I soon realized that was not entirely true. Like I had asked, she had given me a passing grade on my final examination and handed in her resignation. But she had also spoken so highly of me—no doubt in an attempt to keep me from accusing her of sabotage—that the captain had picked me as her replacement.

I couldn’t believe it. Never before had a rookie to the K-9 unit been offered the job, let alone one who was fresh out of the academy. I was overwhelmed, but also incredibly flattered. At first I thought of turning it down, refusing to believe I was the best choice for the job. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

Not only could I keep all future K-9 trainees from being mistreated, but I would be fulfilling my dream of combing my love of police work and my love of animals. It would keep me close to my mother while letting me spend every hour of the day with studly dogs who were just as starved for sex as I was. It was, in ever sense of the word, the perfect job for me.