“Are you saying—?” I began, but Mr. McLain cut in, “I’m saying that, with a child or a dog, you’ve got to give them a chance to grow up—natural like. You can’t pamper them forever, or you spoil them. They can never be what they were meant to be. Kip’s a Husky. Sure, they are a scrappy bunch when the need arises. And the need will arise someday. Here in the North, it’s bound to. I think you oughta give Kip the chance to prove himself before he gets up against an animal where his life depends upon his fighting skill.”
