by Daphne Maple
“Kim, Alice already told us that you have a way with dogs,” Tim said in a friendly voice.
“I really love them,” I said awkwardly.
“Looks like they love you too,” Caley said with a laugh.
I glanced down and realized both Lily and Boxer were at my feet, gazing up at me hopefully. When Lily saw me looking she nudged a tennis ball toward me.
“Let’s play,” Sasha said happily. She had Mr. Smashmouth prancing at her heels.
I grabbed the tennis ball while Sasha found a tug toy and we began our afternoon of doggy fun. I tossed the ball for Boxer and Lily, laughing as they skittered after it. Sasha was on the floor pulling the toy between her and Mr. Smashmouth. He dug his little paws in and shook his head happily.
But in between tennis ball tosses and sloppy dog kisses, I noticed something: Taylor wasn’t joining us. She was still at the front of the shelter chatting with Tim and Caley. Which seemed a little strange since our job was to hang out with the dogs. But maybe she was asking them about working here or something.
When the tennis ball rolled near Sasha she picked it up and gave it a toss. While Lily and Boxer ran to return it to her, I looked around the shelter to see what other dogs might need some attention. Mr. Smashmouth had gone over to Tim, who was giving him a vigorous belly rub. But Hattie, a fluffy white sheepdog Alice had told us about yesterday, was playing with a toy by herself.
“Want the ball back?” Sasha asked, holding it up.
I shook my head. “I think I’m going to try and make friends with Hattie,” I said, nodding toward the scampering puppy who was staying far away from everyone.
Sasha looked over at her. “She’s the one Alice said was super shy, right?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I said. Hattie was rescued when she was just a few weeks old so Alice had thought she would be a quick adoption. People mostly wanted puppies instead of full-grown dogs when they came to the shelter for a new pet. But Hattie was so skittish and shy that the few families who had tried to adopt her had brought her back to the shelter after a few days.
I watched her now, jumping around with her ball, and my heart squeezed up. She was so sweet—I hated to think of her never finding a home. As I walked closer I noticed that the red ball she was playing with was ripped, but it made a chirping sound that Hattie seemed to like. She grabbed it and shook it whenever it squeaked. When she saw me approaching, she dropped the ball and got ready to run.
I stopped immediately. I’d never been in this kind of situation before but I sensed that the only way to get to know Hattie was to let her come to me. I knelt down slowly and held out a hand for her to sniff.
“Hey, Hattie girl,” I said in a gentle voice.
Her ears pricked up at the sound of her name and she looked at me intently.
“You’re a pretty girl, aren’t you?” I said, because dogs love compliments just like people do. At least I think they do.
Hattie ducked her head a bit, as though agreeing, but her eyes were darting around, looking for an escape route just in case.
“I’m going to sit here until you’re ready,” I told her gently.
Hattie looked at me and saw that I wasn’t going to make any sudden moves. She took a step toward me, then waited to see what I would do.
I sat calmly, letting her be in charge.
Hattie crept toward me slowly, pausing to see my reaction, then moving forward a bit more. Finally she was close enough to sniff my hand. Feeling her wet little nose on my palm seemed like a triumph, so her next move took me totally by surprise. After giving my hand one final sniff, Hattie leaped into my lap and began covering my face with wet doggy kisses!
I laughed as I rubbed her furry back, then her tummy when she rolled over with a happy bark. As she wriggled about I felt something nudge my shoulder and there was Lily, looking at me as though asking if she could get in on the fun.
“Of course,” I told her, petting her fuzzy head. She leaned in and licked me, then kind of collapsed onto my lap.
Now I was tangled up in dogs, which is pretty much the best thing ever.
“You got Hattie to trust you,” Alice said from behind me. “I’m impressed.”
I hadn’t heard her approach but now she was right next to me. I stood up, still petting both dogs.
“She really likes you,” Alice went on.
“I like her too,” I said, ruffling Hattie’s ears. They were like warm little clouds with big tufts of fluffy white fur.
“I’d love to find her a good home,” Alice said with a sigh. “The longer she stays here, the more attached she gets to Lily. I worry that will make it harder than ever to place her with a family.”
The two dogs were clearly happy playing together, which was great, unless it kept Hattie from finding a family. “Maybe while we’re here we could play with Lily away from Hattie,” I said, thinking out loud. “That way the two of them can get some space so Hattie can learn to be more independent.”
Alice smiled at me. “That’s a wonderful idea,” she said.
“We can start now,” I said, invigorated by her praise. I looked around for Sasha and saw her on the floor with Mr. Smashmouth, smushing her nose into his belly while he wiggled around happily. I couldn’t help smiling, both at how much fun they were having and the thought of Sasha’s mom’s face if she could see this. Good thing Sasha was wearing her shelter clothes so her mom would never know how much dog hair she was exposed to!
I noticed Taylor was finally done talking with Tim and Caley. Now she was in the corner patting Boxer’s head. Boxer was definitely enjoying it and jumped up to give Taylor a kiss on the cheek. But instead of letting him, Taylor jumped back, a look of surprise on her face. Boxer, clearly thinking they were playing a game, leaped up again. But Taylor kept moving back and looking around uneasily.
Boxer was getting worked up and I opened my mouth to tell Taylor to stop giving him mixed messages. Then I reconsidered. Yes, she wasn’t being fair to Boxer: if she wanted him to stop, she needed to stand still and firmly say no. But I didn’t want to just shout that across the room. We didn’t really know each other yet so she might think I was being bossy. Or feel embarrassed that I’d called her out. So I turned away, promising myself that I’d mention it to her later. I didn’t want Boxer to get in trouble for being wild just because Taylor was confusing him.
“Hey, Alice,” Tim called from the front of the shelter. I looked over and saw a man had just walked in. He was holding a small, squirming puppy who was whining and yelping. Alice was already heading over and I followed, Sasha and Taylor right behind me.
“I found this little guy by the side of the road,” the man said, trying to soothe the puppy.
“He didn’t have a collar?” Alice asked, reaching for the bundle of fur.
“No, nothing,” the man said. “I figured you guys could help find him a home.”
Alice was holding the puppy close, stroking his head softly. He calmed in her arms but his eyes still seemed scared as he looked around at all of us. He looked like a spaniel mix, with floppy black ears and patches of black and white fur.
“Yes, we will,” Alice said. “Thank you so much for making sure he was safe.”
The man nodded. “I hate to see an animal abandoned like that,” he said.
I agreed with him one hundred percent. That was why the shelter was so important. It gave dogs like this a chance to find a family to love and care for them.
Once the man had left, Sasha and I looked at each other and I knew we were thinking the exact same thing. “Can we take the puppy out and give him a bath?” I asked, knowing how important it was to clean him before introducing him to the other dogs.
“Sure,” Alice said. “I’ll need to take him to the vet before he can play with the other dogs, but it would be good to clean him off. Let me just give him a quick exam first to make sure he’s okay to handle.” She set him down on her desk, running her hands over him carefully to check for any signs of injury or disease. The p
uppy wriggled about, eager to be done with the exam and explore. I couldn’t wait to play with him!
“Fit as a fiddle,” Alice announced, passing the puppy to me. “Though it turns out he is a she.”
Sasha rubbed the puppy’s belly. She panted happily and Sasha and I exchanged a look of total delight.
“You can take her to the backyard,” Alice said, looking affectionately at the little dog. “There’s a tub and hose back there, and dog shampoo and towels are in a crate on the porch.”
Sasha and I started for the back door, the puppy still in my arms. I couldn’t wait to get to the fenced-in yard to play with the puppy, just me and Sasha. Finally we would have some time alone with the dogs, the way I’d imagined it was going to be, back before Taylor.
But then Sasha stopped. “Taylor, come on,” she said, as though it was a given that she would come. As though we wouldn’t even consider leaving her behind for once.
I bit my lip to keep from sighing as Taylor bounced up. She slung an arm over each of our shoulders, inserting herself in between us. “Let’s get this puppy clean,” she declared.
So out we went, the three of us.
The air had just a hint of cool fall weather to come but mostly it still felt like summer as we walked down the porch steps. The backyard was surrounded by a wooden fence that I noticed was chipped and even broken in a few places, though none big enough for a dog to escape. The grass was worn from lots of paws running around on it and toys were strewn about. I stepped over a deflated blue rubber ball and set the puppy in the metal washtub next to the porch. “Time to clean you up,” I told her cheerfully.
Sasha grabbed the hose while Taylor got the shampoo. But as they came over, the puppy decided the tub was boring and took a gigantic leap out. We cracked up as she raced across the yard, her long ears flying.
“Come back here,” Sasha called as she ran after the puppy.
The puppy looked back, her eyes dancing as if to say, “Catch me if you can!” Moments later the three of us were running after her as she darted about, giving a joyful bark now and again. We were all laughing as she managed to slip by us every time. I couldn’t help thinking that just an hour earlier she was abandoned on the street and now here she was, safe, cared for, and loved. Finally Sasha lured her over with a chew toy and then scooped her up. “No more playing until you’re clean,” she told the squirming little dog.
But as soon as Sasha set the puppy in the tub, she scrambled to get out again. Clearly a chase was a lot more fun than a bath!
“This is going to be impossible,” Taylor exclaimed.
But I knelt down next to the tub and put my hand softly on the puppy’s back so she couldn’t escape again. “Stay,” I said in a firm voice.
The puppy stopped wiggling and looked up at me. I knew she hadn’t been trained so the word “stay” wouldn’t mean anything, not until I helped her learn what it meant. So I kept a hand on her and repeated the command several times. Then I slowly took my hand away.
The puppy immediately put her paws on the edge of the tub, ready to jump.
“Stay,” I told her. She looked up at me, as though trying to put it all together. And then she sat back in the tub.
“That was amazing,” Taylor breathed.
Sasha grinned. “That’s Kim, girl dog whisperer,” she said.
I felt a swell of pride at their words but wanted to keep things focused on the puppy. “Let’s get her clean,” I said.
Taylor turned on the hose and Sasha ran the water gently over the puppy while I poured out some dog shampoo and worked it into a lather in the puppy’s fluffy fur, taking special care with her long, silky ears. Soon the water in the tub was dirty and brown but the puppy’s fur was fresh and clean.
“How’s it going out here?” Alice asked, walking down the porch steps to join us.
“We’re just about done,” I said, giving the puppy a final rinse.
Alice raised her eyebrows. “I’m impressed she stayed still for you,” she said.
“Thanks to Kim and her magical ways with dogs,” Sasha said, her words making my face warm.
Alice was nodding. “I should have guessed,” she said.
“It took all of us to get her clean though,” I said quickly.
“Teamwork is the best,” Alice said with a smile. “And you girls do work well together.”
We had worked well together this time but I still wished it was just me and Sasha. With the dogs it was okay but every time it was just the three of us, I was the third wheel.
Sasha was holding a big towel and I passed her the puppy, then dried my own hands while Taylor cleaned out the tub.
“You are luscious,” Sasha told the puppy as she snuggled her into the towel to dry her off.
“I think she needs a name,” Alice said. “Why don’t you girls pick one out?”
Just then the puppy, still wet, twisted out of Sasha’s arms and streaked across the yard. Taylor reached down and grabbed her but the wet puppy slipped from her grasp and flew to the porch steps, then looked back to see who would come for her next. Sasha managed to get one hand on her back but the puppy slithered away again.
“I think we should name her Slippy,” Sasha said, laughing.
The puppy ran near my legs and I almost had her but her wet fur made it impossible to hold on. She raced away, clearly loving the game. “Definitely something slippery,” I agreed, grinning. “How about Icee?”
“Or Wriggles,” Taylor said as the puppy eluded her again and danced to the far side of the yard.
“Here, Slick!” Sasha called. The puppy kept running.
“That’s a boy name,” Taylor said. “She’s not going to answer to that.”
“You try,” Sasha said. She stopped to catch her breath.
Taylor thought for a moment, then put her hands on her hips as the puppy circled closer to us. “Popsicle!” she called.
The puppy stopped in her tracks, then jumped up to give Taylor a kiss.
“Popsicle it is,” Alice said as the three of us surrounded the puppy, who barked joyfully, clearly delighted with her new name and her new home.
5
That night Sasha came over for dinner. It was just like old times, with my mom making Sasha’s favorite mac and cheese, my dad asking Sasha all about the books she read over the summer, and Matt teasing her about dog fur.
“Yup, that’s definitely a piece of dog hair on your shirt,” Matt joked as he passed Sasha the peas. “You’re going to have to fumigate for sure.”
We laughed and Sasha rolled her eyes. “You should see my mom when she washes my shelter clothes,” she said. “Last night she actually put on rubber gloves to take them out of the bag.”
Matt almost choked on the water he was drinking as we all laughed.
“Well, your mom does keep a beautiful house,” my mom said, not wanting to be critical of Sasha’s mom. Our house was more the lived-in type, with a comfortable old sofa, piles of books all over, and the occasional dust bunny in the corner. I liked it though. At Sasha’s, I was always worried about spilling juice on the spotless carpet or smudging the bright white kitchen counters.
“It’s so clean you could eat off the floors,” my dad added.
I grinned and rolled my eyes—that was the corny saying he always worked into the conversation when Sasha’s house came up.
“I’m just glad she’s letting me volunteer at the shelter,” Sasha said. “It’s so much fun.”
“Alice says you girls are doing a wonderful job,” my mom said.
“You saw her today?” I asked.
My mom nodded. “She was putting up a flyer about dogs available for adoption on the bulletin board at the Rox.” A lot of people in town put up notices there and since most of the town went to the Rox, they all got read. I wondered if that meant we’d have fewer dogs at the shelter. Which would be good, because of course I wanted the dogs to have homes. I loved them all so much though that I would definitely miss any who left.
“A new puppy came in today and we got to give her a bath,” Sasha said.
“I bet that was an adventure,” my dad said.
Sasha laughed. “She definitely wanted to play chase more than get washed,” she said. “But Kim calmed her down and we got it done.”
“It was fun,” I said. “And we got to name her too.”
“Lovely,” my mom said. “What did you choose?”
“Popsicle,” I said. “But really she chose it. As soon as Taylor said it, she responded.”
“Yeah, we were thinking of slippery names since she kept wriggling away from us,” Sasha added. “But she didn’t like any of them until Taylor thought of Popsicle.”
I knew Sasha had just complimented me too but somehow hearing her praise Taylor grated on me.
“Sounds like you girls had a nice afternoon,” my dad said.
“Yeah, working at the shelter is the best,” I said, trying to think about that instead of Taylor. Sasha nodded in agreement.
I reached for the mac and cheese but Matt grabbed the spoon out of my hands to serve himself more. “You have to be faster than that, Pip-squeak,” he said, his eyes sparkling.
“Just don’t eat it all,” I said, rolling my eyes. I hated that nickname.
He grinned as he passed me the spoon. “Hey, did you guys get that essay assignment yet?” he asked.
Sasha and I exchanged a look. I’d almost forgotten about that.
“What essay?” my dad asked, all interested.
“It’s our first major writing assignment,” Sasha said, quoting Mrs. Benson. “It’s all about our volunteer jobs.”
“I spent days on mine,” Matt said. His words made my heart sink. Matt was a really good student. If he had to work on it for days, what did that mean for me?
It did not help to see that my mom’s forehead was all scrunched up, meaning she was worried too. “You spent that long on it?” Homework always took me an extra-long time, but Matt was a whiz at school—he finished his homework super quickly, and did really well on all the assignments. School just came easily to him.
“Exactly how many pages does it have to be?” my dad asked before Sasha or I could answer my mom.