for Brigit to take the few steps over to the fence. The cow standing inside noisily chewed his cud as he stared at her.
Brigit stared back. She pitied the creature. He was inside a fence, trapped, his life limited to a few acres of land and whoever might happen to venture onto it. Brigit, on the other hand, had far more freedom. She was always meeting someone she’d never met before, going somewhere she’d never been. She couldn’t imagine leading such a restricted existence.
Still, despite their differences, there was no reason the two couldn’t be friends, right? Given that she couldn’t get through the barbed wire to sniff the steer’s rump, she whipped out her tongue and licked the cow on the snout by way of greeting. He responded with a snort and stomped his foot. Guess he didn’t like the dog interrupting his lunch.
“Come on, girl,” Megan said, pulling Brigit back. “He’s still a bull, not a burger.”