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My mother covered her mouth. I couldn’t tell if she was concerned or laughing. “Okay, okay. It’s not his fault. He’s just decompressing. Come here,Eddie. Katie? Better call 911. There’s an artery around there somewhere.”
My limited exposure to dogs up until this moment was fleeting andfrighteningand only occurred when I was home visiting my parents, so I didn’t know how to start with this little dog.
“Hi, Dolly. My name is Katie.”
Big brown eyes looked up at me, and she gave a slight wag to her tail, which made me feel guilty for the words to come.
“I’m in a bit of a situation here. You see, I wasn’t intending to adopt today and...” Dolly tilted her head. She might not understand what I was saying, butshe’d been through a lot in her short years of life—I couldn’t imagine she was that old—and for a moment, I just stopped. Stopped talking. Stoppedthinking.I thought back to church this morning. This was a creature that God created that needed a home. I had a home. I had the time. I had verylittlegoing on, and honestly, I was lonely. I wanted a husband. I wanted a family. Maybe Dollycouldhelp me out of my shell?
The only thing I could do was pray.
“Dear Jesus,
I pray for your guidance here.
I don’t know what to do.
In your name,
Amen.”
For the first time in my life, I made adesperately uncalculateddecision, picked Dolly up, and we left the playroom and headed for the front desk. Tommy was nowhere to be found, but I saw Samantha brightly looking up, and in a fluid motion, handed me the adoption forms.
“Tommy said it was a go. I’m so thankful for you, Katie! I’ve filled most of the forms for you, if you just sign here and here,” motioning to the X’s she marked, “put an emergency contact here,” I scribbled in my mother’s name and number. “And one more thing—the terms of our shelter are that you must attend at leastonefirst-time pet owner’s class. You can bring Dolly of course. There’s one this Friday at 6 pm.”
I looked down at Dolly, who was staring at me with the whites of her eyes. “Oh, I see. How many people usually attend those classes?” The fact that it was mandatory didn’t mean it didn’t overwhelm me.
“These days, just a handful. Don’t worry, I will be there. You can sit with me.”
The promise of a chair waiting for me really quenched the anxious thoughts, and I faked a smile. A jolt of panic pulsed through my body as Katie attachedDolly’s leash to her collar and handed it to me.
Just then, Tommy skidded out of the dog hallway with a big grin and came over andhugged me.“Thank you for adopting her. She’s a real sweetheart.”
I was blown away by the gesture. I couldn’t remember the last time I hugged a man, and I then realized I’d forgotten to apply deodorant that morning, so instead of raising my arms high and he going lower, I did that weird thing where you leanintoa hug, half bent over, arms out like a ballerina (and back leg in air)—quite the moment to realize I wasn’tflexibleenough to execute. I lost my footing (since one automatically went upward) and fell into his chest. He laughed it off, “Oh, we got a real hugger here, I see.”
Samantha pulled out a well-worn small carrier. “Here is a carrier. Please return this at your earliest convenience, and you will need to get one of your own for your vehicle. Here is a list of a few more items that Dolly will require, along with food recommendations. And if you use this veterinarian,” she handed me a card readingDr. Michael Wylons, DVM,“you get a discount on all services for the first three months.”
I immediately wondered if he was young and single—maybe Dolly was the missing piece to my love life?
Samantha, as if reading my thoughts, added, “He’s very trustworthy and knowledgeable. He’s been practicing for almost forty years.”Of course, he has.
Samantha helped me put a flimsy harness on Dolly that matched the flimsy leash she was already wearing.
“These will do until you can get her a proper one. May I recommend the pet store on 29th? They have a beautiful selection of durable items with prints perfect for this little princess! And they even have some handmade items from local artisans.” Her eyes glittered with excitement as she spoke. She handed me a bag labeled ‘Essentials.’ “Here is some food, reading material, and answers to common questions. Give it a look over. Now,” she came around the counter and crouched before Dolly, “How about one more trip outside so we can show your new mommy how to take you out?”
We took Dolly outside to the grass. I was having an out-of-body body experience. I tried to tell Samantha this was a mistake. That I was trying to go to the pottery cafe because my 89-year-old best friend couldn’t hang out today. That I wasn’t sure I could do this. But all that came out as I was hyperventilating was, “What do I do—what I meant—I am having an—accident?” Samantha looked at me quizzingly, trying to piece my word salad together.
“It’s going to be okay. You girls will get along swimmingly, I just know it.”
My body trembled, and I felt an embarrassing rush of tears to choke back, so I was thankful when another car pulled up. A family I recognized from church arrived with their preteen children. Samantha was beaming and swiftly tucked the carrier handle under my free finger that wasn’t hoisting the bag up and thanked me as she turned to welcome the family in.
“Katie,” She called back as she held the door for them, “I will see you Friday at 6.”
It wasn’t a question, and I nodded in reply, my hands full.
Dolly stood in the wet grass, shivering as she waited for us to leave. I asked her if she went potty, and her unimpressed gaze said she was ready. I didn’t know how the leash would work, as I recalled my mothers’ dogs always struggling with the concept, but I found when I took a few steps, so did she. We slowly made our way to my car. I looped the leash around my wrist while I set the carrier inside, buckling it in around the handle like I saw the cat people do. Surely, that wasn’t their first pet, and I didn’t hear Samantha inviting them to the pet owner’s class.
I reached down and picked up Dolly, who felt a little damp from the grass, and I wiped her off a little with my sweater sleeve. I sat her in front of the carrier, and she quickly hobbled inside, spinning around, and laying on the mat like she’d done it a million times before. So far, so good, I thought as I closed the carrier door.
