Comment from Mary Wakeford

Excellent

Hilarious in content and in keeping with a 50 word story. I had a golden retriever with the heart of this beagle...nothing was safe. I thought of our dear Griffin as I read this. Excellent in presentation too.

 Comment Written 25-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 25-Apr-2016

Thank you so much, Mary Wakeford, for taking time to read my 50 word story. Your kind words and generous review are greatly appreciated. :-)

Comment from Winslow

Excellent

Dear Rick,

LOL. I would have expected a crazed killer to emerge but you threw a twist in at the ending. Did the beagle rob the neighborhood butcher shop?

Good luck in the contest.

Warm regards,

Winslow

 Comment Written 25-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 25-Apr-2016

Hello, Winslow, my friend. This story came from an actual happening. We came home to find blood all over the front steps, porch, and the storm door. It was a gruesome sight until the culprit came sauntering from around the house with a big bloody steak in his mouth. The steak had been sitting out in the kitchen to get room temperature before cooking. You might be the only person who might appreciate hearing that I had two beagles when I was a boy. One that would disappear at first shot, run all the way home, and hide under the house. But this old beagle wouldn't raise an ear if you shot right next to him, especially, if he had food. Thanks for taking time to read my 200 word story. Your kind words and generous review are greatly appreciated. :-)

Comment from giraffmang

Good

Hi there,

I sort of think that hyphenating words / phrases that aren't normally hyphenated is a cheat in these short prose competitions. 'Strolled-out' being the prime example here. It would be easy to substitute something eels like 'sauntered out' which does away with the need for leisurely and maintains the word count.

A good little tale but the hyphens are a bit lazy.

This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.

 Comment Written 25-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 25-Apr-2016

Thanks for taking time to read my 50 word story. Your kind words, suggestions, and review are greatly appreciated. I had two old beagles as a boy. One would disappear at the first shot, run all the way home, and hide under the house. The other one wouldn't raise an ear if you shot right beside him, especially, if he had food. Sauntered is sort of a cocky walk to me, therefore I was trying for more of a lazy stroll that more suited my old dog's personality. Thanks. :-)

reply by giraffmang on 25-Apr-2016

I love all dogs but beagles are very cool.

You could try meandered, or dawdled,

reply by the author on 25-Apr-2016

Where were you when I was writing this, damn it! Yes, you're right, either of those words would have been a better choice. LOL! Thanks!

Comment from CEO2020

Excellent

Cute. Very cute. Nice 50 word story. Good luck in the contest. Maybe I should enter again...but then I don't think I can beat your entry.

Good Luck again

 Comment Written 25-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 25-Apr-2016

Thank you so much for taking time to read my 50 word story. Your kind words and generous review are greatly appreciated. I guess in real life the cops would have blown the poor dog to smithereens, or maybe spent the whole day trying to interrogate him. I had two old beagles as a boy. One that would run off at the first shot, run all the way home, and hide under the house. The other one wouldn't raise an ear if you shot right beside him, especially, if he had food. :-)

reply by CEO2020 on 25-Apr-2016

LOL...Good Luck again

Comment from Sandra Stoner-Mitchell

Excellent

LOL! All that amazing build-up and a beagle strolls out of the house with a steak in his mouth! I was expecting something really gruesome from the beginning. Really excellent story telling and all in only 50 words. Well done and good luck! xsx Sandra

 Comment Written 25-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 25-Apr-2016

Thank you so much, Sandra Mitchell, dear, for taking time to read my silly 50 word story. Your kind words and generous review are greatly appreciated. I had two beagles as a boy. One would run off at first shot, run all the way home and hide under the house. The other one wouldn't raise an ear if you shot right beside him, especially, if he had food. :-)

reply by Sandra Stoner-Mitchell on 25-Apr-2016

LOL!! I love them! xxx

Comment from Helen Bach

Excellent

What an excellent complete micro story. Each word counts and adds to the story. I will keep an eye out for when the contest voting starts. You must surely be a strong contender. Well done x

 Comment Written 25-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 25-Apr-2016

Thanks you so much, Helen, for taking time to read my 50 word story. Your kind words and generous review are greatly appreciated. :-)

Comment from Word Junkie

Excellent

Hello Author,

This is a great response to the prompt. It's amusing. I did have to read it twice to get the gist of the story straight in my mind, though. The first sentence tripped me up a bit, but that was due to my interpretation of what was said as opposed to what you intended. The end of the story gave me pause as well. It's not likely that any dog would leisurely stroll out when front windows are exploding, and tear gas canisters are releasing their contents into the air. For me it would have been more believable if the beagle had bolted out with the bloody steak locked in its jaws.

I'll give the story a five for originality, and wish you well in the contest.

Write on,
Lana

 Comment Written 25-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 25-Apr-2016

Thank you so much for taking time to read my 50 word story. Your kind words, suggestions, and generous review are greatly appreciated. I once had two beagles used for hunting. One would run off at the sound of the first shot and beat us back home and hide under the house. The other one wouldn't jump if you shot right beside him. He never got in a hurry or upset about anything, just leisurely strolled along in a carefree manor. In hindsight, you are right, that might not sound believable to many. :-)

Comment from Jacqueline M Franklin

Excellent

Hi

= Whoa, almost a famous last meal!
= Beagle beware! Cute entry.
= Good luck in the contest.

~::~ A Smile Is A Frown Turned Upside Down! ~::~
Jacqueline M Franklin (*_*)

~::~ Feel free to visit my profile on Amazon.com ~::~
amazon.com/author/jacquelinefranklin

 Comment Written 24-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 25-Apr-2016

Thank you so much, Jax, for taking time to read my silly 50 word story. Your kind words and generous review are greatly appreciated. I once had an old beagle just like the one I described. I could shoot right beside him and he would never raise an ear, especially, if he was eating. :-)

Comment from joshmalin1

Exceptional

For a fifty word writing prompt, this is exceptional. It is a thriller, a comedy, and a mystery all in one! I am left wondering who really committed the murder, and where the steak came from?

 Comment Written 24-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 25-Apr-2016

Thank you so much, Josh, for taking time to read my 50 word story. Your kind words, comments, and so very generous six star review have made my day. Who am I kidding, probably my week. I appreciate you and your review. :-)

Comment from Dean Kuch

Excellent

I've heard of suicide by police before. This is the first time I've ever heard of doggie suicide by porterhouse steak and police, however, LOL.
Although it's generally thought that humans are the only creatures that will purposefully kill themselves with knowledge of the consequences, there are anecdotal reports of grieving pets doing so after the death of their owner, or monogamous animals refusing to feed after the death of their mate. Animals have also been known to throw themselves off cliffs.
Sad, but true.

Good story--and in just fifty words, no less!

I wish you the very best of luck in the contest.

~Dean

 Comment Written 24-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 25-Apr-2016

Thank you so much, Dean, for taking time to read my silly 50 word story. Your kind words, comments, and generous review are greatly appreciated. I had two beagles when I was young. One that would run off at the first shot fired to run all the way home and hide under the house. The other pooch wouldn't raise and ear if you shot right beside him, especially, if he had food. :-)

reply by Dean Kuch on 25-Apr-2016

I wouldn't call it silly. It's funny, but it ain't silly. I could actually see something like this happening, especially given the small town I live in, where the animal population far outnumbers the human, and the cops that we have around here.

Best of luck. :)