Renegade (Tin Star K9 Series Book 1) by Jodi Burnett (literature books to read .txt) 📗

stacks of boxes and other sundry items. Where did I put those cans of scents Logan set me up with? There hadn’t been a car parked in the building since she’d moved there, if ever, and the musty air filled with dust motes. She opened storage containers and rummaged around on shelves before she remembered she had placed the tins in the bottom of the tool chest to keep them safe. “Hey Ren, is your nose rusty? You should’ve been able to find these before me,” Caitlyn teased. Ren cocked his head at her and barked once, his tail sweeping a wedge shape in the dirt on the floor.

Caitlyn reached into the tool cabinet and pulled out several paint-type canisters containing folded cotton cloths that Logan had doused with various scents. Some of them smelled of explosive materials, some gunpowder and ammunition, and others of different types of drugs. Caitlyn and Renegade hadn’t practiced with these scents in months, and she hoped they were still strong enough to use. Logan gave her the kit when he helped her start Renegade’s training as a pup. “Well, buddy? No time like the present.” She gathered the supplies and carried them out to the yard.

Each can held two pieces of cloth. One to define the scent for the dog and the other to hide. Caitlyn would work with one scent at a time for today, asking Renegade to seek. Eventually he would be able to tell the scents apart and locate the one she asked him for. Caitlyn put her dog inside her cabin so he couldn’t see where she hid the tin. She opened the sulfur scented gunpowder container and hid it under some brush about fifty feet from the house. She dragged the second cloth along the ground to mark the trail, then she went back to the front door and let Ren outside. She held the scented cloth out for him to smell. He sniffed and looked up at her, anticipating her command. “Such, Ren. Such!”

Her dog bolted forward and dropped his long nose to the ground. He zigzagged a few times before tossing his nose into the air and sniffing again. In less than a minute, Renegade found the hidden can.

“Good boy, Ren!” Caitlyn gave him the reward toy he loved to play with. She allowed him a few minutes of playtime before she returned him to the house so she could hide a different scent.

Renegade, once again, proved he didn’t need as much practice as Caitlyn did. He hadn’t lost his capability of searching at all. “Okay, smart guy. Forget practicing with one odor at a time. Next, I’m hiding all the cans at once.”

She placed the containers in different locations around the property. Some she hid under pine needles, others in shrubs. She removed the ozone-like scent of cocaine from its tin and without dragging it on the ground, brought it back for Renegade to smell. The dog wiggled and drooled, watching every move of Caitlyn’s hand, waiting for her to send him.

First, he discovered three cans that were not the correct aroma, but he merely sniffed them and moved on. He knew what he was looking for. Then he ran to the farthest point where Caitlyn had hidden the cocaine-scented cloth. When he found it, he sat down and barked until she came.

“You are so smart, Renegade. Good boy. You’ve earned a break, and a treat.” Caitlyn fed him a piece of hot dog and then handed him his favorite toy. Together, they went inside and Caitlyn prepared a salad for lunch while Renegade gnawed on his Kong. After lunch, Caitlyn took Renegade out to work on their agility and strength. She had no doubt that her amazing dog would do exceedingly well, though at this point, she questioned her own athletic capabilities.

The duo hiked out behind the house where Caitlyn had set up an obstacle course. Spring grasses and weeds had grown tall, but the course was there waiting to be used. She shrugged—perhaps running through the un-cut vegetation would be more realistic. At the front of the course were multi-level balance beams for both of them. Ren, behaving as if this were playtime, hopped up to the tallest beam and scampered along. He lost his balance once, but immediately circled back to the beginning and started again. Having learned, he slowed down and without a misstep, made it through. He sprinted to the next section with Caitlyn right beside him.

Next were a set of cross beam logs, four feet off the ground. They looked like a row of hitching posts. Renegade leapt over the first one, clearing it with ease by a good foot. Caitlyn braced her hands on the same bar and attempted to swing her legs in tandem to the side, up and over, the way Logan had taught her. Not a chance. She fell into the beam and scraped her knee. Shaking off the sting, she chuckled at her first effort, then kicked one leg over and pulled herself up the rest of the way before jumping down on the other side. For now, just getting over the obstacle would have to do. In a couple of weeks, she’d be clearing the obstacles like Logan could. Three more elevated logs to overcome. Renegade waited for her at the end of that section, ready to move on to the next.

When Caitlyn caught up to him, she laced her hands behind her head and paced, gulping air. “Give me a sec here, Ren, will you?” He barked and wagged his tail. The next-to-last goal was a six-foot wall. Six feet was nothing for Renegade. With a two-stride lead-up, he launched himself to the top of the fence, landed on his front paws and propelled himself over.

Caitlyn was happy no one was there to see the spectacle she made of herself trying to hoist her body over that same wall. Placing her hands on the top beam, she leapt up and caught her elbow