This is Sheriff Peanut Butter Brickle. Not often, but every so often, which is not often, I listen to my brother Deputy Digby Pancake. And the only reason I do as such is to let him think that he has a role to play in our pawtrol duties. And also, well, sometimes he is right. But that doesn’t make me wrong. Just to clarify.

Where we are camping has many many good things about it. But it is also dangerous and deadly if you are deer, turkey or any living thing really. It Is hunting season most of the time. And we didn’t particularly know that.

If you know Digby’s background…and even if you don’t…well. He was a hunting dog and ended up at the shelter because he was afraid of gunshots. Which also made him afraid of anything loud. And so when he even thinks he hears something, he is out of town like the Big Blue Treat Wagon. Out.

Girl Person likes to use the word sketch. No not for drawing. Sketch. Like suspicious. And I certainly know the word suspicious like I know the words peanut butter. And when we were walking yesterday? Oh yeah. This. Was. A sketchy. Sketch. Situation.

Normally, our walks the past few days had been quiet. There were certain areas that you could hike in, and that hunters were not allowed on. The signs said to wear brightly colored clothing and Digby and I don’t wear pants, so it’s the best we could do with our harnesses. And Girl Person wore her brightest clothes too. All of a sudden, we heard car sounds in the woods and loud radio music. And none of this seemed good. To Digby.

He immediately knew this was time to throw the towel in on this hike. If he actually used towels and took showers, Girl Person may have been more apt to listen to him. But she pleaded with us to keep walking. That all was ok. And well Digby just didn’t believe her. He didn’t want to take her word for it. And he planted himself in the mud like blueberry on a pancake.

I’m not one to listen at all. And I also particularly wasn’t too alarmed. They seemed the harmless kind of folks, listening to country music on a Wednesday night. But then all of a sudden I knew the Sketchy Sketch in Digby’s mind was correct. The radio got louder. And gunshots started. And we. Were. Out.

Now. You better believe a lot of noise was made to make our displeasure known that we were supposed to be in a safe area. You can also believe that Girl Person was telling Digby that he was a good boy, as we almost got dragged to the next county over by Digby’s speed. Maple syrup should he marketed as an energy drink. That’s all I have to say about that.

As we got back to the main road and started walking, here came some other hunters on the road. They pulled over to ask Girl Person if she needed a ride. And it seemed like if she could have had lightening bolts come from her eyes, that would have totally happened. She told him no. She expected him to keep driving. But instead he asked where she was from. And she had had enough of this. I had had enough of this. Digby had definitely had enough of this. Now this was sketch.

Girl Person simply said to have a nice day, and as they drove away with howling hound dogs in the back of his truck, she could only look at Digby and tell him thank you. She told him thank you for his help that day in leading us to safety.

You see, fear isn’t always a bad thing. Even past experiences that have had a negative impact on us can teach us in the future and can pop up reminders for us. Digby’s fear of hunting and guns and loud noises may have very well saved us. And Girl Person could only wonder what would have happened to Digby if we all would have never found each other.

So if I rarely tell Deputy Digby thank you, I am today. Thank you for being you, Digby. Fears and all.

-Sheriff Peanut Butter Brickle

Did you catch Girl Person on Daytime NBC? Watch her make up some Game Day snacks for dogs! Click here