Poignant Paws: Dodger and Rita's Puppy Love Story

The sun was shining brightly; the birds were chirping merrily, and the children were out playing in their front yards. The weather was perfect. What a lovely day to be in Central Dog City.

Dodger had just taken a walk with his family through the neighborhood, but it was almost time for him to head back to work. Rita stayed at home with the children while he went to fetch some food for dinner. He could smell the scent of pizza as he neared the entrance of the local pizzeria.

His stomach grumbled in response, "You'd better make enough for the whole family," he muttered to himself as he entered Luigi's Pizzeria.

"Hey Dodger! Welcome back!" Said Luigi, "I see you're here for dinner."

"Yes, thank you. I'm here for seven slices of large sausage and mushroom pizzas...for my family." Dodger stated before handing over the money for seven large pizzas.

Luigi smiled and replied, "Same old Dodger, always thinking about others." Dodger blushed slightly and replied, "Well, uh, thanks."

As Luigi began making his pizzas, Dodger sat down on one of the stools and began looking around at all the other customers enjoying their meals. When he got to a table where two well-dressed dogs were sitting down eating a slice of pepperoni pizza each, something strange happened which caught his eyes: One of them began licking another dog's face gently.

Dodger thought that was so odd that he couldn't help but stare at them; however, it wasn't until they started kissing passionately that he realized what was happening...they were in love! Dodger wondered why they would do something like that in public; did they not care if anyone saw them? Did they want everyone to know they loved each other?

He began wondering if Rita would do that with him if she felt like it...but then again, she's probably too shy. Dodger thought about how cute it would be if Rita took a liking to someone else and kissed them...he laughed at the thought, but then immediately felt bad about laughing because it made him feel jealous! He didn't want Rita to kiss another dog! He wanted her all to himself! Why did he feel this way? Wasn't he supposed to be happy for her? After all, maybe she could find love with someone else now that they had kids together. Still though, he couldn't help but feel slightly jealous whenever he saw two dogs together who were in love...it made him want Rita more than ever! He felt as if his soul ached every time he saw another lover share an intimate moment together while he sat by himself with nothing but his thoughts and his wife at home waiting patiently for him to return home from work. He wished he could have more than just those moments when they ate dinner together or played outside with their children; he wished they could have fun together like those other couples seemed to do all the time! Those couples enjoyed their lives together every day no matter where or when it was; even sitting here waiting for his pizzas felt like torture because there wasn't much else for him to do...there wasn't much else for any dog to do these days besides work and play with their families after dark! That's why most dogs only loved during mating season anymore! That's why most dogs only wanted puppies once per year! That's why most dogs only loved and showed affection when they needed someone else's touch in order to survive! How long had it been since two dogs fell in love and decided to bond forever? It reminded him of how lucky humans were being able to choose who they wanted to be with for the rest of their lives; having sex whenever they wanted without worrying about getting pregnant or getting diseases...*Why can't we be more like them?* Dodger thought desperately as Luigi emerged from behind the counter with his pizzas ready for purchase.

When Dodger walked out of Luigi's Pizzeria carrying six medium-sized pizzas and one large pizza on top of a box filled with several slices of breadsticks, two men approached him. They were dressed completely in black suits wearing sunglasses, trying not to look conspicuous. As they both reached into their suit coats searching frantically for their badges, they cautiously approached Dodger and said, "Sir, we need you to put down whatever is inside your mouth right now!" One man kept a hand firmly gripped onto a gun inside his jacket pocket.

Before Dodger could respond, Rita came running towards them, dodging cars. She yelled, "Dodger, watch out!" As she did so, several cops ran behind her toward them, drawing their guns and pointing them directly at Dodger.

"Put those down NOW! You're under arrest!" The officers shouted. Following their orders, Dodger placed all of his items down on the sidewalk and put both hands behind his back. Officers handcuffed him and