Teacup Tubulence

by Linda O. Johnston

  “Yes, that’s Lauren,” Naya told her. Naya held a tiny, black toy poodle in her arms, snuggling it against her cheek. I felt sure that little guy would find a new home in no time. I wanted to hug him myself.

  “She’s the administrator of HotRescues,” Tom said, “the really great shelter we’ve been talking about. The one that’s affiliated with HotPets.” He was holding a little gray Chihuahua mix. Another easy one to find a home for—especially when she licked Tom’s cheek.

  The woman didn’t even glance at Naya, who was beside her. She had no dog in her possession. “I’m Teresa Kantrim.” She didn’t hold her hand out but merely stared at me with deep blue eyes that looked as hard as the fake sapphires on the Bling collars.

  “Hello, Teresa,” I said, then glanced quizzically toward the Faylers.

  Tom responded. “Teresa is a staff member at the Janus County, Missouri, shelter that rescued all those little teacup dogs from the puppy mill. She’s very concerned about them and considers our bringing this dozen here an experiment.”

  I felt my body stiffen, as if this woman had insulted me. I told myself she didn’t know me, and it was a good thing she cared that much about the animals. But I didn’t believe it.

  Even so, I said, “I’m delighted to meet someone who cares that much about rescue animals. Welcome, Teresa.” As I’ve said, I’m prone to lying when necessary. I didn’t yet find this lady welcome, but maybe she’d change my mind. “Right now, I want to see all our new temporary residents. Do they have names?”

  “Not yet,” Tom said.

  “Can we give them the names of gems like the faux ones in the HotPets Bling collars?” Naya asked.

  “Great idea!” I enthused. “Really appropriate. Can you help me get them out, walk them, then put them in the van? I need to take them to The Fittest Pet Veterinary Hospital for an initial exam before bringing them to HotRescues.” That information was for all of them. I doubted that the Faylers knew our protocol, even though Tom worked for Dante.

  “Where is that vet located?” Teresa asked. “I’ll want to check them out.”

  Of course you do. I again reassured myself that this woman must really care about the animals or she wouldn’t be acting so domineering and nasty.

  “Not far from here—Northridge. Do you know this area at all?” And do you have your own transportation? I really didn’t want to offer her a ride.

  “Please give me the address,” she said. “I brought the address of your shelter. I’ll want to check it out, although I’ll only be here for a few days.”

  And where are you staying? Another question I didn’t ask.

  She answered it anyway—both questions, in fact. “My cousin is supposed to pick me up here any minute. I’m staying with her.”

  “Great.” I said that rather distractedly, since Tom had begun bringing the small crates from the plane. Naya was holding both of the dogs I’d seen them with before, and she deposited them in one of the first two crates Tom carried down the steps.

  “These two got to ride on our laps,” she said with a smile. I didn’t meet Teresa’s glance but figured she hadn’t been holding a dog, though that would have been safer than having them in the pilots’ arms.

  But the Faylers were experienced flyers. They must know their capabilities.

  “How fun,” I said. “Bet they enjoyed that.” Then I asked Tom, “Can I help?”

  We formed a line, with Tom the one who entered the plane for the crates.

  Since I was younger than either of the Faylers, I toted the crates down the steps, handing them one by one to Naya, who put them on the ground.

  Teresa looked younger than my own mid-forties, but she just stood there watching. Another reason for me not to become immediately fond of her.

  As we worked, I looked inside each crate, talking softly to the dogs, who mostly appeared scared. A few whined. No wonder. They’d been through a lot already and didn’t understand that things were about to get a lot better for them.

  I told them so, though, and hoped my soft tone was reassuring.

  Eventually, all the crates were out of the plane, and then we did another relay to the HotRescues van, all the while watching, hearing, and smelling the bustle of more small planes taking off and landing near us, people getting in and out, a lot of activity.

  I insisted on removing the dogs from the crates and giving them short walks on the leashes I’d brought. I also passed out poop bags. While walking dogs myself I wasn’t able to keep track of those being walked by others, but I hoped they’d all produced.

  Even Teresa walked a few dogs. Maybe she really did care about them, and it was just people she had no interest in getting along with.

  Soon, we were done and put the restless pups back into crates, which we then organized in the van. Teresa had talked on her phone a couple of times, and as we loaded the last crate another car pulled up.

  “That’s my cousin,” Teresa said. “Did you write down the vet’s address?”

  I did, though I wasn’t thrilled that I was likely to see Teresa again shortly. But I’d be cordial, for the dogs’ sakes.

  “You’re heading there right now?”

  “That’s right. This is Elsa, my cousin,” she said as a large, smiling woman who looked to be in her midtwenties joined us. Turning to Elsa, she said, “We need to go to a vet now.”

  “Okay,” Elsa said. Maybe she was used to being told what to do. Or maybe she truly was fond of her cousin.

  “Are you going there, too?” Teresa demanded of Naya and Tom.

  “Nope,” Tom said. “We’ve done what we promised, flew all those guys here.” He gestured toward the still open back of the van and the crates inside. Some dogs barked restlessly, mostly in shrill, little-dog voices.

  “Thanks again,” I said to the Faylers.

  “I will see you again, won’t I?” Teresa demanded, facing Tom and Naya. “I need to talk more about the dogs. Other things, too.”

  Like what? She didn’t say, but she earned a glare from Naya.

  Naya’s voice was soft, though, as she said, “I’m sure we’ll run into each other while you’re around. At least we will if you really want to help Lauren find these dogs good homes.”

  “I mostly want to make sure she does a good job of it,” Teresa said. She had toted a carry-on bag from the plane. “I’ve heard a lot of weird things about how animals are treated in L.A.”

  “Weird?” I demanded. “What’s weird is how these poor guys were treated before. Now, they’ll be just fine. You can stay here as long as you want to assure yourself of that. And to make sure you understand how well we’ll do with rehoming the others you left behind.”

  “I intend to stay as long as necessary,” Teresa said. “There’s a lot around here I want to learn more about.” She glared at Naya first, then Tom, as she said that.

  I wondered what she wasn’t saying.

  Chapter 5

  I knew the staff at The Fittest Pet Veterinary Hospital well, since it was where we always brought the HotRescues animals. I called Carlie as my van and its wonderful contents neared the veterinary facility.

  As a result, several vet techs and others were waiting outside in the back parking lot of the pink stucco building.

  “They’re so adorable!” gushed Sher, a tech dressed in the standard turquoise scrubs that they all wore. She grabbed two crates from the back. “Do these two have names?”

  “None do yet,” I told her. “But my staff’s working on it.” I’d called Nina and told her Naya’s suggestion about using the names of jewels, and she’d promised to come up with a list that could work.

  Sher grinned. “I’ll be eager to hear them.” She strode toward the clinic’s back entrance.

  Everyone who’d come out to meet us got a crate to handle. I did, too.

  The hospital’s structure formed a one-story circle around a courtyard, where the animals could be taken out for walks or games if they were well enough. I knew I’d like the place even if the ch
ief vet wasn’t my closest friend.

  I followed the gang into one of the largest treatment rooms, where they all put the crates down and looked expectantly toward Carlie in the middle. She looked very professional in her white jacket over dark slacks. She was a pretty lady—a good thing, since she was also a TV star. She had a weekly show called Pet Fitness on the Longevity Vision Channel, and it was all about saving animals, either healthwise or as rescues.

  “I want to see them, Lauren. Door closed, and let them out, everyone!”

  I’d already confirmed with Juliet Ansiger, and had informed Carlie, that all the rescued dogs had been checked over by a vet who helped out at the Missouri shelter, and they were all reportedly healthy. We’d need to confirm that, but at least none had anything contagious, so letting them loose together should be fine.

  I watched as Carlie’s violet eyes flashed while, one by one, the crate doors were opened and a pack of tiny canines started dashing about the room. Chihuahuas and Pekes and Poms and Malteses and more, they evaded the legs of the examination table in the middle and seemed eager to jump up on every one of the techs in the place. And me. And Carlie.

  I wasn’t immune from the gaiety that pervaded the room. I knelt and hugged them one at a time, receiving leaps and tongue kisses, and being ordered, by a couple of them rolling over, to give them tummy rubs. Of course I complied, followed by more hugs.

  “Okay,” Carlie finally said with a laugh. “Let’s get down to business.”

  With the techs’ help, Carlie started checking each little guy or gal after putting them one by one on the table. She looked in ears, noses, and mouths, stretched legs, scanned bodies as if for fleas and injuries and obvious skin issues.

  She then had the techs check temperatures.

  My phone rang. It was Nina.

  “Got names?” I asked her. “I’ve got dogs.”

  “I sure do.”

  I grabbed pen and paper from Carlie’s counter. “Go ahead.”

  Nina read me a dozen names of gems in alphabetical order. I jotted them down.

  I’d need to figure which name went best with each of the cute dogs. But that could wait.

  The names worked well, though, considering the situation:

  Amethyst, Aquamarine, Diamond, Emerald, Garnet, Lapis, Onyx, Opal, Rhinestone, Ruby, Sapphire, and Topaz.

  When I hung up, I read the list to Carlie. “Great names,” she said. “Sounds like they came up with them after reading the newspaper.”

  “What?” I asked in confusion, then realized what she was talking about. There had been an armed robbery in L.A.’s downtown jewelry district a couple of weeks ago, and the news had been full of it until another shooting had occurred in a local park and the media had glommed on to that instead. I’d paid little attention and had no idea what kinds of jewels had been stolen. A dozen different kinds?

  After a while, the last dog had been checked over—a sweet, yellowish Yorkie whom I thought would soon be Topaz. “Okay, gang,” Carlie said to the techs. “Next, take them into the lab and draw blood and collect stool for tests. When you’re done, bring them into the holding room and put each into one of the crates along the wall.” She looked at me. “We’ll get the results soon and let you know, but I’d contacted the vet you mentioned to me and he’s sent the records online. We’re just confirming that they’re as healthy as they look.”

  I grinned. I also gave each pup a reassuring stroke with my fingers through the mesh fronts of the crates as the dogs were taken out of the room and down the inside hallway.

  “Unless we find something I don’t anticipate, they’ll all be ready to be picked up in a few days,” Carlie said. “Then you’ll keep them in your usual one-week quarantine?”

  I nodded. “But I can still publicize their upcoming availability.”

  “You sure can.”

  We walked down the outer hallway. Carlie stopped outside another examination room. “We’ll talk soon. Oh, and I’ve numbered and described them in their records so far, but I’ll want their names as soon as you’ve assigned them. We’ll need that for the records once we microchip them, too.” And then she went inside.

  I headed for the reception area to start payment of our bill. A dozen new dogs being given preliminary exams. This was another of those times when I felt so glad that Dante paid our expenses.

  Inside the reception area, I stopped. Teresa Kantrim stood there with her cousin Elsa. She looked at me and glared. “They wouldn’t let me come in to see how things were going.”

  “Sorry,” I lied. “But there were so many dogs and veterinary staff there that I can understand.” I shot a glance toward the reception area, where the person behind the desk—probably a newbie, since I hadn’t met her before—looked at me gratefully. “Once their tests are complete and they’re in the room where they’ll stay for observation for the next couple of days, maybe you’ll be allowed to see them then.”

  I didn’t look at the receptionist but figured I could ask Carlie for the favor, just to attempt to keep the peace.

  The woman did seem to care about the dogs, and she’d been among those who’d rescued them. I didn’t understand her attitude, but she’d come a long distance.

  And I hoped she’d go back there soon, before I had to see much more of her.

  • • •

  I wasn’t that fortunate, though. Teresa showed up at Hot-Rescues not only later that afternoon, after I’d returned, but for the next four days. I’d picked the dogs up from Carlie’s by the end of that time, but they were still in quarantine before we would adopt them out.

  Today, it wasn’t her cousin Elsa who came in with her but a man named Mark Black, apparently her boyfriend, who’d driven all the way from Missouri to take Teresa back home when she was ready. He was skinny, with a large brow and red plaid shirt. He was nice enough to introduce himself to me when I came into the welcome room to greet them. Maybe he didn’t have the same nasty attitude as his girlfriend.

  I was curious about why any guy would be interested in a woman as grumpy as Teresa. Or maybe that was only the way she acted in La-La Land, as she continually referred to Los Angeles.

  “Are you in animal rescue, too?” I asked him.

  “No, though I’m supportive of it. I’m a real estate agent. Could I take a tour of HotRescues? I’ve heard a lot about it.”

  None of it good, I figured. Even so, I said, “Sure.”

  “Would you mind showing me around?”

  I traded glances with Nina, who sat, as usual, at the welcome desk. Would Teresa come with us? Otherwise, Nina would be stuck with her. As would Zoey, who was asleep under the counter.

  But Nina gave a brief nod, as if recognizing the onus I might be foisting on her. I’d owe her.

  “Sure,” I said again. “I’m always happy to show off my shelter.”

  We walked down the hall toward the door to the kennel area. I glanced back, but Teresa wasn’t following. She’d been heading toward the table under the window when we left, a magazine in her hand. Maybe she wouldn’t bother Nina after all.

  I started the usual spiel I gave when providing tours. “This is our older kennel area. We try to keep it full because it’s usually the first place people who may be interested in adoptions see. We’d love for them to bond with one of our dogs right away.” I started to explain our recent remodeling, but Mark interrupted.

  “Will we get to see the little dogs in quarantine?”

  “You can look through a window at them, but otherwise, no. No one except our staff can be in contact with them, and they know our sanitation protocol.”

  “Okay.” He hesitated in front of the kennel that held Hale, a terrier mix who was one of our old-timers at HotRescues. I wasn’t sure why he hadn’t been adopted yet. He was a lovable dog. But other than the current teacup craze, I seldom understood why some dogs were adopted fast and others took awhile.

  Of course, all our animals could stay here, with love and excellent treatment, as long as they needed to
.

  “Nice dog,” Mark commented. Then he stopped walking and looked at me. “I gather, from talking to Teresa, that she’s still not happy about this situation.”

  “Apparently not,” I said, “although I’m not sure why.”

  “She hasn’t told you?” He proceeded to explain that she’d been planning to open her own shelter near her home and had thought the puppy-mill rescue was an omen, that she was destined to found a rescue organization. “But the manager of the public shelter where the little dogs were brought was thrilled when you got in contact, since HotRescues has such a wonderful reputation in the shelter community, even nationally.” He, though, looked less than thrilled. In fact, he was scowling. “Everyone’s heard of HotPets, and most have heard about HotRescues’ affiliation with it.”

  “I see,” I said thoughtfully.

  Was he resentful of HotRescues’ great reputation? Its funding? Or was he only displaying his girlfriend’s resentment?

  “You know, there’s a lot involved with running a pet shelter,” I continued. Maybe I could educate him a little. “Has Teresa worked at hers long? She might not realize—” I broke off to wave at Mamie, who was walking a little sheltie mix. She waved back and smiled.

  “Oh, Teresa’s smart. Plus, I’ve got some accounting experience, and I’ve already discussed funding issues with her. I’m not sure how it went, since she hasn’t talked to me about it, but she apparently called Dante DeFrancisco and visited him yesterday, before I got here.”

  “Really?” I felt shocked, not only that Dante had seen her, but that he hadn’t informed me about it. Or maybe it had gone so badly that he hadn’t thought it worth mentioning. As far as I knew, he had no intention of funding other pet-rescue organizations.

  “Yes, and—” He was looking behind me, and as he shut up I figured I knew who he’d seen.

  Sure enough, Teresa was there. “I’d like to go see the little dogs in quarantine now,” she said. The chilly look she shot at Mark suggested that she knew he’d been talking about her.

  I didn’t have to repeat my litany of not getting close to the dogs in quarantine to her. She’d heard it before.