Simon had always been different from other dogs. He was very tall for a miniature schnauzer, and his hair was unusually soft and erratic. He acted differently, too. He was extremely loud; he loved to hear his own bark. Simon was known around the neighborhood for his short temper, which often got him into trouble. Because of his irritating personality, poor Simon didn't have any friends. No one liked him.

At the age of fourteen (or two, in human years), Simon started to lose his already strange mind. He developed an obsession with food. It was all he could think about. It seemed that he was hungry all the time. Even when he wasn't hungry, Simon wanted food. He ate and ate and ate, and, when he wasn't eating, he stared off into space, lonely and depressed. Food was his best and only friend, the only thing that could distract him from his somewhat miserable existence. Fortunately, due to his frequent walks and high metabolism, Simon was not obese.

Simon's appetite became so big that his family began to refuse to give him any extra food-even when he sat under the table begging with his best puppy eyes. Simon was beyond angry. He was not used to not getting his own way, and did not know how to take no for an answer. He couldn't live with this new restricted diet. Eventually, Simon's notorious temper got the best of him. He slipped outside at the first opportunity. He thought no one would know.

The next morning, the neighborhood was awakened by a horrible scream: Rudey the cat had been killed and the bones had been left for the owner to find.

It was well-known that Simon and Rudey had hated each other. Even though Simon hated all cats, and living things in general, he had disliked Rudey more than all of them.

Simon's owners swore he hadn't eaten the poor cat, but everyone knew he had. When Simon was discovered covered in cat hair, even his mother had to admit it was him. She came to his defense, saying, “If we're not supposed to eat animals, then why are they made of meat?”

The whole neighborhood wanted Simon to leave. Which pet would be eaten next? Everyone agreed that Simon was volatile and dangerous, and it was decided that he would have to go. The thought of getting rid of their precious dog was too much for his family. They moved to a different neighborhood, one without cats. The neighbors could now live without the fear that Simon the Hungry Dog would eat one of their animals.

Simon never knew what he had put his family through. He was still obsessed with food and always hungry. All he could think was, “I like cats, they taste just like chicken.”