Hidden by the lengthening shadows
Of the upcoming sundown
A small dog sat
His large blue eyes slightly closed
His two black ears creased down
Dirt enveloped his matted fur
And the fluff on his face had grown out
But a small smirk was still visible on his cracked lips
He knew what was coming
Years of eluding
Ducking into alleyways
And almost being caught
Taught him to be ready
Aware of his surroundings

A small crunch behind him
Alerted him that it was time to get up
Old joints creaked as he slowly began to rise
And his knee cracked when he was fully standing on all fours
He turned
The small spark of confidence flickered
But began to glow strong again
He had done this so many times
And now a master of escape
But something was different about the lady approaching
She walked with a spring in her step
A new type of confidence
Fresh with youth
Ready to face whatever opponent she needed to
Different then the large greasy men
Usually playing the role of dog catcher
After a few short yards
Giving up the chase for a beer and a cigarette
The large noose swung in the air
Coming down hard onto the asphalt
Missing the target
He was too quick
Too experienced for these simple techniques
She knew she would need to pull out her best tricks
He knew he needed to find his
Like a lioness
Swift
Light on her feet
A cat like, brisk stride
She dove
Missing the dogs neck by inches
He ran through the alleyway
Making intricate twists and turns
Weaving through trash cans and broken beer bottles
She was too quick
Sprinting ahead
She jumped in front of him
The noose swinging wildly above her head
Ready for victory
Ready for the kill
The small dog ran straight towards the noose
So close
Throwing the dog catcher off balance
Again
A miss
Beads of sweat shimmered on her hairline
His long tongue hanging out of his mouth almost touching the ground
But she was not done
One more trick
She pulled out a large piece of meat
Dripping in thin red juice
Infecting the air with its poisonous scent
The dog could not resist
His ribs could be clearly seen
Poking out of his side
Slowly he gave in
The aroma dragging him towards her
He knew the consequences
But he could not escape
Closer and closer
He came to the dog catcher
And the meat
Hoping in nothing
Believing in nothing
Thinking about nothing except the steak
The noose was slowly placed around his neck
And he was dragged into a small crate in the back of a hot trunk
Wailing with grief with all the other dogs inside