Post by Vivian Flynt on Aug 13, 2005 3:10:51 GMT 9.5
© English Shepherd Advocate, 2001
Theresa and David Kaschak of Waterford, Pennsylvania, are used to visitors at their 100-acre dairy farm. Their English Shepherds, too, are used to farm agents, delivery drivers, puppy prospects, and any number of people with business to transact at Kaschak Farm popping in and out throughout the day.
When the pickup truck pulled in the driveway that Friday morning, David and Theresa didn’t give it much thought. What happened next, though, certainly got their attention. As the man started to get out of the truck, Cocoa ran up and leaped at his door. She smacked the door so hard he was knocked back into the cab. Barking like a maniac and showing her teeth, normally mild-mannered Cocoa lunged at the open driver side window. If David hadn’t grabbed her by the collar, she would have leapt right through the window.
The man said he had been working on a township repaving project on a nearby road. As he gestured out the window, an enraged Cocoa tried to grab his arm. Their work was done, the man quickly explained, and they had a load of asphalt left over. He offered to pave the Kaschak’s gravel drive for $1.75 a cubic foot. Great deal, he said, you’d be fools not to take advantage of it.
But David was distracted by the pandemonium that was erupting all around him. Not only was Cocoa going wild, their mahogany sable male Dust-Dee and their tricolor female Cyn-Dee were barking furiously and circling around and around the man’s truck. Stormie, their black and white male, was locked in his kennel. Even so, he was standing upright against the chain link, barking like a fiend.
The Kaschaks had never seen their English Shepherds react to a person like this, and that made them suspicious. Theresa excused herself and went inside the house. She quickly phoned the township. “No,” the township secretary said, “there’s no paving project going on in your area. We’ve heard there are scam artists working township residences, though.” With Theresa on the line, the township secretary dialed the state police.
Theresa looked out the window and was shocked to see more trucks pulling into the driveway, including one with a pot of hot asphalt hitched to it. There were a dozen men in all. They were pressuring David to let them asphalt the drive. He kept telling them no, he didn’t want his driveway paved.
But they were insistent. “Okay,” the man said, “we’re dumping our load of asphalt here and we expect to be paid.” But none of the men would get out of their trucks. The English Shepherds made it plain that they would bite anyone who got out.
Watching from the window, Theresa told the township secretary what was happening. As she spoke, the secretary relayed the conversation to the 911 operator. Finally the men drove off. David gave them a little bit of a head start and then took off after them in his pickup truck. Watching as they took the fork towards the highway, David turned around and dashed back to the house.
That information was all the state troopers needed. They converged on the men and took them all into custody. “Great job!” the detective said. “Good work!” The officer went on to explain that the asphalt the men used was of extremely poor quality. It would harden to a consistency of pudding and no more. Had it been spread, the Kaschaks would have had to pay someone to remove it, because it would have made their driveway undriveable.
Theresa and David are very proud of their English Shepherds, especially Cocoa. “She knew that guy was up to something,” Theresa said. “Having that many men come here was awful intimidating. I’m really glad the English Shepherds were around to protect us!”
Crime-fighter Cocoa has returned to her gentle ways, greeting guests and their children. Especially children – Cocoa is a sucker for kids. But should hearth and home (or driveway) ever be threatened again, the Kaschaks have no doubt that Chief of Security Cocoa will spring into action.
Theresa and David Kaschak of Waterford, Pennsylvania, are used to visitors at their 100-acre dairy farm. Their English Shepherds, too, are used to farm agents, delivery drivers, puppy prospects, and any number of people with business to transact at Kaschak Farm popping in and out throughout the day.
When the pickup truck pulled in the driveway that Friday morning, David and Theresa didn’t give it much thought. What happened next, though, certainly got their attention. As the man started to get out of the truck, Cocoa ran up and leaped at his door. She smacked the door so hard he was knocked back into the cab. Barking like a maniac and showing her teeth, normally mild-mannered Cocoa lunged at the open driver side window. If David hadn’t grabbed her by the collar, she would have leapt right through the window.
The man said he had been working on a township repaving project on a nearby road. As he gestured out the window, an enraged Cocoa tried to grab his arm. Their work was done, the man quickly explained, and they had a load of asphalt left over. He offered to pave the Kaschak’s gravel drive for $1.75 a cubic foot. Great deal, he said, you’d be fools not to take advantage of it.
But David was distracted by the pandemonium that was erupting all around him. Not only was Cocoa going wild, their mahogany sable male Dust-Dee and their tricolor female Cyn-Dee were barking furiously and circling around and around the man’s truck. Stormie, their black and white male, was locked in his kennel. Even so, he was standing upright against the chain link, barking like a fiend.
The Kaschaks had never seen their English Shepherds react to a person like this, and that made them suspicious. Theresa excused herself and went inside the house. She quickly phoned the township. “No,” the township secretary said, “there’s no paving project going on in your area. We’ve heard there are scam artists working township residences, though.” With Theresa on the line, the township secretary dialed the state police.
Theresa looked out the window and was shocked to see more trucks pulling into the driveway, including one with a pot of hot asphalt hitched to it. There were a dozen men in all. They were pressuring David to let them asphalt the drive. He kept telling them no, he didn’t want his driveway paved.
But they were insistent. “Okay,” the man said, “we’re dumping our load of asphalt here and we expect to be paid.” But none of the men would get out of their trucks. The English Shepherds made it plain that they would bite anyone who got out.
Watching from the window, Theresa told the township secretary what was happening. As she spoke, the secretary relayed the conversation to the 911 operator. Finally the men drove off. David gave them a little bit of a head start and then took off after them in his pickup truck. Watching as they took the fork towards the highway, David turned around and dashed back to the house.
That information was all the state troopers needed. They converged on the men and took them all into custody. “Great job!” the detective said. “Good work!” The officer went on to explain that the asphalt the men used was of extremely poor quality. It would harden to a consistency of pudding and no more. Had it been spread, the Kaschaks would have had to pay someone to remove it, because it would have made their driveway undriveable.
Theresa and David are very proud of their English Shepherds, especially Cocoa. “She knew that guy was up to something,” Theresa said. “Having that many men come here was awful intimidating. I’m really glad the English Shepherds were around to protect us!”
Crime-fighter Cocoa has returned to her gentle ways, greeting guests and their children. Especially children – Cocoa is a sucker for kids. But should hearth and home (or driveway) ever be threatened again, the Kaschaks have no doubt that Chief of Security Cocoa will spring into action.
