Page 12 of Thalen

“She’s five. It’s a hundred to adopt her. Only cats aged seven and up have their fee waived at the moment.”

A hundred!

She placed Eloise in my arms.

“The barn cats don’t have a fee either, and we include a bag of food for each cat. She’s also already spayed. Her previous owner adopted her from us when she was a kitten. He brought her back after his job transferred him to Bali, and he discovered it was going to not only be a complicated process to bring her in, but extremely hard to find a place that rented to foreigners that would allow pets. The poor man cried.”

“What about Tim and Tam’s owner?” Jason asked.

“She was a very nice elderly lady who had a stroke and had to go live in an assisted care home.”

“I used to live in a home for kids, but then Dad chose me,” he grinned up at me.

“Okay, so we’ll also take all three.”

She took Eloise back from me and placed her back in her cage before flipping the cards on the outside of hers and Tim and Tam’s double sized one. The back side read “I’m adopted!” which made me smile every bit as big as Jason.

“Now we need a dog!”

She nodded, leading us to the dog area.

“Let me know which ones interest you, and I can check their cards to see if they’ve been cat tested.”

Jason zeroed in on a smaller dog that was the scruffiest looking thing I’d ever seen. It also had the most soulful eyes ever, which no doubt is why he’d homed in on him.

“Oh! Benny! He loves everyone. Cat, dog, people, he even tried to befriend a squirrel last week out in the exercise yard,” she laughed.

Benny’s tail was going a million miles a minute.

It was heartwarming, and I rather suspected his name was inspired by the famous scruffy mutt Benji of TV and movie fame. That’s when I noticed the dog in the kennel next to him. It was facing the wall, curled up, its whole demeanor looking dejected.

“That one looks sad,” I said.

“Vinnie? Yeah. He’s been here a while, and he’s moped the entire time. He used to get excited when people came to pick a dog, but he’s a black dog, and black dogs and cats get passed over the most. Add in his size, and he just wasn’t getting any interest.” She gave me a hopeful look. “He’s been cat tested and ignored them. He’s a gentle soul, though a bit clumsy.”

“Dad? I want Benny.”

“You can have him. I’m thinking maybe we should get a big dog to help watch the place too and be his buddy.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Well, Benny’s fee is sponsored, and it’s your lucky day as Vinnie’s is too!”

“How old are they?”

“Benny is two and Vinnie is three. You won’t be able to pick them up until the day after tomorrow, as they need to be given their shots, and Vinnie needs to be neutered still.”

“And the cats?”

You can take them home today, though I imagine you’ll want to board the barn cats until your flight.”

“Yes, please. How much would that be?”

She named a figure, and I winced. My credit cards were going to be maxed out, but then again, I was going to get money to buy livestock and other essentials, so I’d be able to pay them all off. Besides, it wasn’t as if my credit cards would be of much use on an alien colony.

“Can I see him, please?” She opened his kennel, and I went and sat inside, close but not too close to Vinnie. He lifted his head and regarded me. I could clearly see he had to be part Great Dane, if not a purebred. That would explain the friendly disposition and clumsiness for sure.

“Hey, buddy. Aren’t you a good boy?”