Danny The Police Dog and Her Friends

As I was getting set to leave (gratuitous sponsor mention) the Long John Silvers in New Castle this AM, I was greeted by our law enforcement escort and his police dog. The dog’s name was Danny, and it turns out that she’s a narcotics dog and a protection dog and – and this I found extremely amusing – afraid of cats. Finding this out was analogous to discovering that Chuck Norris fears Barney Fife, or that a lion is secretly terrified of a cockatoo. It just doesn’t compute, though as a long time cat lover I was pleased to learn about this.

Anyway, meeting Danny and the officer reminded me that I really haven’t mentioned the help we’ve been getting out here from the various law enforcement folks around Indiana. The forces out here are usually limited in manpower, so we don’t always have an escort, and I’m just now getting used to it when we do. At first, walking down the road with a police or sherriff’s department car behind me, lights flashing, was a little disconcerting. I half expected somebody to command that I drop to the ground with my hands behind my back, the cuffs being slapped on prior to a ride into town, and a lengthy stay in a local jail cell. I know that’s irrational, but aren’t we all a little bit fearful of these guys? Be honest. How many times have you been riding down the road, minding the speed limit, only to slow down to 45 in a 55 just because J. Law made a sudden appearance? These guys can be intimidating, and it seems like people often tend to dislike them just because of the uniform. The guys we’ve dealt with have been uniformly professional, which I appreciate because I’m fully aware that driving down the road at 4 MPH behind some dufus wearing a bright yellow vest and Stewie Griffin pajama bottoms is probably not the reason any of these guys joined the force. Still, they’ve been unfailingly polite and friendly, and some of them have even donated to the Wish Fund.

Back to Danny the Police Dog for a second. As the officer extolled her various virtues, I gave silent thanks that she wasn’t around back in the day when I had my only run in with the police. I was a sophomore in high school, and was miffed at this girl that I had dated. I know you’ll be shocked at this, but she dumped me. She lived down the street from me, so I would always see her and her new boyfriend, plus her dad was a real treat. He never spoke, though he made it clear that he didn’t like me through a series of expressive grunts and rolling of the eyes. He always reminded me of a pissed off John Houseman, Paper Chase version. Anyway, I attempted to gain a measure of revenge by sneaking into his garden, pilfering a bunch of his prized tomatoes, and then firing them at his front porch from half a block away (I was a catcher in high school, and though I couldn’t hit at all, I did have a magnificent arm).  Apparently, I wasn’t the criminal mastermind that I thought I was, because the police showed up at my door soon enough, wanting to know why I was behaving in such an antisocial manner. I denied involvement, so it was my word against his and I got off with a stern warning. Had Danny been around in those days, with her sleek countenance and menacing teeth, I suspect I would have crumbled and confessed.

Unless, of course, I had known that she was afraid of cats.

Wednesday’s Journey: Cambridge City to Connersville

Mileage: 13.1 (This is the equivalent of walking the length of the QE II 71.8 times)

On the iPod: The Dan LeBatard Show. Dan’s show is out of Miami and is the best sports talk show I’ve heard in a long time. I highly recommend it, unless you’re a hard core fan that likes to discuss the matchup between Team A’s offensive tackle and Team B’s defensive end. In that case, you need to seriously consider getting a life.

P.S.: Still can’t figure out how to post photos with the (yet another gratuitous sponsor mention) fabulous Samsung Galaxy S. This is an indictment of Yours Truly and not an indication of the quality of this equipment. Still, starting tomorrow, I’m back to taking pictures with my other camera, and you’ll find them posted on my Facebook page (Mark Joseph Boyle).