Stryker Strikes Again!
Stryker, of the "Have gun will travel" fame, has struck again.
The streets and backyards of Minneapolis are safe once more.
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"The only known extant photo of Stryker,
taken just after an Omaha,
Nebraska, blizzard shortly before
he was one year old, circa
1971."
Steve
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In the early seventies I was suddenly presented with a Rescue situation
when, due to a family situation, a two year old red Stafford named
Stryker, had to be rehomed. I had known Stryker since his whelping as
well as his sire and dam and the previous generation., so I knew that
the dog was the genuine article.
Hardly had the news about Stryker reached me when the telephone rang, and a
strong masculine voice intoned: "Man, I need help!"
The caller, one Levi Jones, then informed me that he was calling from
Minneapolis where he was having a problem with a neighbor's Doberman
which had gotten into Levi's back yard, apparently over the fence, and
threatened his three children.
I told Levi that he should inform the police at once and try to get an
injunction against the owner.
"I've already done that," he said, "but they say that I
can't do anything until the Doberman actually does bite."
"What can I do for you then?"
"I need a dog to protect my children," he said urgently,
"especially a dog I can trust with them all the time."
"I'm looking to rehome a dog like that," I told him, "but I
need to know that after he's done protecting your kids, you'll give him
a good home, permanently.
"If he can do that, he'll be the head of this household!" Levi
responded.
So a deal was struck by telephone that if Stryker proved in any way
unsatisfactory as a companion and protector of his children, I would
refund not only the dog's purchase price but Levi's air freight and
return air freight.
Several days later Stryker left for Minneapolis. Hardly had the dog landed
when I got a call from Levi: "Man, this dog's too small! He
can't stand up to a Doberman!"
"In that case, ship him back. I'll refund your money and pay the
expenses."
"Man, I can't do that. My wife and kids already love him. They won't
let me send him back. You've gypped me."
"No, Levi, I haven't gypped you. Keep him for a month or two. I'll
take him back any time."
Reluctantly Levi agreed.
All seemed quiet on the Northern Front for almost two weeks, and then the
phone rang again. It was Levi: "Man, your little dog has
really got me in trouble now!"
"Tell me what happened."
"The neighbor's Dobe jumped the fence and made a run for my kids, but
Stryker got to him first. Pushed him into a corner and killed him
before I could run outside."
"I can't believe it happened that fast."
"Well, it did. And my neighbor's suing me for a thousand dollars to
replace his dead dog. What can I do ?"
"Levi, this is what you do: you go to the nearest attorney and
tell him the whole story along with names and addresses of
witnesses."
"A neighbor lady saw the whole thing."
"Good. Then tell the attorney that you want to counter-sue. He'll do
it, too, because the Dobe came on to your property and was about to
attack your children. But tell him you'll only pay a flat fee for his
services, not a share of a settlement."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Do it right now. Don't wait."
The next day Levi telephoned again. "Man, you'll never believe what
happened!"
"What?"
"After my attorney talked to the police and then with the other
attorney, my neighbor wound up offering me five thousand dollars to
settle out of court."
"Did you take it?"
"Sure I took it!"
"Well, Stryker's done what needed to be done," I mentioned ever
so casually, "so I guess you won't be needing the dog now. Still
want to send him back?"
"Whattaya mean?"
"Now he's solved your problem, my offer for a refund still
stands."
"Man, are you crazy? Nobody's ever going to get that dog away from
us!"
I left it at that.
SEQUEL
Several months later before passing through Minneapolis on my way to
Duluth, I made it a point to telephone Levi and then visit his home.
During the visit, I had an opportunity to discover the pertinent facts
relating to the incident:
1) A police inquiry discovered that the neighbor had held some kind of
grudge against Levi and had actually helped his Doberman get over the
yard fence, and this fact coupled with Mrs. Jones's previous call to
the police proved that Levi's sole motive was to protect his family.
2) After Stryker had pushed the attacking dog into a corner of the yard, he
disengaged from the prostrate form and ran over to comfort Levi's
crying children.
3) At that moment, the neighbor burst into Levi's yard and began screaming
and threatening, carrying on for a full ten minutes before Mrs. Jones
could finally persuade him to take his dog to the veterinary.
4) The veterinary was willing to testify in court that Stryker had not
killed the dog outright in those few frantic seconds but had
"blindsided" the attacker which sent it into a state of
deep shock.
5) If the owner had immediately sought medical help for his dog, the
veterinary said, it could easily have been saved, but the ten minutes
its owner wasted in shouting and screaming sealed its fate.
Stryker may not have been selected as Minnesota's Most Beloved Pet, had
there been such a title, but he surely would have been a finalist. I
checked up on him several times every year until he died of old age in
the early Eighties, leaving a bereft family to mourn him.
To me, Stryker was more than "just a dog."
Steve Stone
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