Dog Shopping: A Fable

A man wants to buy a dog and answers an ad to see one.

"He's mostly a lab," the owner says.  "He's in the back yard."

The man goes out the back door and finds a well groomed black lab sitting expectantly.

"Hi there, fella," the man says as he reaches down to pat the dog. "You're a good looking guy."

"Thanks," the dog replies.

"You can talk?" he asks, astonished.

"Oh, yes. Ever since I was a pup. It's been a great advantage for me. And it's given me a lot of opportunities. I've been used by the CIA to overhear conversations when surveillance was difficult. I could move anywhere without suspicion. As I've gotten older I've been used in more stationary jobs like TSA work."

The man returns to the house very impressed.

"I like the dog," he says to the owner.. "What are you asking for him?"

"Ten bucks," the owner replies.

"Only ten for a dog like that?" the man asks.

The owner waves his hand dismissively. "The dog is a goddamn liar. He's never been out of the back yard."

Moral: Everyone has a lens though which he peers with a burning focus. And that lens is often exclusive.