Page 22 of Wrong Turn

They spent a restless night that night, sharing Aunty’s bed for the first time since the first year when Lei had come to her aunt’s as a traumatized child. Even so, Lei woke up at every scratch of a branch at the window. She couldn’t wait to meet their new dog and have an animal’s sharp eyes and ears watching out for them.

Chapter Thirteen

Lei and Auntywere waiting on the front porch of Aunty’s bungalow when a van with ‘K-9 Training Center’ on the side of it pulled up in front of their house the next morning.

A young man dressed in a blue uniform with the same logo as the van on his pocket stepped out to greet them. His name, he told them, was Josh. “And meet Kali.”

Josh opened the sliding door, and they got their first glimpse of the dog that would be spending the next week with them.

Lei had not been prepared for how beautiful a young Rottweiler in the prime of its life could be. Kali had the classic markings of the breed: a sleek black coat, a bobbed tail, feet and chest in a rich chestnut that matched her eyebrow patches. The Rottie sat quietly, gazing at them with large, intelligent brown eyes. Her solid body gleamed from head to toe with good health and solid musculature. Her folded ears were pricked, her nose shiny. Small brown patches above her eyes accented an expression of interest and intelligence.

The trainer clipped a leash onto Kali’s chain collar, and she hopped down from the van to step to his side. He introduced them, and Lei held a closed fist down for the dog to sniff.

“We have been calling her Kali,” Josh said. “So if you do keep her, and you don’t like that name, whatever you name her should have a similar hard ‘K’ sound and an ‘i’ at the end.”

Lei instinctively didn’t like the name; though it was a good one for such a guard dog as this, that of a fierce goddess of death, it didn’t suit the gentle feeling Lei got from the dog. This sweet girl was going to be named something uniquely Hawaii, uniquely theirs. “Show us what she can do.”

The trainer demonstrated how Kali could patrol the house or yard at a hand signal, go into defense mode to guard their house with another command, come, sit, stay, and aggressively “hold” an intruder by backing them into a corner and keeping them there.

“Kali failed our standards for tracking,” he said regretfully. “It’s too bad, because she’s a bright dog with a great disposition. She will work for you until she drops once you have her loyalty. But you must dominate her regularly; be her leader. Rotties can become bullies if they’re unsure who’s the boss. Here’s how you will do that.”

He showed them how to establish a leadership role with Kali using commands and treats. “You should practice her training with her often.”

Lei felt comfortable with this new way of relating to an animal, while Aunty struggled. “If she tries to herd me, I think I’ll just want to go where she wants me to go,” Aunty said, laughing.

“Rottweilers are very strong-willed and need a firm, loving hand, and clear leadership,” Josh told them. “If you let her push you around, she will become the alpha, and then . . . all the training we’ve put into her could be lost.”

“I have no problem with that.” Lei gave the hand signal for the dog to come, and then she had Kali lay down at her side. Lei went through the different hand and voice signals again, and then finally gave Kali a treat, as the trainer encouraged her to do. “I’ll go through these exercises with her every day.”

“Good! That is just what we want to hear. She’s young, so to be her best she also needs a lot of exercise—a vigorous walk for an hour or so, at least once a day.”

“I’m a runner. I’ll take her jogging with me.” Lei was thrilled at the idea of moving down the road with the dog at her side.

Josh went to the van and removed a small bag containing some toys, a spare leash, and a sample bag of the food Kali had been eating. “I will be checking in with you at the end of the week to see if you want to keep her. Don’t worry if she’s not a fit; there is a list a mile long of people who want to adopt her. So, make sure you can handle a dog that needs this level of active commitment.”

Lei was already sure that she wanted the beautiful Rottweiler more than she had wanted anything for a very long time. “We’ll be in touch.”

The van drove off, and Lei and Aunty looked down at their new dog. “First things first. You’re getting a new name, as of today, and I know just the thing. I’m going to call you Keiki,” Lei said. “Child, in Hawaiian. Because you’re our Keiki girl.”

Aunty knelt beside the Rottie and stroked her ears. Keiki leaned against her, and Rosario smiled up at Lei. “Keiki is perfect, and we both know she’s your dog, not mine. She can be your girl, until you have your own child someday.”

Lei rolled her eyes. “That’ll be the day.”

“Life has a way of surprising us,” Rosario said. “Just wait and see.”

Chapter Fourteen

Lei promptly putKeiki on the leash and took the Rottweiler out for a run.

The experience was very different from running alone; Lei was used to a feeling of invisibility as she jogged down the road, her earbuds in place, her expression blank as she hid beneath the brim of a ballcap.

But with Keiki at her side, people noticed her. They looked at the beautiful dog, and some of them moved away to give the two of them a wide berth, apprehensive about a large, muscular animal with a reputation for being a guard dog. Others were dog lovers, and smiled at the sight of the two of them. All in all, Lei enjoyed the feeling of companionship she felt moving through the world with Keiki at her side.

Keiki stayed level with Lei, only occasionally trying to step ahead in a way that Josh had cautioned was a bid for leadership. Lei checked the Rottie with the chain collar, and Keiki fell back to trot at her side, reassured by Lei’s position as the alpha in their little duo.

When they came to a stoplight, and Lei jogged in place, Keiki stood quietly or sat on her haunches, waiting for the light to change. Traffic signals were clearly not something new to her; she seemed to recognize the changing of the lights and had an appreciation for cars, as well as for other people on the sidewalk. Occasionally, Keiki would glance up at Lei, a slight scrunch on her broad brow, as if asking if everything was all right.

“It sure is, girl,” Lei said. “I’m so glad to have you with me.”

---