"Hey, Lady, looks like you sort of remember me? Or maybe it's just your realization that I am your master now?
Sometimes it's hard to read the expression on a dog's face," Nigel said with a grin, "You may remember you were
driving too fast and too close to the curb? You hit my dog and nearly put me in the hospital. I was there
crying over my Duchess, and you had the gall to say, "It's only a dog. Fifty bucks should cover it!" and you
threw a $50 bill at me and drove off." His face showed absolute disgust and devastation.
He took a breath and continued, "Duchess was a blue ribbon champion breeder. You not only killed her but her
litter of pups. Her value was closer to $50,000, but I wouldn't have parted with her for 10 times that. She had
perfect hips. That's a problem with most shepherds, but not her. You insulted her and me, and drove off. It
took me a while to track you down, and maybe you could have paid 50 grand, but I think it's better this way. You
make such a fine Lady, and you'll produce lots of litters of pups."
Your mind struggles to wrap itself around these concepts. You feel terrible now about killing his dog, and
wonder if she too used to be human. You feel trapped, but you also feel like you belong. You are conflicted. He
is your master. You owe him. He stole your life. No, he gave you a better life. Being a dog for a week was
going to be fun, but being a dog forever? You're not sure if you can handle that, but part of you wants to -
it's the part that wants to please your master. He pets your head and you lick his hand. Why did you do that?
Oh, yeah, he's the master. You want to run away, but you have to obey. Suddenly, you realize it's the collar
that compels you to obey. If only you can get the collar off, you can escape. But how?