The Young Man And The Dog

An automaton he certainly is; a machine working independently of his control, the heart like the mill-wheel, keeping all in motion, and the consciousness, like a person shut in the mill garret, enjoying the view out of the window and shaken by the thunder of the stones; an automaton in one corner of which a living spirit is confined: an automation like man. Instinct again he certainly possesses. Inherited aptitudes are his; inherited frailties. Some things he at once views and understands, as though he were awakened from a sleep, as though he came "trailing clowds of glory." But with him, as with man, the field of instinct is limited; its utterances are obscure and occasional; and about the far larger part of life both the dog and his master must conduct their steps by deduction and observation.

The Character of Dogs
Robert Louis Stevenson

The young man does not penetrate any situation. He does not believe what happens, because nothing happens to him. He is certain, however, when or when not to trust someone.

On the news is a story about a 23 year old man. He is found in his apartment by his mother. Somehow, he has died with a dinner knife pushed into each eye-socket. The young man looks at the screen and sees a girl screaming, "My brother, my brother!" She is standing in front of the apartment building, and an older plainclothes officer approaches her and attempts to comfort her.

Assume, for a moment, if you would, that you possess a young dog - a puppy. Assume, also, that you wish to train this frisky pet. It is more probable that you would initially consider this question: How old should my puppy be before I start to train it?

To state that a puppy is ready to begin training at a certain age is utter nonsense. No two animals are alike - some are ready early, others much later. It is not age that counts, but the puppy itself, and how it develops.

How does one know when a puppy is ready to begin training? It is quite simple - the very moment the animal begins to show independence by getting out, away from you, is the very moment to begin the programme. To attempt to give lessons to a young animal that is still hanging close to your feet is utterly hopeless. The young man notes a young pair entering the room and deciding to sit. Both faces seem blank and stupid. They are dressed in a defiant manner. They constantly touch each other. In a moment a waiter comes and takes their order. The young man guesses at their order. He is incorrect.

He remembers his European uncle. During a restoration job, a large wooden door falls on him. Many bones are broken and his face is flattened. He loses almost all his blood. The young man remembers meeting his uncle for the first time. He remembers his uncle relating the story.

LOUISVILLE USA
OCTOBER 1979

A TWO-WEEK-OLD BOY WHOSE LEGS WERE CHEWED OFF BY THE FAMILY DOG DIED AT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL   HE WAS ATTACKED ON HALLOWEEN WHILE HIS MOTHER SLEPT IN A NEARBY ROOM   THE DOG WAS DESCRIBED BY NEIGHBOURS AND FRIENDS AS WELL-BEHAVED

He supposes it is death that soils a location. A contemporary apartment complex appears dirty as cameras record a death there. A park, in midsummer, the pedestrians, it all uglies when framed as a death location. Even the hospital to which wounded or dying dignitaries or lustrous individuals are taken appears grimy and contaminated.

How does one know when a puppy is ready to begin training? In the case of hunting dogs, for example, an easy method to determine a young animal's readiness for training is to take a mixed lot of dogs on exercise, in the course of which a wire fence is crossed. The first time a puppy manages to get over without a trainer's aid is a sign that the animal is growing up. It follows the older, trained dogs a short distance at first, and, as time goes by, further afield. When the puppy joins the rest, and does not come back, the trainer knows the dog is ready to take in hand.

The young man's grandfather always has dogs. There is always a very strong bond between the grandfather and his dog. He loves both large and small dogs. As much as he loves them he can frighten them. His angry voice and a quick motion make the animals run from him. He picks up a stick and moves toward stray dogs. If they squat to urinate on his garden, he screams, "Bitch!"

Let us assume you have obtained a puppy, which is now ready to begin on the first stage of actual training. You know the commands to be used off by heart, and you have a suitable whistle.

The first stage of training has a number of different labels such as preliminary training, hand training, basic training, or grounding. The most apt description is hand training.

It is bleeding. He is glad the dog keeps those days to itself. The young man enjoys the dog only on certain days. They walk the grounds of his grandparents' house. The dog sniffs at everything, and gladly retrieves various sticks and branches for him.

ZURICH SWITZERLAND
NOVEMBER 1977

AN UNIDENTIFIED MAN ENTERED A RESTAURANT AND ACCUSED THE STAFF OF SERVING BUTCHERED DOGS   WHEN POLICE ARRIVED HE TOLD THEM ALL THE DOGS IN ZURICH SPEAK TO HIM   HE MAINTAINS THE DOGS TELL HIM 'ABOUT THE GRIM THINGS THEY DO' IN THE RESTAURANT   THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS DECIDED TO 'LOOK INTO' THE MATTER

The young man must relocate. He thinks he is going crazy. He realizes he has no conscious system of analysis. He decides he must choose a subject and an action, or at least simulate such a choice.

The young man sits in a government office. He studies various brochures. Most of them describe jobs and careers. He wonders if his counsellor will be older or younger. He wonders if the interview will reveal harder information. The pamphlets make him nervous. He notices everyone in the room watching him.

Hand training is the very foundation of all training. Furthermore, your animal's future depends on it. Skimp on the early lessons and you are doomed to failure. To overdo it would result in simply brainwashing your animal, which is useful in only very specific and controlled cases, but otherwise leads to an animal without any independent powers.

The young man lives in a small town for two years. During the last year he works days in a rubber factory. A childhood friend lives in another town less than twenty miles from the young man. They never visit each other. The distance is correct.

MISSISSAUGA CANADA
AUGUST 1979

A TWO-WEEK-OLD GIRL LOST BOTH HER EARS AND ONE FINGER AFTER HER FAMILY'S PUPPY MAULED HER   THE GIRL WAS SLEEPING ON A COUCH WHILE HER MOTHER DOZED OFF AND THE SIX-WEEK-OLD MONGREL PUPPY CAME INTO THE ROOM AND MAULED HER   A DETECTIVE-SARGEANT SAID THE TEETHING PUPPY JUST "GNAWED AWAY" AT THE INFANT

A window pane on the east side of the house snaps. The young man is in the room when this happens. He is reading.

Cutting quickly across the front yard, a black dog, a prowler, with yellow eyes, the young man sees it. Long legs, it never turns its low head.

A shift in the foundation is suggested by the apprentice carpenter, with whom the young man shares the building. Together, they cut a board to fit over the window and then tack it over the split glass.

Providing you have been calling your puppy by name at feeding times, it should answer well to the name from the very beginning. All dogs must not only come back in on being called, but by any number of signals and tones.

To have your puppy returning well, let it go out ahead, then summon it back, giving a backward wave with the hand and walking rapidly away at the same time. Never use the same call twice, but bring the animal in, using all the calls, signals, and tones in turn, and avoid overdoing it.

The young man awakes on the couch and in short shifts pull himself up to the window above the couch and glances out. He sees the dog. It always takes the same cut across the front lawn. He slides back down on the couch. One chair leg has brown jute lashed to prevent a split from worsening. The carpet is lobby red. He feels a draft. His back hurts and he is angry with himself.

Later, at breakfast, the grease on the black top of his coffee seems to bead into eyes. As he wipes his lips with the tea towel he wonders why he so often sleeps on the couch instead of on the bed.

All the young people in the small town appear tired. The young man takes account of his age and figures he is still young. He also figures he has considerable experience. He does not feel tired. Yet, he has no determined outlook. Perhaps he is simple-minded. Perhaps he is tired.

The apprentice carpenter moves out of the house. The young man cannot afford the house without a housemate. He is unable to find anyone suitable in the small town. He moves back to the city, into the basement of his family's two-storey house.

KINGSTON CANADA
JUNE 1980

A PRISONER WAS APPROXIMATELY HALF WAY UP THE PRISON FENCE WHEN DOGS SECURED HIS FOOT AND PULLED HIM DOWN   THE ANIMALS QUICKLY FORMED A SEMI-CIRCLE AROUND HIM   THE FENCE WAS AT HIS HEAD AND THE DOGS WERE AT HIS FEET   HE REMAINED PERFECTLY STILL AND WAITED FOR A GUARD TO CALL BACK THE DOGS AND RETURN HIM TO HIS CELL

The clouds are deep and dark and spread away from the train. They are close to the ground. The colours of the countryside are deep green and dark, wet brown. The young man wishes the train ride would last forever.

For early hand training, a collar should always be worn. There are two reasons for this. The check cord can be taken off at will, without the dog's knowledge, and it can pull up the dog, should it make a bolt for some reason, without having the undue strain on its neck and the unnecessary fright which a slip would give.

The basement is cold. From the bed he sees the sky and the roof of the next house. His eyes are pulled by a screen of rain to the window sill and he closes them.

YELLOWKNIFE CANADA
FEBRUARY 1979

A MAN AND HIS DOG SPENT SIX DAYS IN THE WILDERNESS AFTER LOSING THEIR WAY CHASING A WOUNDED DEER   BOTH MAN AND DOG ATE MEAT FROM THE FROZEN CARCASS   SHORTLY BEFORE HIS RESCUE THE MAN HAD KILLED THE DOG AND OPENED IT WITH A HUNTING KNIFE   HE WAS FOUND UNCONSCIOUS WITH BOTH ARMS AND KNEES PUSHED INSIDE THE ANIMAL'S ABDOMEN   HE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE THE LAST WARMTH HE WOULD FEEL BEFORE DYING HE LATER TOLD POLICE

The young man in bed just wakes. The shock is like a flat hand smacking across the face, or like seeing an honest glance, granted, despairingly, for the shortest moment; he is alone in bed. He stares up out the basement window. A dog returns his gaze.

ATLANTA USA
AUGUST 1980

A GIRL 16 AND HER SISTER 12 WERE BEING HELD IN THE STABBING DEATH OF A TEENAGE BOY AND THE WOUNDING OF HIS HALF-BROTHER IN A QUARREL ABOUT A DOG   THE BOY WAS STABBED IN THE CHEST WITH A STEAK KNIFE POLICE SAID   HE WAS RELEASED AFTER TREATMENT FOR THE STAB WOUND   A HOMOCIDE INVESTIGATOR SAID THE GIRLS WERE WALKING THE DOG WHEN THE OLDER BOY TOLD THEM THE DOG WAS UGLY   THE SISTERS SAID HE THREATENED THEM WITH A LONG 'RAKE' COMB AND THEY RETALIATED BY GETTING A STEAK KNIFE FROM HOME

He remembers, as a small boy, the dog that scares him every morning on his walk to school. This is not that dog. It was been too long.

Walking to heel is very easily taught, and for this a short check cord is needed and also a collar. Do not use a choker. The finest check cord is made from a plastic clothes line; the material slides well, and does not bind when wet.

The first time he sees her, the young man is nervous. It is the first day of a new job. For both of them. She is sitting in a small lobby. The young man sits next to her. Almost immediately they talk, and almost immediately he is excited. He notices his excitement, which increases it.

The first time a puppy wears a collar and line, if it is accustomed to running wild, it will buck like a bronco. Let the animal have its head at first, and it will soon quieten down.

Some more people arrive; he and she continue talking. They become more confident each moment. They are capable. The young man must get to know her, if only to make corporeal the omission between them. Or for the chance, against all clear thinking, that perhaps a slip will occur.

At work the young man stares at his hands, poised above the keys. He stares at his hands then begins the programme. The cursor moves across the screen, line by line. She works in another part of the building. The young man repeats in his mind the things he wants to say to her.

After several lessons, when the pupil has come to understand the meaning of the word heel, more force can be used to bring it back in with a jerk. Do not forget to use the correct tone of voice.

He thinks about her almost every night. Seeing her at work five days each week is driving him crazy. He knows it is driving him. He has doubts about any success with her. This seems normal to the young man.

The young man believes that hearts do combine. Frequencies move toward each other and begin to pulse; and when they meet the pulsing stops, the momentary cessation, before they move away from each other. The young man believes he loves her.

As time goes by the check cord is left to trail, to be held by the foot when the pupil tries to break. Finally, the check cord is removed, leaving the collar on for a time or two. Any nonsense and on goes the cord again.

Sometimes the young man thinks she sees him as standing forgotten in some field, uncelebrated for many years. She laughs at the young man, at his shady manners, his bald comments. She laughs and he laughs too. When she is not with him, he stands like a forgotten maypole.

Never fail to make a point of studying the welfare of your pupil. Always make sure that it is happy, and eager for its lessons. If ever it is not, stop proceedings at once, and fathom out the reasons for this change of heart. Have you been overtraining?

The young man does not control many things in his life. He dominates nothing. Any movement, such as a wind or a rush of people, alters his direction. If two motions reach him, he travels on the resultant vector. He is often thrown into the whirlpools between flows. His feelings never rage, never become large enough or fast enough to counter the forces that push and pull at him.

LICATA ITALY
JULY 10 1943

THE THIRD INFANTRY DIVISION CREPT UP THE SAND NEAR THE TOWN OF LICATA   TWO ENEMY MACHINE GUNS OPENED FIRE AND SPRAYED THE BEACH WITH BULLETS   AN UNLIKELY COMBINATION OF HUSKY GERMAN SHEPHERD AND COLLIE PROVED TO SAVE THE DAY   THE DOG WRENCHED FREE FROM ITS HANDLER'S GRIP AND CHARGED THE MACHINE GUN EMPLACEMENT   IT HURLED THROUGH A HAIL OF BULLETS AND GRABBED THE MACHINE GUN AT THE RED-HOT BARREL AND TURNED IT OVER   THE DOG PROCEEDED TO MAUL THE TWO ITALIAN SOLDIERS

The young man realizes his choices and his actions offer him no power. He must put choices and actions together into a series, and the series must become the action of a larger, superior choice. He must move determinedly and according to plan.

The young man decides to begin with small things, in small steps. He will gently and quietly gather control. Each time he will gain strength, acquire more mass, and will not so easily be whipped about by all that is passing.

OTTAWA CANADA
MAY 1981

THE MILITARY PLANS TO USE DOGS IN EXPERIMENTS DESIGNED TO FIND A CURE FOR NAUSEA CAUSED BY NUCLEAR RADIATION   A MAJOR OF THE DEFENCE DEPARTMENT SAID "WE'RE TRYING TO COME UP WITH AN ANTIDOTE THAT MAY HELP US NOT ONLY IN THE EVENT OF A NUCLEAR ATTACK BUT ALSO IN CASE OF A RADIATION LEAK"   DOGS WERE CHOSEN BECAUSE THEIR DIGESTIVE SYSTEMS ARE SIMILAR TO THOSE OF HUMANS AND BECAUSE THEY REACT TO RADIATION MUCH THE WAY HUMANS DO

The young man is never saved by his father. He is never saved by anyone. The danger increases as time continues. Perhaps he will fly south to see his father. Perhaps in a few months, and perhaps she will travel with him.

PARIS CANADA
JULY 1980

WHEN POLICE FOUND THEMSELVES UNABLE TO ROUST A KNIFE-WIELDING SUSPECT WHO HAD BARRICADED HIMSELF IN AN APARTMENT THEY CALLED IN A DOG   MOMENTS AFTER THE ARRIVAL OF THE GERMAN SHEPHERD THE SUSPECT WAS PINNED TO THE FLOOR WITH NINE KNIVES SCATTERED AROUND HIM AND THE SNARLING DOG ABOVE HIM   THE MAN HAD BARRICADED HIMSELF IN THE APARTMENT AFTER HE HAD THREATENED HIS FATHER WITH A BUTCHER KNIFE   THE MAN WAS DISTRAUGHT AT THE DEATH OF HIS MOTHER TWO WEEKS BEFORE   POLICE SAID IT WAS A CALCULATED RISK CALLING IN THE ANIMAL BUT INSTEAD OF THE SUSPECT OR AN OFFICER BEING INJURED IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A DOG

The umbrella has a broken spoke and the wind is up; the young man checks the pocket schedule and leaves accordingly. On the bus he combs his wet hair. In front, a man and woman discuss toothaches. The bus does not seem attached to the wet street; it seems about to be deflected, sent skidding across the dark roadway, slamming into the glass front of a store. The man and woman keep talking; the young man cannot warn them.

The young man knows he does not control her. As a result he believes there is nothing reliable in their relationship. Her love cannot be reliable as things stand.

FORT LAUDERDALE USA
JULY 1975

A NAVY WAR HERO STORMED A LOCAL POUND AND KILLED TWENTY-THREE DOGS   HE SURRENDERED TO POUND SECURITY WITHOUT RESISTANCE   HE WAS ARMED WITH A FULLY AUTOMATIC RIFLE   HE LATER TOLD POLICE HE WAS FORCED TO KILL THE DOGS   'SOMEONE ELSE WAS INSIDE OF ME TELLING ME WHAT TO DO' HE SAID

The bus pulls into the subway station and he feels more secure. He knows what to do, how to enter the station and make his way to the trains. He grabs the black belt of the escalator. It feels wet. All the floors in the station are wet. People are on the platform, and the trains come in from both directions.

Most of the seats in his car are empty. As the train rocks, the young man wonders about reliability. He values reliability. How does she really feel about him? He wants her the moment he thinks about her. Perhaps he should visit his father alone. He attempts to switch his thoughts to something more even and stares onto the red vinyl subway seat in front.

EDMONTON CANADA
AUGUST 1980

SUDDEN WAVE OF DOG-PACKING HIT THE EDMONTON AREA   NINE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN REPORTED INJURED AND THREE HAVE DIED FROM THEIR WOUNDS   EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS ALMOST ALWAYS DESCRIBE A LARGE RED DOG THAT SEEMED TO BE THE PACK LEADER   POLICE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO TRACK DOWN A SINGLE DOG-PACK   THEY NOW REPORT ALL STRAYS TO THE CITY POUND

The young man imagines his father. The waves are black the sand is yellow and his father wafts his eyes to the street and wonders about returning home. His father, hiding in a swampy peninsula, never warned him, telling him only stories.

Once the young man and his father are on the beach, staring away from the water to the main strip - six light changes since either has spoken and the sun is cracking their necks red and there is blood under the outdoor shower, on the muddy sand, a black kid with a cut foot.

A musician and a prince stand chatting about fishing as a profitable enterprise and who at court will grab it. Neither have such desire; the happy harp is struck, the feather is straightened. There is news at court that the king's dog has been spirited away. With that vagary, the young man returns to thoughts of reliability. He thinks of fibrous blood as the subway doors shut behind him like an animal's clamped jaws.

On the platform the young man lights a cigarette. She is late. A man with an instrument case stops close to him and leans on the wall. Another man wearing a greatcoat and a fur hat enters the platform. Behind him, she walks slowly.

ATLANTIC CITY USA
SEPTEMBER 1977

A WOMAN WIELDING A LONG BLADE CUT HER WAY THROUGH A CROWD OF TOURISTS ON THE BOARDWALK   SHE SLICED AT THE PASSERSBY WILDLY AND INJURED TWELVE PEOPLE AND A PET DOG   THE WOMAN WAS HYSTERICAL AND HAD NO EXPLANATION FOR HER ACTIONS POLICE SAID

Once at public school, the young man writes a paragraph about his father. He writes about his father's radio. The young man's father loves the radio, how it fills in behind him and congests everything ahead.

The young man dies of heart failure; that is how he sees the end. Perhaps outdoors. Swimming. He will die outdoors. A warm and sunny day. The kind of sun that becomes penetrating if one were to lie still in a wind-sheltered spot.

The young man feels he is gaining control and gaining momentum. He manages to fulfill more and more of his desires. He is able to predict the actions of others in situations which he controls.

A light snow is falling. She stands on the porch with him. He wears a white dinner jacket and narrow black trousers. He had no sleep, yet feels clear at this early hour. She is wearing a flannel housecoat. The only sound comes from the rub of their cold clothes. They met at a party last night. It made no sense to him. He did now know how he felt. The car arrives in good time.

The young man's brother drives the car. The day is extremely bright, as they drive to the hospital to visit their grandfather. The young man wishes for his sunglasses.

He looks out the car window like a prisoner in transit. The daylight lifts his spirits. They park. He is confused. The last three days have been without sleep. His nostrils hurt, as they walk from the parking lot through the keen air.

Inside the hospital, the young man becomes conscious of his attire, and assumes a sensible pose. He walks as perfectly as he is able. Waiting at the elevator, he notices pain in his joints, and begins to shake. His mind is rolling notions at an almost oppressive tempo, piling over each other, and tucked, like a pillow, under the head of a man, obviously dead.

As the young man gains control he becomes more and more aware of controls on him. This makes him angry. His anger and eventual frustrations drive him to search out the controls on him. He decides he must know them.

Funk music is loud inside the army goods store. There are many other customers. There seem to be six or seven salespeople, but they are all busy. The young man loves funk music.

The young man stands with his feet apart at shoulder width. He trusts that stance. He does not know where he is. There are people but he cannot recognize anyone. He wonders what is happening. Nothing seems to penetrate. Everything seems slow. He fears he does not know what he will do. He feels the knife under his jacket. He feels it through the cotton. He is afraid to actually touch it.