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A stray dog wins the heart of Chester, but Matt tells him he can’t keep it. It belongs to a local rancher named Spiney Murphey. The dog shows signs of neglect and abuse, but Doc soon has him on his paws again. Has Chester become too attached to his new found friend Pal?
Whining all the way to the Murphey place, Chester rides with Matt to return the dog. Mrs. Murphey doesn’t care for the dog, but she is ready to go into full nagging mode over her missing hubby, Spiney. Such a love-hate relationship, one that only an old married couple could master. You know the kind; they wouldn’t be happy without something to argue about. And with all that arguing, they must really love each other a lot.
Faced with the real mystery at hand, Matt returns to Dodge to learn what happened to Spiney. Turnabouts begin. Pal turns against Chester like an attack dog, and the drunken Spiney is reported to be on the way back to the ranch. Will the drunken man turn on his wife, and beat her? Matt races out to do his duty in keeping the peace.
Is there any fulfillment in justice? Chester is distraught over losing Pal, even after being attacked by the critter. Though Matt disrupts the domestic violence, Mrs. Murpheyturns on Matt for taking her hubby away. And you thought that scene only happened on Cops. I wonder if they had wife-beater under shirts in cowboy days? I’m pretty sure they didn’t have white trash trailer parks.
