Both Ron and Baron were exhausted. The hot summer sun bore down on the cracked and parched soil, and fingers of sunlight filtered into the impenetrable overgrown forest floor, heavy with weeds and brambles, making each step nearly impossible. With one more suspect to be found, the trackers turned back to where they had come and pushed once again through the dense tangle of vines and leaves that thwarted every attempted step.
Clouds of mosquitoes, whining in the dense bushes and muddy pools of stagnant water emerged as the two stumbled along. Humming and biting with a vengeance, they presented yet one more hazard. But, despite the intensity of the heat and the biting insects, Ron was determined that if Baron could go on, he could too.
* * *
Just after midnight, the first K-9 unit arrived at the scene. Cpl. Gerry Guiltenane parked his black Chevy Tahoe dog wagon near the woods. In the far back seat compartment rode K-9 #404, Argus, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police…….. It was typically cold in British Columbia’s Okanagan region that fateful night, and the temperature had dropped to a bone-chilling 41 degrees. Wild predators roamed the thick woods in the Canadian wilderness. Only a week before, a cougar had been sighted in the vicinity where yapping coyotes were common and lumbering bear were occasionally seen.. . . Dual beams from their heavy-duty flashlights cut though the darkness trying to keep up with the large German shepherd that trotted ahead. It had been nearly ten hours since the two-day old baby, Denver Giroux, had been stolen from the Kelowna General Hospital, and now in the early morning hours all that could be heard was the heavy breathing of the focused men and the crunch of their footsteps deep in the woods as they plodded along adjacent to the rippling creek.
* * *
It is hard to say how long he had been on the streets. He was small for his breed and did not exhibit the graceful slant back of a typical German shepherd. He ran loose on the streets on worn paws, scared and alone, fending for himself and scrounging food where he could find it. With no home, the raggedy dog found shelter where he could. During bad weather and in the evening, he hunted for a place to sleep and to wait out the long lonely nights. He was a housebroken dog, and he had been taught to sit and lie down. He was playful, intelligent and well-mannered having been someone’s pet, but now he was separated from that owner and had to learn the ways of the often mean streets.
Worst of all, no one wanted him. He was a young dog, but in the relatively brief time he had lived, his days had already been hard as he roamed aimlessly on Ohio’s streets and highways. Not even two-years-old, he carried a piece of buckshot in his back left side no doubt inflicted by someone trying to scare him off when he was looking for a meal. The dog had become a furry hobo, bereft and with few options…… Luke was surely not the most expensive dog that ever became a K-9. He was not even the most handsome. But his heart was filled with gratefulness to the man who saved
his life, and if put in a perilous situation, he would have gladly given his own life in
deep gratitude. He was a “rescued dog,” plain and simple—a $10.75 pound-hound
bargain, who would never find his original owner.
** *
The brightest star in the sky is the Dog Star, located in the constellation Canis (Dog) Major. The star is called Sirius, meaning “scorching.” It is twice the size of the sun and twenty times more luminous. In Greek mythology it is believed to be the bright sparkling diamond in Canis Major’s collar. In that constellation, Sirius is said to be crouching and ready to pounce. It is the star that accompanies Orion on his journey across the heavens. One dog in New York, the star’s namesake, once shone briefly but just as brightly as he accompanied his officer on a day of tragic destiny.
* * *
A gaping hole in the Pentagon confronted the teams upon arrival. Visible within it were desks, computers and chairs, all appearing to be thrown by an angry hand. The stain of black burn marks spread from the center like an ink blot to beyond two or three times the width of the hole. Within the vast hole, Kleenex, curtain rods, chair arms, glass, metal and cloth could be seen.