"Hey, Doc."
"Colonel O'Neill?" Dr. Ray looked at the puppy in Jack's arms. Jaffer wasn't bleeding as near as she could tell, and he wasn't ki-yi-ing, and Jack looked fairly calm. "Do we have an appointment I don't know about?"
"Nah. My boss spilled some coffee on Jaffer, though, and I thought it might not be a bad idea to have him checked out. You know, just in case? If you have a minute?"
She smiled, knowingly, and reached for the puppy. Jack O'Neill had only been to her office a few times, but Monica Ray was well aware that he was about the most nervous pet owner she'd ever met. If Jaffer so much as issued a peep in distress, O'Neill was there, hovering and cooing him. It was kind of cute, since he looked so completely capable of handling every other situation. Just nothing with Jaffer involved.
"Who's your friend?" She asked as she set Jaffer on the receptionist's counter, and ran her fingers through the black lab's fuzzy fur. Jaffer licked her hand every time it got close to his face.
"Daniel Jackson. We work together."
"Are you in the military, Mr. Jackson?" She asked. His hair was a little longer than most military men were allowed to wear it, but what did she know?
"No. I'm an archeologist." Daniel said, smiling a greeting since her hands were full of puppy. "Speaking of which, Jaffer ate one of my fossils. Anyway I can get it back?"
Monica looked at Jack, who held his index finger and thumb a small distance apart to tell her about how big the fossil was.
"Watch for it in a couple of days, Mr. Jackson. It should pass fairly easily."
Daniel scowled.
"That's what I told him."
"Jack knows better than anyone," She agreed. Boy, did he ever know! And he was still learning what was safe and what wasn't. "He looks fine, Jack. I don't see any redness on his skin, and he doesn't seem to be in any distress."
"Thanks, Doc." Jack took Jaffer back, and cuddled him. "It never hurts to be sure, right?"
"Right."
~*~
They arrive back at the SGC well after lunchtime. The visit to the vet hadn't taken all that long, but to take Jaffer to his regular vet had meant going almost all the way to O'Neill's, which wasn't all that much on the way to the pet store. Then, once Monica Ray had cleared Jaffer and announced him fit to be taken home, they'd grabbed a quick bite to eat, and then it was off to the pet store; where they'd spent well over an hour. It wasn't just a matter of picking out a leash – although that had taken Jack quite a while – they also had to get stuff.
Jack decided if he was going to have Jaffer in his office, he might as well have a food dish, and a water dish there, and he HAD to have at least one chew toy, and a couple chew bones, and a ball, and some puppy training pads, since they were still working on the house breaking thing. Then, once Jack had Daniel loaded down with all of these absolutely necessary items; they'd started the real shopping.
They walked back through the corridors of the SGC drawing many looks. Not Jack and Daniel, because they looked exactly the same as they had when they'd left – minus the fact that Daniel was carrying a large bag of dog supplies and Jack had a twenty-five pound bag of puppy chow over his shoulder. Jaffer was drawing the attention. The little lab was strutting next to Jack, held in place with his brand new leash (A blue one that matched the brand new harness Jack had also decided to purchase). He was also sporting a puppy coat that proudly proclaimed him to be the World's Greatest Puppy, and was personalized with Jaffer's name on it. The puppy would grow out of it quickly, but Jack had decided that it was cold out, and his baby should be warm.
Daniel helped Jack carry the stuff to his office, then beat a hasty retreat before O'Neill could suggest they do anything else. He'd paid his price for the coffee jab, as far as he was concerned, and it didn't look like Jack was going to pass out any time soon. Jack thanked Daniel for his help, then set his puppy on his desk and started taking his coat off him, not even noticing when Daniel closed the door behind him.
~*~
"Colonel?"
"Sir?"
Jack looked up at the knock on his door. He was sitting at his desk, once more trying to convince himself to do his paperwork, and was staring at the same requisition paper that he had been earlier. Jaffer was chewing contently on a rawhide bone thing, the rest of his toys scattered around him.
"Busy?"
"No, Sir. Come on in."
Hammond walked in, and Jack saw he was accompanied by a Captain that O'Neill thought looked vaguely familiar, but didn't actually know.
"This is Captain Larry Glenn. He's the officer in charge of the K-9 corps here on the base."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain." Jack said, offering his hand.
"Likewise, Sir."
"I've been discussing Jaffer with Captain Glenn, Jack. Jaffer and Jack, both, actually."
"Oh?"
"Well, I think if you're going to be bringing Jaffer to the base with you every day – and since Jack is always here with Teal'c - it might not be a bad idea for you and Teal'c to put your dogs in training. You never know when we might need extra help with K-9 security, and it would... keep them out of trouble. You know, give them someplace to run and expend some of that energy."
Jack looked over at Jaffer, dubiously. The little black lab looked right back at him, still chewing the bone with his ferocious little teeth. "Isn't he a little young for that kind of thing?"
"Not at all, Sir," Glenn assured O'Neill. He'd been pretty much ordered by Hammond to get Jack to agree to this idea, so the young Captain would do everything he could to assure Jack that it was a good idea. "Lots of the base dogs begin their training young. They learn best when they're young."
"Jaffer's going to be spending a lot of time with kids," Jack said, thinking of Shawn mainly. "I don't really want to turn him into a killing machine..."
"He's a lab, Sir. They're very good-natured dogs. You can't train that out of them unless you abuse them, and we'd never allow anything like that to happen. Not to any of the dogs on the base."
"Will it hurt?"
"No, Sir. Never."
"I don't know, Sir..." Jack looked at Hammond, who was looking for all the world like it was the greatest idea he'd ever heard. "I've heard the K-9 Marines are pretty obsessed when it comes to their dogs. I wouldn't want Jaffer to get overwhelmed. Or spoiled."
The Captain couldn't help but look at all the puppy items in the room, including a framed photo of Jack and Jaffer that was sitting on O'Neill's desk.
"There's no way our Marines will spoil your puppy, Sir." It was obvious Jack was well on his way to doing that, already, and there wasn't a chance anyone else could do more than he was. "All the training will do is teach him what belongs on the base, and what doesn't. And he'll learn a few commands – sit, stay, heel – the usual ones."
"Fetch?" Jack asked.
"If you want, Sir."
"Can you teach him to catch a Frisbee? Like those dogs on the TV do?"
"I can try, Sir."
"What do you think, Jack?" Hammond asked.
O'Neill shrugged. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give it a try, Sir. Of course, I can't speak for Teal'c. He might have other plans for Jack."
"I'll discuss it with him when he comes back on the base."
"Okay. When do you start?"
"Tomorrow, Sir?" Glenn asked Hammond and Jack both.
"Tomorrow is fine." Hammond said, clapping his hands together in a 'that's that' motion, and heading for the door.
"Um... sure. Tomorrow is good." Jack still didn't look completely sure of the whole idea, but Hammond was practically rubbing his hands in glee.
"Great, Sir. Do you know where the kennels are?"
"Yes."
"I'll be there when you come on-base in the morning. You can drop him off, and then pick him up when you leave."
"Okay."
The two men left Jack's office, and O'Neill shrugged and looked over at Jaffer, who hadn't stopped chewing his bone, even while his future had been decided.
"I don't know little man," Jack said, smiling softly. "I wonder if Hammond even realized that if you're upstairs learning to be a guard dog, you're not going to be down here where you can keep everyone company?"
~*~
The End
(of this tale....)
"Colonel O'Neill?" Dr. Ray looked at the puppy in Jack's arms. Jaffer wasn't bleeding as near as she could tell, and he wasn't ki-yi-ing, and Jack looked fairly calm. "Do we have an appointment I don't know about?"
"Nah. My boss spilled some coffee on Jaffer, though, and I thought it might not be a bad idea to have him checked out. You know, just in case? If you have a minute?"
She smiled, knowingly, and reached for the puppy. Jack O'Neill had only been to her office a few times, but Monica Ray was well aware that he was about the most nervous pet owner she'd ever met. If Jaffer so much as issued a peep in distress, O'Neill was there, hovering and cooing him. It was kind of cute, since he looked so completely capable of handling every other situation. Just nothing with Jaffer involved.
"Who's your friend?" She asked as she set Jaffer on the receptionist's counter, and ran her fingers through the black lab's fuzzy fur. Jaffer licked her hand every time it got close to his face.
"Daniel Jackson. We work together."
"Are you in the military, Mr. Jackson?" She asked. His hair was a little longer than most military men were allowed to wear it, but what did she know?
"No. I'm an archeologist." Daniel said, smiling a greeting since her hands were full of puppy. "Speaking of which, Jaffer ate one of my fossils. Anyway I can get it back?"
Monica looked at Jack, who held his index finger and thumb a small distance apart to tell her about how big the fossil was.
"Watch for it in a couple of days, Mr. Jackson. It should pass fairly easily."
Daniel scowled.
"That's what I told him."
"Jack knows better than anyone," She agreed. Boy, did he ever know! And he was still learning what was safe and what wasn't. "He looks fine, Jack. I don't see any redness on his skin, and he doesn't seem to be in any distress."
"Thanks, Doc." Jack took Jaffer back, and cuddled him. "It never hurts to be sure, right?"
"Right."
~*~
They arrive back at the SGC well after lunchtime. The visit to the vet hadn't taken all that long, but to take Jaffer to his regular vet had meant going almost all the way to O'Neill's, which wasn't all that much on the way to the pet store. Then, once Monica Ray had cleared Jaffer and announced him fit to be taken home, they'd grabbed a quick bite to eat, and then it was off to the pet store; where they'd spent well over an hour. It wasn't just a matter of picking out a leash – although that had taken Jack quite a while – they also had to get stuff.
Jack decided if he was going to have Jaffer in his office, he might as well have a food dish, and a water dish there, and he HAD to have at least one chew toy, and a couple chew bones, and a ball, and some puppy training pads, since they were still working on the house breaking thing. Then, once Jack had Daniel loaded down with all of these absolutely necessary items; they'd started the real shopping.
They walked back through the corridors of the SGC drawing many looks. Not Jack and Daniel, because they looked exactly the same as they had when they'd left – minus the fact that Daniel was carrying a large bag of dog supplies and Jack had a twenty-five pound bag of puppy chow over his shoulder. Jaffer was drawing the attention. The little lab was strutting next to Jack, held in place with his brand new leash (A blue one that matched the brand new harness Jack had also decided to purchase). He was also sporting a puppy coat that proudly proclaimed him to be the World's Greatest Puppy, and was personalized with Jaffer's name on it. The puppy would grow out of it quickly, but Jack had decided that it was cold out, and his baby should be warm.
Daniel helped Jack carry the stuff to his office, then beat a hasty retreat before O'Neill could suggest they do anything else. He'd paid his price for the coffee jab, as far as he was concerned, and it didn't look like Jack was going to pass out any time soon. Jack thanked Daniel for his help, then set his puppy on his desk and started taking his coat off him, not even noticing when Daniel closed the door behind him.
~*~
"Colonel?"
"Sir?"
Jack looked up at the knock on his door. He was sitting at his desk, once more trying to convince himself to do his paperwork, and was staring at the same requisition paper that he had been earlier. Jaffer was chewing contently on a rawhide bone thing, the rest of his toys scattered around him.
"Busy?"
"No, Sir. Come on in."
Hammond walked in, and Jack saw he was accompanied by a Captain that O'Neill thought looked vaguely familiar, but didn't actually know.
"This is Captain Larry Glenn. He's the officer in charge of the K-9 corps here on the base."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain." Jack said, offering his hand.
"Likewise, Sir."
"I've been discussing Jaffer with Captain Glenn, Jack. Jaffer and Jack, both, actually."
"Oh?"
"Well, I think if you're going to be bringing Jaffer to the base with you every day – and since Jack is always here with Teal'c - it might not be a bad idea for you and Teal'c to put your dogs in training. You never know when we might need extra help with K-9 security, and it would... keep them out of trouble. You know, give them someplace to run and expend some of that energy."
Jack looked over at Jaffer, dubiously. The little black lab looked right back at him, still chewing the bone with his ferocious little teeth. "Isn't he a little young for that kind of thing?"
"Not at all, Sir," Glenn assured O'Neill. He'd been pretty much ordered by Hammond to get Jack to agree to this idea, so the young Captain would do everything he could to assure Jack that it was a good idea. "Lots of the base dogs begin their training young. They learn best when they're young."
"Jaffer's going to be spending a lot of time with kids," Jack said, thinking of Shawn mainly. "I don't really want to turn him into a killing machine..."
"He's a lab, Sir. They're very good-natured dogs. You can't train that out of them unless you abuse them, and we'd never allow anything like that to happen. Not to any of the dogs on the base."
"Will it hurt?"
"No, Sir. Never."
"I don't know, Sir..." Jack looked at Hammond, who was looking for all the world like it was the greatest idea he'd ever heard. "I've heard the K-9 Marines are pretty obsessed when it comes to their dogs. I wouldn't want Jaffer to get overwhelmed. Or spoiled."
The Captain couldn't help but look at all the puppy items in the room, including a framed photo of Jack and Jaffer that was sitting on O'Neill's desk.
"There's no way our Marines will spoil your puppy, Sir." It was obvious Jack was well on his way to doing that, already, and there wasn't a chance anyone else could do more than he was. "All the training will do is teach him what belongs on the base, and what doesn't. And he'll learn a few commands – sit, stay, heel – the usual ones."
"Fetch?" Jack asked.
"If you want, Sir."
"Can you teach him to catch a Frisbee? Like those dogs on the TV do?"
"I can try, Sir."
"What do you think, Jack?" Hammond asked.
O'Neill shrugged. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give it a try, Sir. Of course, I can't speak for Teal'c. He might have other plans for Jack."
"I'll discuss it with him when he comes back on the base."
"Okay. When do you start?"
"Tomorrow, Sir?" Glenn asked Hammond and Jack both.
"Tomorrow is fine." Hammond said, clapping his hands together in a 'that's that' motion, and heading for the door.
"Um... sure. Tomorrow is good." Jack still didn't look completely sure of the whole idea, but Hammond was practically rubbing his hands in glee.
"Great, Sir. Do you know where the kennels are?"
"Yes."
"I'll be there when you come on-base in the morning. You can drop him off, and then pick him up when you leave."
"Okay."
The two men left Jack's office, and O'Neill shrugged and looked over at Jaffer, who hadn't stopped chewing his bone, even while his future had been decided.
"I don't know little man," Jack said, smiling softly. "I wonder if Hammond even realized that if you're upstairs learning to be a guard dog, you're not going to be down here where you can keep everyone company?"
~*~
The End
(of this tale....)