Take Good Care Of Yourself  
 
.

 
To the Tune Of 
"Take Good Care of Yourself, 
You Belong To Me"

Cats and Kittens live inside,
Barns are for a horse
Dogs need to have a tall fence
or a leash of course!

It's a crazy world out there
when you have four feet
It's not safe anymore 
to walk down the street.

Should a cat climb trees? Oh No!
'Let dogs roam free? Not me!
'Horse run wild? Oh No!
Not if I want them back with me!

So if you love your animals
Do not let them roam,
Keep them safe by your side,
In your happy home!

One cat didn't live in the house with all the others.  Truffles was a "barn cat".  She preferred the company of her horse friends, and liked being the only cat in her own castle. 

"How do you do?" Henry asked.  "Indy told me I would find you in here. I'm Henry.  She said that this was not your first home in life but you had to make a change."

"Yes," smiled Truffles.  "I was an "outdoor" cat in one of my nine lives, back in the day where a gal could roam and not worry about cars speeding by.  The traffic got worse and worse where I lived.  I simple HATED to be an indoor cat, so I have come here to have the best of both worlds.  It is like the outdoors, but I am really inside and safe. 
 

 

"I hear you want to ride in the cruiser," Truffles said to Henry.

"Oh my! Word travels fast around here," laughed Henry.

"I really WOULD like to ride in the Animal Control car but I don't really like the name of it." he confessed to Truffles.

"Besides, I am a little shy to ask Pawficer Ellen if I could take it for a spin."

"Shy?" said Truffles in disbelief. 

"I have only just met Pawficer Ellen, it seems like a lot to ask if I can take her cruiser for a ride," explained Henry.

"Pawficer Ellen has made lots of dreams come true," said Truffles. "She has made a home for so many of us, and she takes the cruiser out every day to find animals who are wishing someone would help.  Whether they are lost, or homeless, or have been injured in an accident, Pawficer Ellen is the first one to find them.  I don't think she will laugh at your wish. It's a simple one compared to the other wishes she deals with every day."

"You are an amazing cat Truffles." said Henry. "I'm really glad we had the chance to meet."

"Good luck, Henry," said Truffles.  "I hope you follow your dreams".

When Henry left the barn, he walked smack-dab into Pawficer Ellen and Hawk. 

Hawk leaned over and whispered in Henry's ear, "She knows...."

Henry was slightly embarrassed, but filled with anticipation.

"I hear you would like to drive my cruiser," said Pawficer Ellen. 

"I understand if it's too much trouble, Miss Pawficer," said Henry.

"It's no trouble at all," said Pawficer Ellen.  "But I need to ask you for one thing."

"You name it," said Henry, excited that he might get to drive the cruiser.
 
 

 

"You need to have your license."

Henry showed Pawficer Ellen his driver's license.

"That's very good," she said.  "But that's not the license I am talking about.  I need to see your DOG license."

"You don't believe I am a dog?" asked Henry.

"A Dog License is a special way the Animal Pawficers help someone lost find their home.  We can track the numbers down and find the place you belong if you ever get in trouble."

 

Henry thought about that. 

When he was lost in Tennessee, no one knew where he was from, and he never saw that home again. 

He loved his new family so much it was hard to remember a time without them. 

But Henry knew that Pawficer Ellen was right.  Those awful days of being lost and hungry and alone could have been avoided if he had a special tag to tell the Pawficers how to help him find his way home.

"It's hard for me to reach it, Pawficer Ellen.  It's right here on my collar." 

Pawficer Ellen looked at Henry's tags.  "Excellent," she said.  "You have one with your name and address on it too! Your family must love you very much.  A deal is a deal."

"You may take my cruiser out for a spin," she said, "but you must pawmise to be back within ten minutes in case I have to make a rescue."

Henry raised his right paw and gave his word.

"For the next ten minutes, I pronounce you Pawficer Henry," said Pawficer Ellen in her most pawficial voice.

"Pawficer Henry," he smiled.  It had a certain ring to it.