“Rex?I’m not sure.Since I started working here.At least a year.”
Damn it.A year or more in a dog run.Sure, it was a no-kill shelter, and he knew they did the best they could with the animals under their care, but it was not the same as having a home and an owner who loved you.A ranch to run free on.“Is he good with other dogs?”
“I’ll have to ask.I really don’t know.”
“Okay, show me the smaller dogs and you can ask about Rex while I’m looking.And find out his age too.”
“He’s a big dog.”
“I know.I live on a ranch.With a lot of other dogs.He’d be for me.The smaller one would be for my friend.”He barely stopped himself from saying his girlfriend.She wasn’t.Not anymore.
He spent some time with a small dog named Babette, who was a pug mix.She was a cute caramel-colored little thing.She was sweet and got along with other dogs, which wasn’t important now but might be later on.Letty might want another dog or date someone with a dog.He veered away from that thought as soon as he had it.
The worker came back and said Rex was good with other dogs and they thought he was around three, and Riley knew he was sunk.He couldn’t leave that dog in a kennel any longer.They said he’d belonged to someone who had died unexpectedly.While the previous owner’s family couldn’t keep Rex, they wouldn’t give him to a kill shelter either.So the local no-kill shelter wound up with him.
Rex proved to be obedient and smart, and he figured out quickly that Riley was a sucker.Riley sat on a bench in a small pen where people could get to know prospective pets a little before they adopted.Rex played fetch happily but was also content to sit quietly beside Riley and let him pet him.Riley stopped petting at one point and Rex gently nudged him.“Yes, I know you want me to pet you.You’re a smart boy, aren’t you?”Rex panted happily, as if to say, “Of course.”
“What do you think?”the worker asked.
“I want both of them.Can we make sure they get along so I can take both at once?”
They got along fine so after paying the fee, Riley drove off with two new-to-him dogs.If Letty didn’t want the small dog, he’d adopt her too.What was one more small dog when he had so many?
