If Saba's tongue hung out of her mouth any further, it would be dragging through the snow. The sights and smells and sounds that surrounded her filled her body with a sense of wonder and excitement. People towered above her, bundled up in their thick coats and heavy boots. Dogs of all breeds and sizes stood around her, lining up and down the street, pressed to the curb of the sidewalk on either side of the road, struggling to see what was going on.
So why did it seem that she was the only one who was excited?
The people were very quiet. Occasionally there was a whisper from a child, only for their parents to hush them almost immediately. Cassie, her own girl, was behaving herself quite well, simply standing behind Saba and holding her leash tight. The adults were all silent, not a sound among them.
Saba's father, Balto, was beside her. His tail was not wagging like hers. His tongue was not hanging out like hers. His eyes were not filled with excitement like hers. He seemed very solemn, as if he was sad he had to be there at that moment.
"Are you okay, Daddy?" Saba asked, worried for him.
Balto blinked hard, like he was being pulled out of a trance, and looked down at her with a warm smile. "I'm fine, kiddo."
It was a simple answer, but it satisfied Saba. She went back to wagging her tail and darting her eyes back and forth down the road. "When is it starting, Daddy?" she asked, excited.
Unlike the human parents hushing their children, Balto did not curb her in the least. If anything, it seemed that her excitement just helped cheer him up even more. "Soon, Saba," he assured her, poking his head into the street and looking both ways himself. "For an event this big, I'm sure they'll want to start right on time. It won't be much longer of a wait."
As if on cue, the clock at City Hall, half a mile down the road, chimed noon. Any leftover noise from the crowd immediately died down, instantly silencing the town. After the twelfth chime, it became so quiet, Saba could hear the sound of the waves hitting the beach more than a mile away.
Then, all of a sudden, a voice called out from down the road. It was too far away for her to make out what was said, but the message was clear to someone. A lone trumpet began to play a slow, solemn tune. As Saba turned to see where the trumpet was playing from, she saw a small group of people make their way to the center of the street.
Every human and dog in town turned their attention to the group. Six men, all dressed in blue, walked down the road, carrying a big box between them. A group of several other men followed behind, walking two by two, in step with each other. Following them was a large gap, followed by the trumpet player, also dressed in blue.
Saba didn't understand exactly what was going on, but she could feel the excitement disappear inside of her. She turned to Balto and whispered, "What is that, Daddy?"
It was the only noise anyone was making in the crowd. The humans didn't seem to notice, but some nearby dogs shot her a disapproving look before turning their attention back to the group making their way down the road.
Balto seemed to ignore the disapproving looks and answered. "That's Nome's police force. They are the group of humans that help protect the city."
"Like you did?"
A chuckle. "No, not exactly. See, Nome has a lot of laws that need to be kept. Sometimes humans don't keep those laws, so the police help to enforce them and keep order. It helps everyone stay safe and happy." The group began passing them, and Balto's smile vanished. "But sometimes, that comes at a cost."
For the first time, Saba noticed a dog, a German Shepherd, following the trumpet player. She had never seen him before, which was odd since she thought she knew every dog in Nome. He walked straight and tall, obviously very proud of himself.
"Who's that?" Saba whispered.
"That's Orion, the chief's partner." Balto pointed at one of the men around the box with his nose. "He's their leader, and Orion helps sometimes with things that dogs can do but humans can't."
"Why haven't I seen him before?"
"Because he's always so busy doing police work. When humans get lost in the woods, Orion is sent out to find them. And when humans need to track a criminal, they bring in Orion to do it. When he's not working, he's at his home preparing for the next time he does work."
"He must work hard, then." Saba's eyes followed the group as they kept making their way down the street, now completely passing them. Her attention went back to the box the six men were carrying. "What's in the box?"
Balto paused for a moment before answering. "It's not what, it's who. One of the police officers was killed in the line of duty."
"What happened?" When her father didn't answer, Saba decided it was best to leave it. "Don't humans usually just bury dead people?"
"Usually, yes. But police officers aren't just ordinary people. This one was very well-known by everyone in town, and well-respected, too. That's why everyone is gathered here, to pay our respects."
"Is that why everyone is so quiet?" As soon as Saba said it out loud, she realized the irony of the question, and sheepishly lowered her ears and tried taking a step back, hoping to disappear into the crowd.
Balto didn't seem to mind, as if her questions were more important than being silent. "Yes. Everyone is quiet because they are so respectful. That man gave his life for this town, and this is our way of saying thank-you."
The group reached the end of the road, just as the trumpet stopped playing. One of the six men surrounding the box - the one Balto had identified as the chief - called out something, and the others raised a hand to their face.
"What are they doing?" Saba inquired.
"That's called a salute," Balto explained. "It's the biggest show of respect police officers can give."
The remaining police officers stood still and kept saluting while the six holding the box walked away, making their way toward the cemetery on the outskirts of town. When they were out of sight, one of the men called out another word, and the men dropped their hands. Then they turned around and started walking back down the street, this time with the dog leading the group.
"Now they're going back to the police station. When they reach it, then we will be free to leave," Balto whispered.
Saba barely heard him. She was fixated on Orion. The German Shepherd walked straight, never turning his attention to the left or to the right. In fact, he seemed to be the only dog who wasn't focused on the group of police officers behind him. He had a small smile on his face, proud of his position in the police force. He walked with great steps, hind paws almost sinking into the same patch of snow as his front paws.
Saba was only three months old, but in those few seconds of staring at Orion, she made an instant decision.
"Dad, I want to be a police dog."
Balto, for the first time today, seemed like he didn't quite know what was going on. After a stutter, he asked, "You what?"
Saba couldn't take her attention off Orion, now passing directly in front of her. In fact, she could almost swear he pulled his attention off the road just to give her a glance. And did he just wink as well?
She felt a heated sensation on her face and quickly turned to her father. "That human gave his life to help out Nome. And that dog would be willing to do the same." She smiled. "I want to do that, too."
Balto blinked. "Saba, there's a lot more to being a police dog than just being eye candy to everyone. It's real hard work - harder work than even being a sled dog."
"I don't care. I can do hard work!" Saba puffed her chest and smiled. "If Orion can do it, I can do it."
Balto seemed incapable of processing what had just happened. Even as the group of police officers entered their building and the crowd began to dissipate, he continued staring at Saba blankly, struggling to find words.
It was only when Rosy walked past with Jenna that he found the words-for Jenna, not for Saba. "She wants to be a police dog," he mumbled, as if he couldn't believe he was saying it out loud.
Rosy patted Balto and Saba on the head before she started chatting with Cassie. Jenna seemed just as surprised as Balto about the idea, and turned to Saba in confusion. "Really? That's what you want to do?"
Saba nodded enthusiastically. "I want to help people! I never wanted to be a sled dog like Dingo, or a mail dog like Kodi. But I never wanted to just be a pet like Tydye, either. I want to help people-and I think being a police dog is the perfect way for me to do it!"
Jenna stared at her just as blankly as Balto for a few seconds, but after those few seconds were up, she smiled. "Well, then I say go for it, Saba."
Balto turned to her. "Excuse me, what?" he asked.
Jenna shot him a look, before returning her attention back to her daughter. "Nome has always had at least one police dog, because they're so useful. If you want to help humans in any way you can, then I say that's the perfect thing for you to do."
"But it's dangerous," Balto warned-probably warning both of them. "Do you know what police have to do here? The conditions they work in? The criminals they can run—"
"Dad," Saba interjected. Her use of that word, instead of her usual "Daddy", stunned Balto into silence. She took a deep breath, before talking again. "I know this is a sudden decision. I don't know anything about what it means to be a police dog. And I am sure it's dangerous." She walked closer to him. "But I do know one thing: that for the first time in my life, I know what I want to do. I know I want to find out how to be a police dog. I know I want to risk the danger, to help other people." She smiled encouragingly. "I know I want for you to support this decision."
Jenna quickly proclaimed, "Of course you have my support, Saba! You have mine and your father's!" She turned to him. "Isn't that right, Balto?"
Balto continued staring at his daughter, barely comprehending the sudden change going on right before his eyes. The longer he stared, the more Saba worried he would express his disapproval. And why shouldn't he? I'm just three months old. I have my whole life ahead of me. Making such a big decision like this so early on is probably not smart. She dropped the smile, instead putting on an expression of determination. But it is my decision, nonetheless.
"Please understand," she begged out loud.
Balto's gaze lasted for another few seconds, before he let out a sigh. "I don't understand," he admitted, but to Saba's immense relief, he added, "but I support you all the way, kiddo."
The relief was so great that Saba couldn't help but hug him instantly, wrapping her neck around his with so much force he had to sidestep to maintain his balance. "Thank you, Daddy!" she exclaimed. She stopped hugging him for just long enough to look him and her mother in the face. "Don't you worry. I'll be the best police dog Nome has ever had!"
