BUCK THE DRUGGIE

The dog's name was Buck. Buck was a police dog, a specially trained
drug-sniffing dog. Buck had done so well in basic training that he
was doing full-time duty by the age of one year. Buck could sniff out
cocaine through anything: rubber fishing boots, hermetically sealed
bags, secret pockets, leather purses, in just about anything. Buck
sniffed it out, took the odd lick, the odd snort, then let the canine
officer know what the white stuff actually was.

Buck was respected, admired and on the job a lot. He had a great
nose, a great attitude and a great temperament. He quickly became the
number one drug-sniffing dog for the police.

By the time he was two, however, it was apparent that Buck had a problem.

Buck had become addicted to cocaine. His sniffs had become a line:
his licks lasted too long. He didn't like his food, all he wanted to
do was go on duty and score some coke.

The canine unit tried to detox Buck. It didn't work. Buck was
mentally addicted. Buck was taken off active duty. He pined and
whined. Quickly enough, Buck's addiction cost him his job. No one
then knew what to do with him. A police officer, though, had taken a
liking to Buck and said that his family would take Buck and undertake
to rid him of his addiction.

The officer took the dog home to his son and daughter. The dog was
listless, a bit unhappy. The veterinarian suggested an iron
supplement and charged $250 to see if the thyroid was working properly.

Finally, the officer told his family about Buck's addiction. Everyone
sighed: mother asked if anyone wanted a cup of tea. No one seemed to
know what to do.

After a week, with no sign of improvement, the boy decided he had to help.

He found a person who knew a person from Nanaimo who had a contact in
Campbell River and eventually was able to buy the dog a small bag of
cocaine. One lick and the dog was revived, was happy, bounced about.
The dog started to eat. He started to catch balls and roll on his
back. He slowly bonded with his family; he took his medication from
the boy every morning before school.

It wasn't long though, before the boy had to buy more cocaine. Not a
lot; but more. He used the money he saved from his paper route, then
the savings from his allowance, then his sister's savings. In an act
of desperation, he borrowed from his mother's Christmas stash.

Within two months, he had run out of money. His sister suggested that
he get his friends to donate. His friends helped a little bit,
because the dog was unique, because they liked Buck and because they
felt responsible. But they didn't have much money. Buck's drug
addiction was costly, and - after all - not their problem. Soon,
friends stopped coming over to visit. They knew they couldn't afford
it. The sister was in a mood: she wanted her money back so she could
go to Disneyland.

The boy was at the student council meeting at school when he decided
to tell the story about Buck. He passed around a picture, told of
Buck's great work in the community and with the police. He told them
how Buck had become addicted to cocaine. He told the story so well
that some of the students began to cry. He said he needed help.

One student on the council said that Buck had been a hero with the
police force.

Another said that Buck was a victim of the workplace. Another
suggested there were probably a lot of trained drug-sniffing dogs who
were also addicts.

A fourth came up with an excellent suggestion. She suggested that the
school should help. How? The students at the school would "adopt"
Buck, they decided, and have fund-raising events to get money to buy
Buck cocaine. They would sell chocolates, cookies, have a lottery
with prizes donated by businesses in the community. They would get
the fire department to help with a car wash fund-raiser. They would
get the police to help organize a walk-a-thon. They would get the
local churches to have bake sales.

In a vote of nine to six, the student council passed the motion to
have the school fund-raise for Buck. The motto would be "A buck for Buck."

The principal of the school agreed with the idea provided that none
of the students at the school actually tried the cocaine - or any
drugs, for that matter. He provided a list of banned and dangerous
substances that had been sent to him by the teacher's union. In a
vote of 15 to zero, the student's council agreed.

Things moved quickly. A small ad was place in the "Personal" section
of a daily paper asking drug dealers if they would call the school
and leave a price list. Soon, a fairly reliable supply of cocaine was
reaching Buck.

Buck's intake was kept very small and was monitored by the school
nurse and one of the school councilors, who had graciously
volunteered her time at lunch hour.

The mayor praised the school project and the volunteer efforts of
many of the students. He sent the student's council a
"youth-in-action" grant for $500 to show the town's support. A number
of well-meaning people from the neighboring municipality said that if
Buck could switch his addiction, they could donate bales.

It seemed like everything was going well for Buck. He was healthy,
happy, popular and taken care of very well. Simply, his needs were being met.

However, something happened that would change all that. Something
happened that was scary, nasty and challenging for Buck and for all
the students at the school. It was on a Tuesday, just after the
"shipment for Buck" was delivered by a dark-haired stranger named
Dave, that the world went dangerous.

Next week: How bad things happened. How Buck was called to the
rescue. What moral issues were raised, what discussions came from
them and how creative stories walk-the-line with relevant and
timeless arguments. And also next week - how a Hollywood ending
wasn't averted despite every attempt.

This is the story line for a movie put together by Grade 10 students
at a local school during a guest workshop on writing screen-plays.
The class happened a while ago: it lasted 80 minutes. The very cool
Dylan C. made up the general premise: Carly, John and the rest, whose
names I don't recall, filled in various parts. A number of the
students received free chocolate bars.