Good Boy Gets Good Food

I’m working at a food stall at a public park that’s open all year round. I’m sixteen, and it’s my first job, so I’m being shown the ropes.

Manager: “It’s $2.50 for the hot dogs and $3 for the burger, so it’s very hard to get it wrong.”

Me: “Yeah. That’s a simple menu! What’s that sign saying, ‘Terence pays whatever’?”

Manager: “Terence is our special customer. He pays whatever he can.”

Me: “Oh, that’s nice of you all.”

I spend the day selling snacks and drinks to customers enjoying the park over the summer. It’s a beautiful day, so there is a line of customers getting ice creams. Then, I notice that one member of the line is not like the others.

Me: *To the manager* “There is a German Shepherd in line with the customers.”

Manager: “That’s Terence! What does he have in his mouth?”

Me: “Uh…” *Looking back* “A… stick?”

Manager: “Sticks get him a sausage! Leaves get him a burger patty!”

Me: “Seriously?”

Manager: “Hey, if a dog was able to watch us humans and figure out how the bartering system works, I’m not going to leave that unrewarded!”

That’s how I met Terence, the uncharacteristically intelligent German Shepherd who learned that you have to pay for food.

Apparently, he was doing it for a few weeks before his owner realised what was happening, as he thought he’d just run into the bushes chasing a smell — not knowing that the smell was us!

And yes, yes, I know we shouldn’t feed a dog without the owner’s permission, but my manager was old-fashioned and could never say no to a good boy.