FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

*by Hector Scofield. * Edited and Corrected by Ben243

When I came out the closet, my parents were very supportive. Or at least they tried to be. After all there was Uncle Frank in New York, and if you considered mom's colleague Mary-Anne, who had some very mixed relationships in her time, me being gay wasn't something all that strange these days. I would be lying if I told you it wasn't awkward in the beginning, and I accepted that we had to keep it from both my grandparents. But given time they got used to it.

The real problems started, when my dad caught me wearing a Dog collar one day. I could probably have easily explained it away if the collar hadn't been the only thing I was wearing at the time. I felt embarrassed, but that was nothing compared to the anger I felt about my father, insisting I had to go to therapy. I was yelling at him that I wasn't sick, that it was just something to spice things up. But he wasn't listening. In the end I took my stuff and moved out.

I slept at Mark's place, who was my best friend since High school. It wasn't a permanent solution, but for the next week, until Dad was ready to apologize, it would be enough. At least that's what I thought! But when I returned home one afternoon, I passed by the windows to the apartment and I saw my parents waiting inside, with Mark who was seemingly embarrassed by their questions... and Father Samuel. They really had called a priest! That was the last straw!

I sat down on the sidewalk and cried. Never had I felt more miserable than in this moment. If I could have walked away, I'd have done it. But I had no money and no other place where I could sleep. Suddenly, a car parked in front of me, shaking me out of my pity fest. A firm, but friendly voice said: "You shouldn't sit there, boy! Someone's gonna drive over your feet!" I looked up and straight into the smiling face of Sheriff Yates.

You can think about cops what you want, but Sheriff Yates was definitely one of the good ones! He was less the grim law enforcer, and more the understanding, crazy uncle-type. You couldn't help yourself but confide in him and tell him all your problems. He would listen to and help you, even if it meant bending the rules sometimes. He was the one who encouraged me to tell my parents I was gay! So you could understand if I'd harbor some angry towards him. Maybe. No, I couldn't! He was like a big, bold, old bear that you could never stay mad at. Except if you're a criminal I guess!

I told him about what happened, even the thing with the collar. I recounted the way my father had reacted, my moving out and how they were now sitting in Mark's living room with old, stubborn Father Samuel. "Ouch! Father Samuel, that's tough!" the Sheriff said, sitting beside me. "Don't you worry, Paul! I'll help you with that!" But how could he? As strange it might sound, if Sheriff Yates was an Angel, the old Father Samuel was definitely the Devil. He wouldn't rest until he had forced me to marry some girl and have kids. "I know what you're thinking, but I have a plan!" he continued. "It's completely bonkers and you have to keep calm, but if you trust me on this, I promise you, this will work!" I had no idea what he was talking about, yet I knew it would be for the best to play along. I mean, how far would he... Oh!

A minute later the door rang. "That must be him!" poor Mark shouted. He was glad there would at last be someone else they could interrogate. A shame it would be me. He opened the door and was surprised and a little relieved to see it was Sheriff Yates. "Hello, Mark! Can I come in, I hope I'm not disturbing you!" Mark looked at him, as if he had lost his mind. Sheriff Yates just smiled and whispered: "It's okay, trust me on that!"

"Is it him, Mark?" my Mom asked from the living room. "Just me, Lucy! Can I come in? I have a rather important announcement to make, that concerns you all." - "Sheriff Yates! Oh, of course... I mean, if you don't mind, Mark!" Mark was still in shock, but managed to step aside so the Sheriff could enter. Then he closed the door and locked himself into the toilet. He had no intention to participate in what was to follow.

As the Sheriff entered, my parents and Father Samuel stood up. But in the next second they dropped back into their chairs like a sack of potatoes. They were starring, not at the innocently smiling man in Uniform, but the Companion he'd led in on a leash, nothing but a Collar around his neck and a Police Dog's Harness attached to his body: Me! Walking on all fours, panting with my tongue hanging out. Had I dared to make a stunt like this with anyone else, I'd have died in an instant. But with Sheriff Yates I felt strangely safe enough, although I still had no idea, what exactly he'd planned. "I heard you were here!" he said. "So I decided to introduce you to my new partner. Say Hi, Rex!" I barked and he petted me.

My mom looked from me, to my father, to the priest, to the sheriff and was unable to speak. My father looked as if he had a stroke. Only the priest, Father Samuel, could pull himself together to shout that the sheriff had gone mad, how ludicrous this was and unholy and that this time, he'd gone finally to far. The Sheriff acted as if he'd done nothing wrong: "I don't understand why you make such a fuss about it, Father!" Now it was Dad who yelled at him: "You don't under...?! You have our son on a leash, as if he's just some kind of dog!" - "Well, he is!" replied the Sheriff. "At least since this afternoon! You see, after your argument your son had had enough of being a human. All these rules and conventions... He decided it would be better for him to be something else. Why not a Dog? So he had a little conversation with the vet Doctor Monroe this afternoon. And believe it or not, there is absolutely no rule against a man registering himself as a Dog. Because no man had ever thought of that! So he gave him all the money he'd left, to have himself micro-chipped and registered as a Dog. And by law, that's exactly what he is now! If I hadn't bought him, he had been brought to the pound, without a chance of ever being adopted. Who would buy a puppy looking like that, I ask you? In a week they would had to put him down. Can you imagine that?"

Father Samuel laughed contemptuously. "That's the most ridiculous story I'd ever heard! How can you expect anyone to believe this?" But the Sheriff wasn't finished. "If you don't believe me, I can prove it!" Wait, he could? "Don't be daft! How could you possibly..." To everyone's surprise the Sheriff took a piece of paper from his pocket and gave it to the priest. My mom and my dad looked at the note over the Fathers shoulder and whatever they read there, they obviously couldn't believe it.

As I later found out the Sheriff had spoken with Mark and been informed about the whole ambush by my parents' neighbor Mrs. Johnson. That gave him time enough to come up with this crazy plan and fake the necessary papers with Doctor Monroe's help, who owed him more than a few favors.

But back then I had no idea what was going on, and grew a little nervous about how we would get out of this whole mess. Finally it was my mother's turn to say something, but to my dismay she was speaking directly to me, telling me to stop this nonsense immediately. She was about to cry and it broke my heart, but the Sheriff came in-between us and told her, she had to be cautious, I might bite. She turned around and fell into my father's arms, crying. The priest had had enough of our little scheme and tore the paper into pieces. Without knowing it, he had fallen into the Sheriff's trap.

"I'm afraid you made a very big mistake, Father!" he said with an unusual serious tone. "You've destroyed an official document, concerning property of the Ravenwood Sheriffs Department, and that's a crime. I have to arrest you!" - "Don't you dare!" the Priest growled, but the Sheriff added: "You've left me no other choice! Lucy and Warren are Witnesses, and you don't want them to lie, now, do you?" Now the Priest really started to panic. He wasn't sure anymore what's real and what was not. All he knew was, this could break his neck! "Please, don't do that! There must be another way!" he pleaded.

"Well..." the Sheriff said, making a meaningful pause. "I can't damn our good, old father just like that! There might be a way, if we could agree that this Paper had never existed!" My parents got new hope. "Does that mean, our son isn't registered as a Dog anymore?" The Sheriff made a rather embarrassed face. "You misunderstood! That was just the registration form for me as Rex's owner. If it were the case that this paper had never existed, I would have to bring him right back to the pound. And even if I could buy him back, they would have to classify him as a stray first. He would have to sleep in the kennel and get neutered tomorrow morning!"

The prospect of their only son getting neutered was unbearable for my parents. The fate of Father Samuel wasn't important for them anymore. Now they were arguing and yelling at each other, until Father Samuel had enough and decided to flee out of the apartment. When my parents insisted he had to pursue him, the Sheriff seemingly remembered, Doctor Monroe had still a copy of the paper in his office. He promised to take good care of me, and to find a way to reverse the registration, but only if I was okay with it. With this, we left Mark's apartment. My parents returned home and I had to jump in the back of Sheriff Yate's Car. At his office, I was finally allowed to get dressed again. I asked him if he hadn't gone to far with Father Samuel, but he knew the priest wouldn't dare to speak with anyone about the whole affair, especially because my parents wouldn't back him up anymore with his side of the story. And Mark had been in the bathroom while all that happened!

The whole plan was incredible and I thanked Sheriff Yates, with a hug. A hug that became a kiss and a surprisingly very intriguing night for both of us. The next day my parents showed up in the office and apologized for their behavior. All of the sudden, a son with certain preferences wasn't that bad anymore and they even declared to help with my coming out to my grandparents next thanksgiving. Father Samuel left the Town shortly after. I had talked to Mark, he'd admitted that it was actually funny after all and he forgave us for the whole prank. The Sheriff and I became a couple and although my parents were more open minded now, we kept it a secret that he occasionally trained me like a real Police Dog. To be honest, if the whole story with the registration hadn't been faked, I would have considered really doing it by now!