Once Kurt Tanner had backed into the driveway of his parents' home, he sent Sam inside and got his new dog out of the animal crate in the back of the car. Kurt twisted the leash around his hand three times to make sure he had a good grip, and then he said, "Okay, Jared, boy, you're my dog now. So do as you're told, or you'll end up neutered and never be human again."
Jared's ears literally perked up as he stared at Kurt. Kurt grinned at the recognition.
"Yeah, Jared, boy, you be a good dog, and I'll turn you back into a human," Kurt said as he pulled a gym bag out of the hatchback. It had been hidden by the dog carrier.
Jared barked and pulled at the taut leash, as Kurt held the gym bag out of reach.
"Yeah, Jared, it's the gym bag you lost on the bus last week. It's full of your clothing, and if you are a good dog, I'll dress you in your clothes, and use that medallion to make you human. But you have to be a really good dog. No sneaking over to Kevin's, or trying to escape. Got it!" Kurt waved his finger at the sheepdog.
The dog's head bobbed up and down, and he barked in assent.
Meanwhile, Kevin was up in his tree house staring down at the weird tableau unfolding. Kurt led Jared through his back gate and over to a chain link fenced pen. It hadn't been there a week ago. It was still shiny. It was six feet by four feet by six feet with a dog house inside. There were a couple of metal bowls and a stake to which Kurt secured Jared's leash.
"Now, Jared, forget about your family, friends, and baseball, if you ever want to have them again. You need to focus on being my dog," Kurt ordered.
Jared whined and cocked his head.
"You don't need to understand, boy. You just need to do it. Be my dog. Be my best friend. When we're best friends, I'll change you back. After all who would reduce their best friend to a caged animal? But you gotta become my best friend to earn your freedom. You gotta be a good dog, Jared. Understand? Bark once for yes, twice for no."
It sort of made sense. Maybe Kurt really was his owner. He missed the boy Kevin though. No, I'm human? I was human? Jared walked around in a circle in his pen sniffing after his own butt. He smelled like a dog. He lay down and barked once.
"That's a good boy. I think you're going to like your dinner boy."
Kurt padlocked the kennel with a heavy duty padlock. Picked up the gym bag and went inside.
Jared stared at his paws.
He heard Kevin's voice, and perked up his ears.
"Hey, Jared, I hope your dog hearing can hear my voice," Kevin said, "I'm really sorry about this. I shouldn't have turned you into a dog. Ma and Dad will freak. How did Kurt find out? How-" An ambulance siren wailed, and instinctively Jared sat up and howled.
"Hey, boy. No worries, just an ambulance siren," said Kurt jovially as he brought out something in white butcher paper.
YUM! Jared could smell the raw meat. He was up and wagging his tail.
"My folks would freak, if they knew I was giving you a T-bone steak, but I really do want your first night as my dog to be a happy one," Kurt said unlocking the kennel. He unwrapped the steak and dropped the raw meat into one of the silver dog dishes. He knelt down and tousled Jared's fur.
Jared sunk his teeth into the raw meat it was delicious, maybe being Kurt's dog wouldn't be so bad after all? He didn't notice Kurt put on a pair of latex gloves, and carefully begin to undo the mystical dog collar with the medallion attached. The other collar with the dog tags that Kurt had made up yesterday, and slipped around Jared's neck earlier this day remained in place. He shoved the collar into his front pocket, but as he stood the medallion came loose and fell out of his pocket, and rolled across the kennel's floor. Jared saw, and put his hind paw over it. He continued eating. Maybe if Kevin could get him his clothing before Kurt noticed he didn't have the medallion?
About an hour later, Kurt returned he filled Jared's water bowl with the garden hose, and then reached into his back pocket.
"Hey, boy. They say it helps a dog bond to his master, if he sleeps with something of his master's with his scent on it," Kurt grinned and slipped his dirty jockstrap through the gaps in the chain link and dropped it on Jared's nose. Jared snuffled it, as if to say thanks. He felt better after eating. The steak and bone to chew on. He was in dog heaven. As the sun started to set, Jared curled up in his dog house with his master's jockstrap, and the medallion. He didn't know why anymore, but he knew the medallion was important to him. He fell asleep.