Cole felt the wave of nausea fall away as his eyes opened to reveal he was outside under the night sky, but the air felt warm.

"Now where am I?", Cole asked himself.

He then felt like he was on his hands and knees again and his nerve suddenly tensed.

"Wait, am I a-", he started asking himself.

Luckily, a reflective surface was nearby and Cole could see himself. For a moment or two, he thought he was looking at his old wolfdog body, but the he wiped it to reveal that it wasn't though he still had his eyes. What dog body he did have was one of a German shepherd with it's light tan body, white underside and black color points on his back, head and face. Cole sniffed the air and suddenly looked in awe.

"Wow, been a long time since I knew this feeling.", he couldn't help but say.

He reached up and found a dog collar around his neck, but no tag which made him nervous until his ears suddenly picked up some kind of conversation down below though it was faint.

"Itchy, I think that might be a water main."

"No Charlie, water mains are green, this is red.

"You're colorblind, you've always been colorblind."

"That's true, but this is green."

"It's red."

"Red?"

Cole shuddered as he noticed some kind of building nearby that looked like a dog pound with the front gate closed and locked. Then a rumbling came which Cole pause again.

"Now what?", he asked.

As if to answer him, inside the pound's yard, a spout of water burst from the ground and arched over into the surrounding water as Cole heard voices.

"Busted water main!"

"Get the lights!"

"Call command central!"

Cole felt like this was trouble as he backed up away from the place and from a distance, he could swear he heard the same voices he heard before as a pair of searchlights came on and started moving around.

"Ahh, Itchy!"

"Oh, whoa!"

Then Cole heard gunshots and it made him all the more tense.

"What kind of world is this?", he asked himself as he kept listening in.

"Let's get out of here!"

"I'm sorry Charlie, I think-"

"Don't think. From now on, I'll think."

"Okay, you think and I-"

Cole heard another gunshot before the second voice started again.

"My stuff!"

"Forget the stuff, I'll buy you more stuff!"

"Wait, my drill!"

Another gunshot and the first voice rang again.

"Oh, come on!"

After another gunshot, Cole really backed up to a hill where he saw a sign reading "Pound".

"This can't be good.", he thought.

/

A second later, he heard the voices talk again.

"Don't! Not now!"

"I can't help it, Charlie. I itch when I'm nervous."

"Then don't be nervous."

"Just scratch this."

Cole heard another gunshot before the voices spoke again.

"Geez, these dog ears are quite a racket.", Cole muttered to himself as he rolled his eyes comically.

"It's not worth it being with you."

Cole tensed as he noticed a couple of dogs running towards him with a searchlight right on their tails. One was another German shepherd only he was tan and brown while the other dog was a Dachshund with a light blue shirt and red hat though they looked more interested in getting away than noticing Cole before Cole headed after them. When they had gone over the hill, and the searchlight was no longer following them as well as gunshots not going off and exploding the ground behind them, the Dachshund looked to the German shepherd a bit annoyed.

"You're such a grouch."

The two paused to catch their breath when Cole suddenly tried to stop only to slip and fall on his face in front of the two.

"What the?", the shepherd asked, "Who's this?"

Cole got up and before he knew what he was doing, shook himself and sent mud flying all over before looking at the duo.

"Sorry, I just dropped in."

The Dachshund looked a bit curious.

"Boss, I really think that-"

"Don't think.", the shepherd stated before turning to Cole and changing his firm tone to a more persuasive one, "Forgive my associate Mr. uh, whatever your name is."

"Cole.", Cole told him.

The shepherd nodded as if understanding.

"Right. I'm Chalie B. Barkin and this is my associate Itchiford "Itchy" Dachshund.", the shepherd said pleasantly, "Mr. Itchy, you."

Itchy gave a look to Cole which showed he didn't trust him, but then started scratching himself which made Cole think that was how he got his name.

"So, you guys live around here?", Cole asked hoping for information, "And where is here?"

Charlie looked a bit annoyed, but quickly covered it up as the group started out.

"Nah, just got a bit on the wrong side of the law, that's all.", he answered, "And this is New Orleans."

Cole tensed as he knew the air felt different. The closer the area was to the equator, the warmer the weather would be.

"By the way Cole, you wouldn't be one of those guard dogs for back there, would you?", Charlie asked suddenly bringing Cole out of his thoughts.

Cole looked firm.

"No, I just got here and-"

"Excellent.", Charlie said brightening, "You can pal with us."

Itchy didn't looks so sure.

"Charlie, this guy is new and he might get us in trouble."

Cole looked Itchy's way just as firm.

"Hey, I have no idea how I got here, how I'm supposed to get back, and I could really use a place to stay."

/

By the time they reached the bayous outside the city, Cole had gotten the rundown on the two.

"So let me see if I got this, you both met in prison cause Charlie over here got double crossed by his partner, you both busted out and then ran into me?", Cole asked hoping he had everything.

"Yep, that pretty much covers it.", Charlie answered before noticing Cole's collar, "By the way I see it, you were owned once Cole, and your owner moved away or something?"

Cole looked a bit puzzled, but chose to go along with it as he started recalling what he assumed was this body's past life.

"Pretty much. Been found as a stray, been adopted and returned only to be adopted again. Got separated from my owner and haven't seen him since."

Charlie seemed like he was plotting and then he looked forward and smiled.

"Well, there it is."

Cole looked ahead and then saw what he assumed was a boat that had been transformed into some kind of casino and looked a bit off when the trio passed a sign.

"Charlie and Carface's Super Rat Race?", Cole pondered, "Must be Charlie's partner he mentioned."

As they walked the boardwalk to the boat, Cole noticed something in the lichen near the dock that shifted and Cole could make out a rhyme.

"Hmm, must be the next riddle.", he stated to himself quietly before reading, "A sin above takes a dog from light, a sacrifice on Earth will be what sets it right."

"Cole, you coming?"

Cole came out of his thoughts as he noticed Charlie and Itchy had gone ahead. He turned to see the rhyme had vanished though Charlie looked confused.

"What is it?"

Cole quickly slapped on a straight face as he caught up.

"Nothing, just…thought I saw something. Maybe a gator or something."

Itchy looked tense.

"Oh, you don't want to mess with those.", he warned, "Big jaws, and massive appetites."

"Itchy, no gator comes near here.", Charlie told him, "Besides, Cole here could be what we need to get some payback."

"I'm not deaf you know.", Cole stated firmly.

That made Charlie and Itchy pause as Cole then noticed Itchy sounded a lot like Tiger from his adventure with Fievel. Itchy must have read his thoughts as he looked Cole's way.

"What?", he asked.

"It's just that… you kind of remind me of someone who I met sometime ago."

Itchy then shook it off as the trio came to what Cole guessed was the front door and Charlie gave a howl as they entered.

/

Cole was blinded for a moment, but as his eyes adjusted, what he saw was only described as a casino as Charlie raised his voice to the crowd of staring dogs.

"Hey guys, what do you know, what you say?"

"Yeah, what do you say, what do you know?", Itchy asked as the duo headed down the ramp to the main floor, "Itchy, do I detect a look of surprise here?"

Cole noticed some of the dogs had hats and shirts also which baffled him for a moment before he joined the duo and Itchy spoke up.

"He Boss, maybe we should go out, and come back in… again.", he asked playfully.

That earned a laugh of the duo before a boxer wearing a top hat that looked like it had seen better days looked in awe.

"Charlie? Aren't you supposed to be on Death Row?"

Charlie looked surprised, but then firm.

"No, I'm not supposed to be on Death Row."

"Hey, I got him out.", Itchy piped up.

Cole rolled his eyes as he noticed Charlie go up to a Craps table and a Doberman moved a pair of dice towards Charlie as a lady dog wearing pearls started talking though Cole guessed it was more like singing.

"Things have changed Charlie since you've been gone. Life hasn't been no piece of cake."

Cole then noticed another young dog that he guessed was a waitress look his way and give a smile and batted her eyelids though Cole looked away thinking that she was better off avoided as he heard a little dog come up to Charlie with what looked like an old piece of meat.

"Carface ain't bee treatin' us too good."

"Things are tough, but we carry on.", the lady dog finished.

Cole saw Charlie throw the dice and it landed on a four and a three before the Boxer from before came up to Charlie looking like he was suggesting something.

"Could you spare a couple of bones for old time's sake?"

Charlie looked a bit mischievous as he took the couple of bones from the Doberman and went to a slot machine and pulled the lever after depositing his bones.

"Why settle for bones when you can win the whole bake?", he asked.

The slots all landed on steak and then a large amount of meat and bones fell and covered the whole table as dogs flocked to it and Charlie and Itchy headed to the stage as Cole took a seat and the waitress from earlier suddenly appeared at his table.

"So, what will it be?", she asked.

Cole shrugged.

"I guess some water wouldn't be too hard."

The waitress wrote it down and then Cole looked a bit alarmed.

"Oh, I don't really have anything to pay the-"

"Don't worry about it.", the waitress told him, "It's on the house since you know the owner."

She walked out and Cole shook it off as he observed Itchy and Charlie make their way to the stage.

"Charlie, tell them."

/

Cole observed as Charle suddenly burst into song.

"Oh, you can't keep a good dog down."

"No sir.", Itchy put in.

"No, you can't keep a good dog down.", Charlie continued, "I've seen pain and hurt."

"That's right.", Itchy confirmed.

"I've eaten dirt.", Charlie continued.

"That's true.", Itchy added.

"It's hard to buy, but even I've been jilted by a skirt.", Charlie continued.

"He lies.", Itchy stated.

"Look how I'm still around.", Charlie continued as he got Itchy to a piano, "'Cause you can't keep a good dog down."

Itchy started playing as he joined in the song.

"You can't keep a good dog down. No, you can't keep a good dog down."

Charlie soon was on top of the piano and Cole saw the waitress come by with a dog bowl full of water and place it in front of him.

"Thanks.", Cole stated as he took a couple of slurps before listening into the song again.

"I've been bought and sold.", Charlie stated.

"He's been warm and cold.", Itchy put in.

"But ten to one, I'll still be running rackets when I'm old.", Charlie bragged as he got to center stage.

"Not in some cage in the city pound.", Itchy said before joining Charlie.

"'Cause you can't keep a good dog, can't keep a good dog, I say, you can't keep a good dog down."

Itchy then took over.

"In him's the luck of the Irish."

"The pride of the Germans", Charlie added.

"Even a bit of Siam.", Itchy put in.

"Siam, you see the calm of the English.", Charlie stated.

"The charm of the Spanish.", Itchy put in.

"A pedigree certainly ain't what I am.", Charlie put in, "So call me a mixed up pup."

"You're mixed up alright.", Cole said rolling his eyes comically and not hearing Itchy's comment.

"But the only way this pup knows is up."

Before long, the whole group of dogs were joining into the song as Cole finished off his water and observed.

"No, you can't keep a good dog down-ow-wow-wow-wown. You can't keep a good dog down-wow-wow-wow-wown."

Cole sighed as this couldn't end soon.

"This is really happening.", he thought to himself, "I get another dog body and the next thing I know, I'm in a casino and a couple of guys I just met are showing off in song."

He rolled his eyes as he wasn't one for bragging, but felt like he should let them get it all out though the riddle he saw earlier came to his mind again and he repeated it quietly.