Trump. He's got to get more obedient."
"It's not normal to castrate male dogs," Malcolm thought to himself.
A pitiful howl turned Malcolm's thoughts back to the dogs on the sandbar. Trump had Gigi down from the front, Dogzilla was attempting to mount her from behind, and Bookkeeper, Inferno and Mozart were disagreeing about who was next in line. Inuvik and Bourbon were barking and growling fiercely at each other.
"A remote shock device when Trump doesn't listen," Malcolm decided. "To heck with these modern ideas of the owner becoming the Alpha dog himself by picking the animal up and throwing it down on the ground to show who's dominant. Trump just thinks I'm playing when I do that."
More sharp barks, growls and shrieks from Gigi let Malcolm know he was going to have to do something. He could see the white poodle cowering on her back on the sand fending off both Trump and Dogzilla. He took in a deep breath and plunged into the water. Malcolm forced himself to ignore the frigid water and plunged in further. He managed to get his arms and legs to coordinate in his usual powerful swimming stroke. Within a couple of minutes he reached the sandbar.
Malcolm staggered onto the sand, stepped in between Trump and Gigi and pulled the determined Sheep Dog off the now thoroughly muddy and frantic poodle. Gigi ran for the water.
"Down," Malcolm yelled. Trump ignored him and tried to follow Gigi. Malcolm picked up the dog, threw him down and attempted to hold him. He cursed as Trump immediately broke free and ran off in pursuit of Gigi. Unfortunately so did the other dogs. Malcolm had just managed to stand up when he felt the sharp collision of the Blue Healer, Mozart, the Pitbull, Bourbon, and the Malemute, Inuvik, as they crashed into both of his knees. He went down with a bang. The wealthy industrialist felt the pain in his knees drowned out as the huge Rottweiler, Dogzilla, and the Rhodesian Ridgeback, Inferno, stormed over him grinding his head into the sand and barnacles on the sandbar. Malcolm felt himself scream involuntarily and panicked as he realised he could not see properly. He staggered onto his feet and took several halting steps into the water hoping to wash the sand and debris from his eyes. Unfortunately Malcolm felt his injured right knee snap, his legs give out from under him and within seconds he realised he was submersed in the water without being able to see.
Malcolm thrashed about in the cold water trying to free the sand from his eyes.
"Christ, I hope I'm not moving into deeper water. I can't tell which way I'm going." Malcolm felt his breathing became even more agitated as the pain and frigid water took their toll. He panicked further as he still could not manage to see which way was toward shore.
"Lord, I hope I'm not heading out to sea."
For the first time Malcolm thought about his upcoming birthday. He would be eighty, though personal trainers kept him in the shape of a sixty-year-old or younger. The thought really depressed him.
"It's the start of these decades," he said to himself as he
started to suppress the knowledge that there was no way he was going to make it back to shore by himself without help. "You just get used to the decade you've reached and then suddenly you're at the next one."
CHAPTER 3.
Turk O'Brien.
H ell, those dogs have knocked Malcolm down," Turk exclaimed as he saw Malcolm being run over by several dogs. "There's a crime wave out on that sand bar." But as Trump and Gigi reached the members of the dog walking club in a hail of sand, water and barks he turned his attention to the problem at hand. Turk realised that his own dog, Dogzilla, was galloping toward them on the beach. He blew his whistle at his dog and became quite angry at Malcolm as Gigi cowered behind Gloria and Trump kept lunging at her.
"Malcolm really should do something about that dog." Then he worried further as Inuvik and Inferno caught up and both made a lunge at Trump.
"Do something," Turk's mind