“Uh, Dad? That sign says SPCA.”
“Sure does, baby girl.”
Marlie let out a little “eep” like noise. When she spoke, her voice was almost breathless. “They rescue animals and then people can adopt them.”
“Yeah, that’s what they do.” I took a breath and Marlie’s hopeful gaze shot to mine. I smiled. “Want to adopt a dog?”
The squeal my girl let out was loud in the car, and I couldn’t help the wince. She couldn’t care less. She was so excited she got stuck in her seatbelt as she tried to get it off, all the while rambling a mile a minute.
“Yes! Oh my gosh, please! I promise I will walk it and feed it and brush it and play with it and I’ll always do everything I’m supposed to do and I won’t ever ignore it and—”
“Hey.” I had to shout, just a bit, to get her attention. Marlie gulped a breath, her eyes trained on me. “I know you’ll be very responsible. You’ve done a lot of research about dogs and I know you will care for one to the best of your ability. But I want you to know two things first. Are you listening?”
She nodded hard, her pigtails bobbing. “Yes.”
“Good. Thing one is you are nine years old, and that’s a lot of responsibility for one person, but especially a kid. So while you will have to do all those things, I’ll have your back and I’ll help you too. Got it, got it?”
“Got it.” Her smile could not get any bigger. “Tris and Harper will probably want to help, too.”
“Most likely. You listening for the second thing, Marlie? This is the important one I really want you to hear.”
Marlie nodded, but then paused. She took a big breath and let it out slowly. Then she closed her eyes and did it twice more. I liked seeing her work to regulate her own emotions—it was something we tried to teach all three of them—and I waitedpatiently for her to be ready. It only took her a few more seconds before she opened her eyes and looked at me.
“Ready.”
“Good. We’re going to look today but we might not find the right dog for us.” I’d filled out the application a couple of weeks ago, and we were already approved. I wasn’t worried about that. I even had a dog I was interested in, based on the profile the Elmore SPCA had on their site. “The most important thing is we do what’s best for the dog, and for our family. If we don’t find a dog today, wewillcome back. And if we do find the right dog, we might not be able to take it home today. I need you to keep all those things in mind.”
She chewed her lip and twirled her hair as she processed that. “I might need reminding.”
I chuckled and popped open my door, going around to the back. By the time I opened her door, Marlie had managed to untangle herself from the seatbelt. I held out my hand and she took it, using it as support to hop down. She didn’t let go even after her feet were on the ground.
“I’ll help you remember. Ready, baby girl?”
“Ready!”
As soon as we entered the building, we could hear faint barking. Marlie’s grin was so wide she looked like a cartoon. I didn’t even have a chance to look around before the young man behind the desk greeted us.
“Hello and welcome!” He stood up and had his own wide smile. “I’m Devin. You must be the Caldwells.”
No appointment was needed, but I’d called ahead and let them know when I expected to be in, and that I was interested in seeing Ranger. I wanted to make sure the dog was still available before we got there. Not that I was opposed to looking at other dogs, but he’d caught my eye.
“We are. I’m Law, and this is my daughter Marlie. I called about Ranger?”
Marlie squeezed my hand, and when I glanced down, she had a question in her eyes. I crouched down to her level and she stepped in between my knees.
“Ranger seems like a good dog for us, so I thought we’d meet him first. Unless you want to look around first?”
Twirling her hair around her free hand, she thought about it for a few seconds. I could practically see the gears turning in her head. And I knew her well enough to know what was going through her mind. Part of her really wanted to see all the dogs. But the rest of her trusted my judgment.
“We can see Ranger,” she whispered, shyer now that a stranger was in our midst.
But Devin had walked close enough to hear her, and he didn’t hesitate to answer. “Awesome. Ranger is a great dog. Loves kids and other dogs. Super friendly and really sweet. If you just follow me, I’ll bring him out to you.”
Two minutes later, we were in a visitation room and though I sat, Marlie remained standing, pressed up against my side. She was nervous now, and I wasn’t sure if it was because we were in an unfamiliar environment and a stranger was around—she often got anxious in that situation—or because she wanted to make her own decisions. Before I got the chance to ask, though, Devin returned with the dog.
Marlie’s entire demeanor changed when faced with the light brown dog. According to the site, he was a lab mixed with pit bull terrier. He had black markings around his eyes and snout, and a white patch on his chest. He strained a little at the leash, and his tail was wagging hard and fast. He was a cute thing, a little bigger than medium size but definitely not what I’d call a large breed.
With her hand outstretched, Marlie approached cautiously. Ranger sniffed and sniffed, and then gave a lick. Marlie let out a giggle. And I knew my girl. It was love at first sight. Devin handed her the leash, and told us to take as much time as we needed. Five seconds later, Marlie was on the floor, Ranger half in her lap, and getting all the pets he could possibly want.
