Idea

"Come now, Dog," said Wolf, "lets have no more talk of dying.  You say you are no longer useful to your humans--well and good--but how were you so useful to them in the past?"

"Since I was a watchdog," said Dog,  "I was always on the alert for any kind of trouble or mischief. I would bark if anyone not part of the family came close to our house, and , most especially, I would chase you away if I caught your scent and knew you were in the neighborhood."

"Chase ME away! Come now old friend, what harm could I possibly do to your humans with their hay forks, clubs and bow and arrows?"

"Their greatest fear was that you would somehow get into their house and steal one of their babies!"

"Me? Steal one of their babies? When the woods are so full of plump young rabbits, silly quail and tasty squirrels? What foolishness!"

"And yet, Wolf, I assure you that this is one of their greatest fears--I have heard them talk about it often. And it is partly because of this rather irrational fear that they kept and fed me all these years."

"And I suppose that is why you use to chase me--but never catch me--in the old days?

"I admit there was something like that behind my crude behavior, Wolf, and I regret it now."

"So they think they need YOU to keep ME from stealing one of their babies! Ahh, Dog, I begin to have an idea which will restore you to their good graces and insure you a comfortable retirement.

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