Go, Dog, go!

Mothers of sons: you know what puts us over the edge: hearing incessant BLEEPS on a show our son is watching in the family room.

"What IS that??!" we holler, horrified at what we imagine must be a program of little redeeming value. In my many years of raising boys, their attraction to "shoot 'em up" shows and movies really rankled me. Until now. Call me a spineless wimp. Call me whatever you want. But there is something intriguing about Dog the Bounty Hunter, a show on A & E that only months ago I was hollering for my son Mark to TURN OFF.

Here's the premise. Dog is the nickname of Duane Chapman, a middle-aged, wild-haired modern-day bounty hunter. He and his posse (Dog's wife and grown children) chase down bad guys who are wanted by the law for various bad stuff. Drugs. Dealing drugs. Stealing of all sorts. And usually involving their friends and family in their bad stuff.

I realized as I watched last night that while Dog and his posse look very mean and cop-like, their "weapons" are actually mace and ... paintball guns?? Still, this doesn't impede their effectiveness in pulling tips from witnesses and nabbing thugs from apartments and houses. (closets, under beds and even showers are favorite hiding places)

I can't believe I watch this show. But here's the thing. Dog's had a hard life - he spent time in prison himself. But he's now a professed Christian and prays with his family before heading out on a hunt. He and his buxom wife Beth (with a matching mane of blonde hair) are mannerly in their dealings with everyone. At the close of a show, they are usually talking with the culprit about how he or she could become a changed person. They find something to praise. They are compassionate and kind. Dog knows the mind of a criminal and what rehabilitation takes. Then they turn 'em over to the cops.

Dog does what many of us wish we had the guts to do: make a difference in the world. That usually means getting out of our homes, churches and cushy lifestyles to touch the hard, bad stuff of life.

I like Dog. Which goes to show. I should stop doing the dishes and join my son in watching a show before judging its merit on a few bleeps.