"Aw, it really worked, didn't it? All I had to do was show you who's boss, and now you want to be a good boy and obey whatever I say from now on, don't you?" she said warmly, scratching Ashmael's fuzzy brown head all along. He wasn't quite focused enough to be sure how he answered her, he thought he gave an eager "Yes, ma'am!" but it seemed to come out as more of loud yelp or something. All he knew was that it felt so good to be affectionately coddled by this previously angry genie that he was sure he'd won her over and he was about to lose all his doggy parts and change back.
In fact, Ashmael was certain it was already happening! He felt so warm and pleasant under the genie's patting that everything seemed right with the world. His heart felt warm and fuzzy inside, his tongue lolled out and flapped around beside his chin, and the smells around him got richer and more tantalizing to his moistening nose. It was weird, he thought, to be a man who'd agreed to serve a genie rather than vice versa, but it was worth it to at least regain his healthy human form again. All he had to do was wait for all these pleasant changes to end, and then it would be over, and he could try to keep this genie appeased until he could figure out how to regain his freedom. For now, he would just enjoy his new master's good graces, try to ignore that bizarre swinging sensation in his spine, and--
Wait, what? A bizarre swinging sensation in his spine? Why would getting praised and patted and changed back by a genie make him feel that?
Not even bothering either to pull his tongue back into his mouth or try to get away from the hand that was scratching him behind the ears, Ashmael wrinkled his brow a bit and slowly turned his head to look behind him. Still panting rhythmically with a dumb, happy smile on his face, he caught his first glimpse of a curved, brown-furred, noodle-like object swinging in and out of view from behind his back. Idly curious about what it could be, he reached out a padded hand to grab it, then he tensed his frame and flattened his ears in shock! That strange swinging feeling in his spine had stopped, and the feeling of paw-like hands raced to his brain from far behind him. He held the thing just long enough to realize it was part of him and let go in a hurry, then felt it tuck beneath him.
"Aw, is my new puppy scared of his own tail?" the genie teased. He snapped around to look at her, confused about why she would give him such an appendage after he'd agreed to serve her in exchange for changing him back. Remembering the smells and moistness in his nose, he reached up with a hand to feel his face and found it jutting forward more like a canine snout. He also found his hands losing their dexterity even more, so he couldn't probably finger his new muzzle like he wanted. He felt his feet stretching while new pads and claws appeared at his toes and the balls of his feet. Soon it was hard to stay upright! As he landed on his four paws with his tail still tucked beneath him, he looked up at the genie as if pleading for answers.
"Don't look at me that way," said the genie, "I never said I was going to let you stay human! I've already seen you for what you are inside -- a pitiful little pup who begs from his betters and can be very obedient to anyone who can meet your needs. And I can! You won't be making wishes or living in a mansion with slaves. You're going to be a cur after all, the only difference is you'll be my personal pet. And you have to admit: having a free genie for a master could be fun! If you're good, you'll get to all sorts of magical justice being done to other people, and you'll never want for food or toys or anything a dog could want. You'll be a much more pampered pet than any human has, and you get to go everywhere I go. So how about it?"
Ashmael couldn't believe the genie almost seemed like she was asking him permission to keep him as her pet dog, after she'd already transformed him against his will! But he had to admit she was sort of right. What better life could he hope for, now that he was a dog? And being taken care of by a genie was his entire goal in the first place anyway! Sure, he thought it was going to happen on his terms, but he thought he could live with having the old man's genie as his master rather than as his servant. He stretched his forelegs in front of him and bowed his doggy nose to the ground in the most thorough act of submission he could manage. The genie smiled and snapped his fingers. His neck felt less bare when a leather collar appeared around his neck. He wagged his tail and gave a playful bark.
"Alright Ashmael--I think I'll call you Copper from now on--let's go off to our next adventure, shall we? My old master wanted me to ensure that justice was done, but all I really care about is enjoying my newfound freedom with my newfound pet. Let's teleport somewhere, see the sights, and if we see someone needs rewarded or punished while we're there, then you'll get to have a front row seat as I take care of it. Not to mention there may be some tasty snacks for you along the way if you're a good dog. Here we go!"