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Angus’s neck, and put the red collar back on. When his collar was back on and he had been praised and patted again, Angus barked for the excitement of it all.
    Sadie barked, too, Good boy! as excited as Angus was. While Sadie barked, Angus ran around in a big circle, circling Mister and Missus and Sadie. I’m smart! I’m good!
    Sadie got up to run around behind him. Because she was still getting used to not having a cast, Sadie stumbled— Oops!— and fell. She scrambled right up— I slipped!— and went back to running behind Angus. Me, too! Smart and good, me, too!
    When she came close to Mister, his big hands reached out and caught her by the shoulders.
    What? Oh! Hello! Hello!
    â€œYour turn, Sadie,” Mister said. He took off her green collar and slipped the choke chain over her head.
    Me, too! Just like Angus!
    Mister clipped the leash to the choke chain collar. Sadie stood, watching his face while her tail wagged in excitement.
    â€œSadie, Sit!” Mister said.
    Sadie stood and watched and waited.
    â€œSadie, Sit!” he said again, and at the same time his hand jerked into the air, pulling up hard on the leash.
    Gaggh! The collar was choking her! She backed away from it, trying to get away, but it just choked her tighter. No! No!
    Mister said something, but Sadie couldn’t hear him. She tried to howl, but the collar was too tight to let the howl out. She had to get away! Missus said something, but Sadie couldn’t hear that either. Help! She didn’t even hear what Angus was saying, because all she could think about was fighting free of that collar.
    Then Mister’s hand came down lower, and she could breathe again.
    â€œTake it easy, girl. Calm down. It’s okay, everything’s okay,” he said. He stroked her, his hand running over her head, two strokes, three, four. “Calm down, easy now.” He pulled gently on her ears. “It’s only training,” he said, in a gentle voice.
    It was terrible! Sadie said.
    Just do what he tells you , Angus advised her.
    I couldn’t breathe!
    It’s training. When you do what he tells you the collar doesn’t choke .
    You don’t understand. I couldn’t breathe .
    He wouldn’t hurt us .
    It did hurt!
    â€œBetter now?” Mister asked. “Ready to try again? This will be much easier.”
    Sadie had her doubts about that. Maybe it will be different , she hoped, now that Mister understood how much that collar had choked her.
    But when Mister stood up and said, “Sadie, Sit!” and she didn’t understand, his hand pulled up on the leash again and the collar choked her again, just like the first time. No! Help! Stop! When Sadie pulled harder and harder on the collar, backing away to get her head free, Mister lifted his hand higher and higher, until Sadie’s paws were barely touching the ground. Stop! No! Help! Help! Help!
    Mister’s hand came down lower, and the collar loosened, and Sadie just stood there, breathing as fast as she could.
    â€œAll right,” Mister said. “It’s all right, Sadie.”
    â€œShe’s terrified,” Missus said.
    â€œI can see that,” Mister said. “Sadie, that’ll do!” he said, and took off the choke chain collar. As he buckled her own collar back around her neck he said, “We’re going to have to go slowly with you, I can see that. But don’t worry, you’ll get it eventually.”
    I already got it , Angus said.
    I don’t want to get it , Sadie told him. She ran to Missus, climbed up into her lap, and buried her nose under Missus’s arm.
    â€œIt’s all right, Sadie,” Missus said, stroking her back. “It’s not as bad as it seems now. We wouldn’t do anything bad to you, you know that.”
    It was bad .
    â€œYour turn now,” Mister said.
    Missus put the collar on Angus, and told him, “Sit! Angus.” Angus didn’t know what she