Page 3 of Rescue Them

“But what about when I’m at work?I thought I could come home at lunch to feed them and let them out.I know Corky was home all the time, so they had her company.But I have to work, and….”

Mitchell was patient.“There’s nothing to worry about.Just make sure they have food and water when you leave.They should be okay for half a day.I’d suggest putting them in an enclosed space to start with to see how they react.”

Lyle nodded.He thought he could keep them in the kitchen.The cabinets all snapped closed, and the counters were too high for them to jump on.He supposed as long as he had the chairs under the table, they couldn’t use them as an intermediate step.The floor was tile, so any accidents would be easy to clean up.“Okay.I can do that.I really just want them to be happy.”

James chuckled.“Then they will be.Just remember that when they do something wrong, it’s not their fault.They’re dogs and they do what dogs do.So if they get into the garbage, then you didn’t take it out or they got bored or hungry.It’s not their fault; it’s yours.”

“I have their toys and things.I thought I’d leave some out for them.”He was starting to feel a little better.“Is there anything else?”

“Just care for them, and they will love you forever,” Mitchell said.Now, that sounded like something Lyle really needed.

Chapter 2

“DO YOUreally think he’s going to be okay?”James asked once Lyle got the dogs back into the car.“It’s a lot to take on four dogs.I mean, they’re small enough, but they need a lot of attention and care.”

Mitchell shrugged.“I have to believe that Corky knew what she was doing.She loved those dogs like they were her children.”

“She was a wonderful lady.But dogs are property.We love them as though they are more than that, but legally….”He was nervous that if she didn’t make arrangements in her will, those dogs could find themselves in legal limbo, and they were valuable animals.He knew that from school and property law.It was his field of interest: animals and the law.

“I don’t think I can help with that,” Mitchell told him.“She always told me that she had made arrangements for the dogs, but I don’t know what that means or what she did.But it’s something we can’t worry about.It’s not our business.”James could tell Mitchell was concerned, but there wasn’t anything they could do.

“Would it be all right if I stopped by to see Lyle in the next few days to check that he has things under control?Little dogs may seem like less work, but they can be a challenge.”

“I don’t see why not.He told us that he was Corky’s neighbor, so if you wanted to pop by, it should be okay.”

James nodded and went back to putting together the evening meals for the rescue dogs.He had a few more to do before he left for the night.It didn’t take long before he put the bowls in the last enclosures and checked that all the dogs had water.Then he said good night to Mitchell and drove back to the house he shared with three other students.

Thankfully, the house was quiet.Anna, Wes, and Ray were all in the living room, which was strewn with books and case materials.“Do you want to join us?We left a few of the cases for you.”

“Cool,” James said and hurried to his room.He got his materials and joined the others.

“So how did it go with the dogs?”Anna asked.“Did you get any adopted?”

“Mostly I worked on the expansion.Mitchell wants to be able to take a few more dogs, but he needs add more enclosures and some of the older ones are wearing out, so they’re being replaced.”

“How does he afford all that?”Wes asked.

“I wish I knew.But Mitchell is the most dedicated person I have ever met.”

“Come on, guys.I know this is important, but so are these cases, and we need to get them researched and reviewed,” Ray interjected.He was always intense and took his work very seriously.Not that they all didn’t, but Ray tended to be a little over the top.Still, in this case he was right, and James settled in a chair and got to work.

They spent hours working on the cases and then discussing the highlights and what they thought the important points were.By the time they finished, it was nearly one in the morning.But the studying was done for the weekend, which meant James had a few days of work at the shelter, and while he wanted to get ahead, he would have some time to himself.

“WHERE AREyou headed?”Anna asked the following morning.All his roommates looked as bleary-eyed as he felt.

“I have to work at the shelter.Mitchell is adding some capacity, so he’s busy with that.I’m going to help with the regular chores.”He took off and hurried out.It was early, but he arrived in time to get the morning feeding done before Mitchell and Daniel arrived.As planned, they built the new shelters and James stayed out of it, because while he was good at many things, put tools in his hands and he became a total menace.

“Will you be done today?”James asked about noon, when they had been working for a while.

“We should.There is capacity for eight more dogs, and I think that is about as much as we can handle.If the shelter gets too big, then we fall into a different category with the county, and I really don’t want to go there.I’m already getting grief for the numbers we have when something unusual happens, but then that’s almost always in conjunction with the police, so they can’t say too much.”He sighed and wiped his brow.“Let’s get these dogs settled so we can get some lunch, and then James can go,” he told Daniel.Between the three of them, they got everyone set where it was supposed to be.“Are you going to visit Lyle and Corky’s dogs?”

“Yeah.I was going to head over there now to see if he’s okay.”James figured he’d grab lunch first, or maybe after.He wasn’t sure yet.But after saying goodbye, he drove to where Corky lived and knocked on the next door over.

He had the right place, judging by the barking.“Can I help you?”Lyle asked, cracking the door open.

“I came to see how you were doing with them.”

Lyle groaned.“I’m trying to build an enclosure out back, and I’m not getting very far.The landlord said it was okay as long as I didn’t make a mess.I got some poles and put them in the ground.But I’m not sure if this is strong enough.”He shooed the dogs back and let James inside.“Sorry.Every time someone comes up front, they go off like an alarm, and I’m not used to it.”He closed the door behind them.