I snarled at the men, but they only laughed and threw a rope down over my neck. The more I pulled and tugged, the more it tightened. Another rope was thrown down and it slipped over my mouth and they yanked it so hard I yelped. Now that i couldn't bite them, Jimmy reached his hand down to grab me, but all of a sudden.... "SQUAWWWWK!!! BAWK!!!" Rio to the rescue! He attacked the mans face and pecked his nose till it bled. "YOWWWEE!" Jimmy yelled, while Mark tried to grab the rooster. I frantically tried to get out or push the ropes of my body, but it didn't work. Suddenly, Rio fell to the ground! "RIO! ARE YOU OKAY?!" I barked, but I got no answer. The pulled me up out of the hole, then stuck me in a cage in the back of their truck... leaving Rio behind. We arrived back to the puppy mill and he stuck me in the smallest cage of all. "We'll see how you like prison! You're gonna stay here as long as WE had to stay in prison because of you!" Mark said meanly, then kicked my cage. I cowered in the corner, afraid he would beat me. "Lets go to dinner." Jimmy said briskly, then they both walked out to their truck. Hungry, cold... and worst of all, alone; I sat in my cage and stared blankly at the wall. "I really hate those guys, don't you?" A familar voice suddenly said.
"Buddy!!!!!" I barked with happiness, my anger gone. Buddy hobbled to my cage, wagging his tail like a flag, his eyes gleaming with joy. This. This was the dog I knew. I grinned at him and noticed how slow he was. He was very old, probably 10 years by now. "Zip, the living nightmare, told me where you guys went." he chuckled. "I tried to stop him from coming, but he wouldn't listen." I said. "It was a joy to have a youngster around again." When he said 'again' I could see he was struggling not to cry. Trying to change the subject, I asked, "Can you get me out of here, pal?" He unlocked the cage and out I pranced, happy to be able to move about! Zip came running in and chattered, "Fido!! You're free!" then he walked up real close so only I could here and said, "I told ya you always gotta stick with your friends, and thats what I told 'im. Man... what a slowpoke on the way here! My grandmother walks faster than him!" I chuckled and gave Zip a lick on the head, then nuzzled Buddy. "I'm so glad you came for me." I said, for I need not to explain, best friends know everything about eachother, we don't need to say it. Suddenly the door opened and in came Jimmy and Mark. Both their eyes turned to flares of fire when they saw Buddy, for they knew him well, indeed.