Basil as he was called by his owners was born in 1954. Good or bad his escapades will never be forgotten by the people whose lives he touched. Basil was a 50 pound English Bull Dog. He was built like a tank, low to the ground, powerful, very difficult to move when he did not want to move. He loved people, but he hated motorcycles. Basil and his family lived in the north end of Tacoma. The only motorcycles driven on the street near their house on a regular basis were ridden by police officers. They patrolled the area, it was their beat and Basil's turf, or so he thought.
No one ever figured out what made Basil hate motorcycles. When he heard one coming he took off running. Nothing could stop him. He ran right into the street and grabbed on to the front tire, braced himself, and refused to let go. The police officer could not go forward without running over the dog and they did not want to do that. They yelled and screamed at him, but he wouldn't let go. They finally resorted to hitting him with their clubs to get him to release the tire. One day he came home with a knot on his head that never went away.
You can imagine the officer's frustration. They didn't want to hurt the dog, but they couldn't get him to release to tire once he had his grip. Everyone in the area knew Basil. People were always watching when they tried to get him off their tires. What were they to do? Of course they talked to his owners who had no luck keeping him home. When he wanted to go he went, broken chains, collars, and fences were left in his wake.
The police had to take more drastic action. They started accelerating their engines when Basil grabbed their tires. They decided they were just going to have to run him over. Basil got even madder. He held the motor cycle tire while the back tire began to spin. Of course, the officer did not have the heart to run him over so Basil won again. A few wacks with the club and he finally let go.
As in all confrontations the day of reckoning comes. Basil versus the motorcycle police officer. The road was slightly damp. The intersection was clear. Basil could no longer stand the sound of that motorcycle; the police officer had been humiliated long enough. Basil ran out into the street, grabbed the tire, and braced himself. The officer gunned his engine, he had had it with that dog. What happened next surprised the officer and all of the people watching. Basil swung the motorcycle, police officer and all, around in the intersection. Into the oncoming traffic lane, then back into his own. The officer did not get hurt but the potential sure was there.
Basil soon left the north end of Tacoma to start life in the country. You see Basil won the battle but the police officer won the war.
© 1997 winged_magic@hotmail.com
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