"Fourth down, fourth down everybody!" Togg called out.

Playing football on a beautiful summer evening, Togg and his five friends were playing two-hand touch. Each boy dressed with their favorite teams Jersey.

"Almost time for Dinner boys." Togg's mother called out. "We are having taco's and rice tonight" 

"Taco's yum, I should have brought my I heart taco's shirt." Mark replied. Everyone snickered at his comment. 

"Are you guys going for it, or are you throwing the ball off?" Derek called out.

"We are gonna throw off." Answered William from the opposing team.

Everyone ran to their huddles to make up a play for the return. Togg and his two team mates are mumbling among each other to talk up a trick play to take the ball all the way back for a touchdown to tie the game.

"Break" both crowds call out at the same time. Togg's team lines up with two players upfront and one in the back. Mark's team all lined up to throw off the ball as far as they can.

"Good luck retur.." His taunt interrupted by a loud bone rattling bark coming from the path way leading to the front of Togg's house. 

"What the hell was that?" Derek asked as he turned his head to the house.

Then comes a huge black and white figure charging through the gateway of the pathway. All of the boys darted to the top of Togg's old playhouse.

"That’s one hell of a Sheppard!" Mark said to the others, each friend nodding their heads in disbelief with jaws dropped. The dog running around the yard barking steals the football and then leaves the yard. The boys run to the house and call Toggs mom to alert her of what just happened.

"Mom!" Togg started " A Sheppard got into our yard and stole our football. We have to get it back" Togg finished panting from all the running he has done.

Dropping the pot of rice onto the stove, she grabbed her keys and Purse and motioned the boys to the Mini Van. "This is a new one for the books." 

The army of boys gathered into the car and as the mother started the car. "So what happened back there?"

All at once each boy told their versions of what happened all the mother could get out of the uproar was "dog, football, fast, and we hid in the playhouse." 

As the boys talked and explained the story the crew was only half way down the street and Togg yelled out. "There!" He pointed "There is the dog that took our ball."

They stopped across the street from the old house that the dog was guarding with the stolen ball sitting in a small metal water bowl. Togg's mom got out of the car and walked up to the property and the dog ran up to her. It looked to have changed is attitude very quickly, suddenly it was the kindest thing in the world.

Togg's mother knocked on the door of the rickety old house. A man walked out and greeted her. Then they started to talk out the situation. After about 10 minutes of talking the mother returned to the car smiling and gave the boys their football.

"Just a little loneliness is all." The mother began to explain. "The dog got off his leash and wanted to find friends.

"I wonder if the dog would make a good mascot for our backyard games?" Derek asked aloud. "We could throw one of my old jerseys on him and ask if he could come over to join us"

"Sounds like a plan, Mom I'll be right back." Togg said. 

Togg ran up to the man and they talked for a couple of minutes and ended their talk in a hand shake. Togg came running back to the car and hopped in the front seat looked back at everyone and said. "We got ourselves anew partner." 

Everyone cheer in happiness and soon returned home to finish their football game.