The next part was a blur. Peter said a command, and let the leash go. The dog leaped up, his teeth grabbing Patrick's padded wrist and forced the knife to be dropped. His weight knocked him to his knee, and the dog continued to attack until Peter said another command. The dog instantly let go, then returned to his side and sat down. "Wow," I said. "They are VERY well trained."

"Indeed. It takes about a year of daily work to get them to this point. Razor there, he's about to graduate. He'll fetch fifty thousand dollars, he's already been purchased by an executive in Colorado."

Wow. That was as...