Cheeto the Bandito

Since writing about Ole Sharpie, I have been inundated with stories about Mt. Pleasant?s most infamous dog. Seems as though anyone who has spent much time in Mt. Pleasant has seen the vagabond dog that cheats traditional living.

I was told that his real name is Cheeto. Mt. Pleasant?s Community Service Officer, AKA Animal Control Officer, AKA Dog Catcher, was determined to capture Cheeto. He really didn?t want to, knowing Cheeto?s fate if captured. Cheeto is a good looking shar pei, and the CSO admired Cheeto?s determination to live free, a life on the lam. But the CSO had to do his job. Residents would call in and complain about Cheeto terrorizing their dogs and making a mess of flower gardens.

It was in the dead of winter, with the temperature hovering around zero, and a bitter wind out of the northwest. Workers at the Old Threshers grounds in Mt. Pleasant called the CSO and informed him that Cheeto was seen sleeping in one of the horse barns.

This was the CSO?s chance.

The CSO is an experienced hunter. Very quietly he snuck up on the horse barn, making sure the wind was in his face. He carried with him a nose snare that he hoped he could capture and control Cheeto with. He peered around the corner of the barn. There Cheeto was, curled up in a pen on some straw and wood chips. He had Cheeto right where he wanted him, hemmed in on three sides.

The CSO slowly put one foot in front of the other, walking on his toes so as to not make a sound. He could hear Cheeto snoring, the exhausted sleep of the wild and free.

Slowly, slowly the CSO moved forward, holding the nose snare in front of him, ready to snag Cheeto if he should bolt. The CSO was within 10 feet of Cheeto. There was no escape now. He had him.

Cheeto opened one eye. Like a shot from a canon, Cheeto jumped straight up, his legs flailing, and barreled past the CSO, missing the nose snare by a fraction of an inch.

The CSO just stood there with his mouth open.

A Mt. Pleasant resident has tried to catch Cheeto several times, but Cheeto is much too smart. The resident lives in the middle of town, and Cheeto comes around and pesters the resident?s beagles. When he hears the beagles barking, he knows Cheeto is somewhere close by. Actually, the resident would like to keep Cheeto if he caught him. Cheeto is such a good-looking dog.

The resident?s kids play softball, and the resident was at the Mapleleaf Sports Complex in Mt. Pleasant to see the team off. Over in the batting cages, the resident spied Cheeto, inside the netting, sniffing around.

?Ah, ha,? said the resident. ?I?ve got you now!?

He summoned the assistance of the softball coach, and each of them entered the batting cage from opposite ends. There was no escape for Cheeto.

Cheeto looked first at one of the approaching men, then the other. In a flash, Cheeto scrambled under the netting and was gone.

The mighty Cheeto the Bandito lives on.

Have a good story? Call or text Curt Swarm in Mt. Pleasant at 319-217-0526, email him at curtswarm@yahoo.com or visit his website at www.empty-nest-words-photos-and-frames.com. Curt also reads his stories at www.lostlakeradio.com.