Billy wagged his backside and Max sighed happily.  He was a thousand dollars richer and the day was young. Billy barked and Max opened the door enough for him to slip through.  He closed the vertical blinds.  It would be a hot day.

          He popped a beer and wandered to the front window.  “The grass needs cutting,” he mused.  The neighbors’ dog loped across his lawn from his side yard and he shouted through the glass. The dog didn’t stop to poop like he usually did.  He was concentrating on the huge gopher that hung limp in his jaws.  It was a hefty prize and the lilt in the dog’s step showed he knew it.  “To each his own,” Max thought.

          He went to the back door and opened the door for Billy.  Billy didn’t come. Max went out and saw the side gate open.