THE DOG OPTION

$5.40 – $15.00

Stewie Dunne is a young man who has dropped out of a university business course, and has found his niche working as a volunteer at Grace Valley, an aged care facility.

Into the hospice wing of Grace Valley comes Ruth Arnold, a prominent and successful business woman with the beginnings of a terminal disease and a hidden agenda.

Ruth embodies everything Stewie despises about what he sees as the overbearing dominance of economics in our lives. She begins a campaign to push Stewie out into the "real world", enlisting the help of her ambitious P.A., Grant Solomon, and Stella Martin, a resident of the hostel with an interest in dream analysis.

Ruth has a history with Grace Valley's manager, whom she blackmails to assist her in suicide, after she has completed the handover plans for the company of which she is CEO.

Jean Gray, an industrially minded staffer at Grace Valley, suggests that Stewie take up a management traineeship being offered by Grace Valley's parent company. Stewie resists.

Realising what Ruth is planning, Stella tries unsuccessfully to get help from a disbelieving Stewie.

Ruth experiences a disturbing dream, in which she is menaced by a snake and a dog, eventually being attacked by the dog. She and Stewie argue over the significance of the dream. Ruth reveals to Stewie that the unscrupulous Griffin is using him to fill the chronic staffing shortage which has resulted from mismanagement.

Stella subtly changes Ruth's mind about her planned euthanasia by telling Ruth of her husband's suicide.

Stewie confronts Griffin about Ruth's accusations, and finding them to be true, decides to leave Grace Valley.

Ruth is betrayed by her P.A., and decides to stay at Grace Valley, using her wealth to usurp Griffin's authority, and facing her uncertain future with the friendship of Stella.

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