Chapter 1
Sandy Creek Area
Summerville, Florida
Something was definitely going on. Just what, Bailey couldn’t quite figure out yet.
But she hadn’t seen Harold this upset in a very long time. Not since Alice had left. She was the nice woman Harold had lived with ever since Bailey had been a pup. For most of Bailey’s life—as long as she could remember—she had always been loved by both Harold and Alice together. When he didn’t call her Alice, Harold called her Sweetheart. But he also called Alice “The Mother” sometimes, but only when she was doing something for Bailey, like feeding her or taking her for a walk.
“You wanna eat, Bailey?” he’d say. “The Mother’s gettin’ it. She’s fixing it now.”
Alice, The Mother, had always taken good care of Bailey. Besides the food and walks, she’d kept her water bowl filled, brushed her, gave her baths sometimes, and lots of treats. Harold mostly loved on Bailey letting The Mother do everything else.
That is, until the day The Mother was gone. After that, Harold did all the things she used to do.
Whatever had happened that day, it must have been something awful. Harold cried and cried. Nothing Bailey did made it any better. The younger man who was here now had come over that day, too. Right after some people had taken The Mother away.
A few days later, the house filled up with scary strangers all dressed in dark clothes. All of them as sad as Harold. Even the young man who was here now. He wore dark clothes then, too.
Whoever he was, he and Harold were close. They hugged each other quite often. When he’d visit, Harold either called him “Son” or “Bill.” On that day, Son was crying like Harold, right after they hugged. A short while later, Harold had shut Bailey up in his bedroom; the same room she’d slept in every night at the foot of their bed. She’d stayed there until everyone left.
That had suited Bailey just fine.
All that happened a long time ago. Bailey wasn’t sure just how long. But today, Son wasn’t wearing dark clothes, and he wasn’t crying. But he did seem sad, though not as sad as Harold. They were sitting at the table talking, the smaller table closer to the kitchen. Bailey walked over and checked her water bowl. Mainly, she wanted to see if she could figure out more of what they were saying. See if they used any words she understood.
* * *
“Son, did you get anywhere calling your friends? Find anyone who can take Bailey?”
Bill sighed. He looked up at his father. Harold knew the answer before he spoke.
“I’m really sorry, Dad. I tried everyone I knew. Nobody can take her. Half of them live in places that don’t allow dogs. The other half already own a dog, some more than one. But they all said they couldn’t add another.”
“Was it because of her age?” Harold said. “She’s still really healthy. And smaller dogs like her can often live fifteen or sixteen years.”
Bill shook his head. “I didn’t even get that far. They all said no before her age ever came up. You know how it is with dogs…it’s a big commitment. People aren’t gonna say yes to something like that just to do a friend a favor.”
Harold knew he was right. If circumstances were different, and one of his friends had asked him to take in one of their dogs, he’d have to turn them down, too. That had actually happened the year before Alice died. He and Alice both loved dogs. Problem was, Bailey didn’t. She liked people. Most of them anyway. But she’d never warmed up to other dogs, no matter what their size, gender, or type.
“I’m really sorry,” Bill said.
“I know. Appreciate how hard you tried.” He looked down at Bailey, sitting by her water bowl, staring up at him with those amazing eyes. So full of kindness and concern. She was the sweetest thing on earth. Alice used to always make fun of all the names he’d give Bailey, all the things he’d say to her. “You know she doesn’t understand 99% of the things you say.” He’d tell Alice, “Maybe not, but she likes the way I say ’em.”
How could he part with her?
No, he couldn’t let himself go down that path. The decision had already been made. If Bill couldn’t find her a new home, then he’d have to—
“I could bring her to the shelter for you, Dad. There’s no reason you have to go.”
Harold couldn’t help it. Tears welled up in his eyes. “No, I’m gonna do it. I’ve got to. I at least owe her that after all the years she —” He couldn’t finish the words.
Bill handed him a napkin, and he dabbed his eyes. Bailey quickly came over and snuggled up next to his leg. He reached down and patted her gently on the head.
“We don’t have to do it today,” Bill said. “If you’re not ready. I can come back another day.”
“No, we need to do it today. There’s not going to be a better day. You’re here now. I can’t drive anymore. The van from the home will be here to move me the day after tomorrow. So, it has to be before then. The way my brain is slipping, I’m afraid to leave her alone here with me, as it is.”
“Why, it’s not like you’re going to hurt her?”
“No, but I keep forgetting things. Like whether I fed her or not. Last night, I went to bed and forgot all about taking her out to the bathroom. The poor thing waited as long as she could, then literally started barking at me in bed until I figured out why.”
Bill laughed. He reached down and scratched behind her ears. “You’re a sweet girl, Bailey.” He looked up at his dad. “Wish like crazy there was some way we could tell her what’s going on, so she wouldn’t be so confused.”
“I know,” Harold said. “That’s the hardest part of this thing. Her thinking I’m just abandoning her for no reason.” He looked down at her again but had to look away. “I’m clinging to one small consolation right now. Really two.”
“What’s that?” Bill said.
“I anticipated you might not be successful, so I put a call into that shelter we’re bringing her to. Talked to a nice lady down there. Tried to explain the situation as best I could. Even sent her a picture of Bailey from my phone, so she could see what a fine dog she is. She told me, even with her age, they almost always find good homes for small dogs, especially ones as nice looking as Bailey.”
“Well, see?” Bill said. “She’s going to be okay, Dad. You don’t have to feel bad about doing this. People are gonna take one look at that sweet little face and snap her right up. You’ll see. You said there were two consolations you’re clinging to. What’s the other one?”
He looked up to the ceiling for just a second. “That this brain tumor’s my ticket home. Won’t be long now before the Lord puts me back with your mother. I’ll miss Bailey something awful, but I’ve been missing your mom even more.” He stood up on unsteady legs.
“You okay?”
“I’ll be fine. Happens whenever I stand up too fast anymore. Let me get Bailey’s leash on, and we’ll take her for a ride down to that shelter now. Before I lose my nerve and change my mind.”
* * *
Bailey’s ears perked right up. She’d been trying her best to figure out what Harold and Bill were talking about. Heard her name mentioned several times, so at least some of it was about her. She didn’t pick up too much else.
But something good was happening now. Harold had just stood up and lifted her leash off its hook. Bill was standing, too. And she was quite sure she heard Harold use another familiar word…Ride.
They were going for a ride somewhere in the car. Bailey loved car rides almost as much as treats.
Look, he’s putting on his coat.
Chapter 2
Summerville Humane Society
Summerville, FL
Kim Harper sat at her desk, hands on the keyboard, awaiting inspiration to come from somewhere to help her write this article about an upcoming fundraiser for the local newspaper. There were days when newspapers would send out reporters to interview people like her and then go back to their newspaper office and write the story themselves. These were notthose days. Now, if her shelter was willing to write the article themselves and email it to the correct editor, they might consider cleaning it up and running it in the local section, hopefully before the event occurred.
As the Animal Behavior Manager, Kim wouldn’t typically be given this assignment. But last week Tom Andrews, their Public Communications Director, had moved on—as he put it—to bigger and better things. Kim’s boss had apologized after explaining that she would have to absorb these kinds of tasks until Tom’s replacement could be found. Although it wasn’t said, both understood the salary for Tom’s job — since this was a nonprofit affair — was well below what it should have been.
Kim might be doing things like this for quite a while.
She glanced at her phone, hoping it would ring and free her from this assignment, if only for a few moments. It could happen. Ned, her boyfriend, sometimes called about now if he got his afternoon break. Although being a police officer did not lend itself to a predictable routine. But hearing his wonderful voice might be just the thing she needed to help her write this piece. Ned always had such great ideas.
“I’m sorry.”
Kim heard a familiar chair squeak and turned to face Amy, her friend and coworker. “For what?” Kim said.
“That they stuck you with Tom’s work,” Amy said. “They knew better than to ask me. I’m such a lousy writer.”
Kim smiled. “You really are. But you’re a wonderful person, and that’s more important. And you’ve become a first-rate dog trainer. And that’s what we need you for, not writing publicity articles for fundraisers.”
As if sensing Amy’s sympathy toward Kim, Finley got up from beside Amy’s desk and came over. He rested his adorable face on her lap and gave her a look that said, “Everything will be all right.” Kim patted his head and scratched behind his ears. “Thanks for the love, Finley. You’re such a good boy.” She looked at Amy. “I thought today was Chris’s day to take Finley to work.” Chris was Amy’s husband, a groundskeeper at the local golf club.
“It was supposed to be his day,” Amy said. “But they’re trying something new. Ever since Chris started working there, the golf pro had been giving him free lessons. He’s a vet like Chris, and he felt sure he could help Chris come up with a decent golf swing, even with his prosthesis. Turns out, he was right. Apparently, Chris is a natural. I watched him a couple weekends ago. He really creams that ball now. But Chris said even his short game is starting to come together. So, the pro asked Chris if he would consider teaching golf to a group of kids with physical challenges. The two of them are meeting with these kids this afternoon. The golf pro felt like, with Chris’s leg situation and him being a vet, the kids would really respond well to him.”
“That’s wonderful, Amy. It’s amazing how far Chris has come since he first came out here to work with Finley. So, is he going to do this from now on, instead of taking care of the grounds?”
“No,” Amy said. “This class will be just once a week. But I could tell the way he talked about it at breakfast this morning, he’s hoping it could turn into more.”
“Well, tell him how happy I am for him.” She looked down at Finley. “And you sir can go back and lay down. I’m really doing just fine.”
Her telephone rang.
As soon as she saw it, she knew it couldn’t be Ned. He always called on line three. Lines one and two were always in-house. “Hello, Kim Harper speaking.”
“Hey Kim, this is Nancy over here at Intake. Sorry to do this, but we have a situation here that could use your expertise.”
Kim remembered, Nancy was new and still in training. “Can you speak freely?”
“Yeah,” Nancy said, “the dog owners are in the interview room. They can’t hear me.”
“So, what’s going on?”
“Basically, it’s an old dog situation. I’m still terrible at handling these. As soon as I see the dog’s face, I just lose it. They have no idea what’s about to happen, and I get so upset at these dog owners. I’m afraid I’ll say the wrong thing. I know you’ve tried to help me do better with these, but I…I’d really feel better if you were here. Maybe if I saw you handle it one more time, it would stick. Would you mind?”
Kim smiled. She probably disliked these old dog surrenders just as much as Nancy did. Oddly enough, though, Nancy’s request was still preferable to writing this fundraising article. “I’ll be right down.”
Chapter 3
Kim did her best to avoid too many entanglements as she made her way through the shelter to the Intake area. Part of her job was to answer questions from staff members, and she especially enjoyed taking time with the newer ones. She told a few of them she’d get back to them as soon as she handled this pressing situation for Nancy.
When she got there, Nancy met her by the front counter. “They’re still in the interview room. I got the paperwork here if you decide you’re okay with them surrendering their dog. But I’m really hoping you can work your magic in there.”
Kim smiled. “I don’t know about doing any magic. With some people, nothing works. So, bring those forms with you just in case.” She walked toward the interview room then paused. “Any more details you want to tell me first?”
Nancy sighed. “Seems to me it’s just a family wanting to trade in their old model for a new one. Kind of what my ex did with me. But that’s another story. They’re saying the dog doesn’t have any health issues that they know of. When you hear their reasons for turning him in, try not to slap ’em. The urge was certainly there for me.”
Kim smiled again. Nancy had quite a sense of humor, but Kim wondered if her social skills weren’t up to the level needed to work the Intake area. Not her call to make, though. Kim opened the door. At the head of the table sat a woman in her late thirties, hair rolled up in a makeshift bun. No makeup, wearing a tan shirt with a flowery pattern. Beside her sat a dark-haired teenage boy in a T-shirt and jeans, staring at his phone. Lying beside him against the wall was a Lab-mix, male dog with short brown hair. He was looking at the boy but quickly turned to face Kim. His tail started thumping, and he gave her a good-old-boy smile. She could see the graying hair in his face, but he had the friendliest eyes.
Kim walked around the table to greet the dog first. “And who do we have here?” She bent down and began to pet him.
“That’s Rex,” the woman said. “Hate to do it, but feels like it’s time. Been thinking about it for weeks.”
“I’m Kim Harper, by the way. The Animal Behavior Manager here at the shelter.”
“Can’t the other gal take Rex without your say-so?”
“It’s not quite like that, but they like to call me in sometimes to assess a situation. Surrendering a dog is a big step. Like you said, you’ve been thinking about it for weeks. Does Rex have any health issues? Like some major vet bills coming up? That have anything to do with your decision to bring him down here today?”
“Oh, no. Nothing like that. He’s just old, is all. Doesn’t hear as well as he used to.”
“Is he starting to…go backwards on his housebreaking?” Kim said. “You know, having accidents in the house?”
“No, nothing like that, either. We gotta doggy door in the kitchen, lets out to a fenced-in backyard. He still knows his way in and out of there.”
“Has he started to become aggressive? Like, with children? He seems perfectly fine with your son here.” Kim took notice that the boy hadn’t even lifted his eyes from his phone since she walked in.
“No,” the woman said. “Rex don’t have a mean bone in his body.” Hearing his name, got his tail thumping again. He looked up at the woman with all kinds of love on his face. “But the kid situation was my main tipping point for bringing him down. We got him as a pup when Rodney here was little. He used to pay all kinds of attention to him. He and Rex would play out in the backyard, do all kinds of things together. But as you can see, Rodney’s grown now, and between his friends, his PlayStation, and that stupid phone, he ain’t got no time for Rex.”
Rodney looked up from his phone just long enough to roll his eyes at his mom.
“I got remarried a few years back, took possession of my new husband’s two kids. They’re home with him at the moment. They never had a dog before, and me and my husband been talking about maybe it’s time to get them a puppy of their own. Old Rex here, he’s got no energy for little kids. They’ll go out in the backyard when he goes out to do his business, and throw a ball for him. Rex just looks at it like, What do you want me to do about it? He’s just too old to play. Not his fault. It’s just life, I guess. But we don’t think it’s fair to these two younger ones to have to wait for old Rex to up and die before they get their chance to experience a puppy. You follow me? We figure Rex might be better off getting with some old retired folks, you know? People who may be living at the same energy level he is.”
Kim looked over at Nancy, who gave her a mild shrug.
“Something wrong with my thinking?” the woman said. “Seems like it’s the best solution for everyone, including Rex. He could be with someone that really wants him. You know, like a lonely widow, or something. Just looking for a little company.”
What Kim was about to say wasn’t easy for her. Before she’d understood these situations better, she might’ve thought this woman had a point. Almost any life might be better for Rex than being totally ignored in a home like this. But that’s not how Rex would see it. And this woman’s expectations needed some gentle adjustment.
Gentle, Kim reminded herself. She thinks she’s doing Rex a favor.
“You asked a moment ago,” Kim began, “whether something was wrong with your thinking. The honest answer is…yes. But I can see why you might think this is the right solution. The problem is, Rex won’t interpret what you’re planning the way you think he will. Right now, he seems supremely content, even though he’s in a strange situation. You might be thinking, that’s just how he is, and how he’ll be once you get up and leave. But it’s not.”
“No?” the woman said.
Kim shook her head. “Not even close. He’s content now — believe it or not — because you’re here. And even because Rodney’s here, even though Rodney hasn’t paid him any attention.” For the first time, Rodney looked up for more than a few seconds. “See, to Rex, you guys are his whole life. You’re at the center of all his memories. When he sees Rodney, a part of him might wish Rodney would treat him the way he used to. But he’s probably okay with how things have changed. He has great memories of all those times Rodney usedto play with him. And seeing Rodney, just seeing him, makes Rex happy. Seeing you…” Kim looked right in the woman’s eyes. “… makes Rex happy. I’ll bet you’re the one who always feeds him and changes his water. The one who’s probably taken him to the vets whenever he needed to go, helped calm him down whenever he was scared.”
Tears welled up in the woman’s eyes. Kim saw the boy swallow hard. He wasn’t looking at his phone anymore.
“That’s why Rex is so calm right now,” Kim said. “Because the two people who matter most in his life are right here in this room. If you walk out that door and leave him here, everything he cares about, everything that matters to him goes with you. And all he’ll be wondering for days, maybe weeks, will be when you’re coming back to get him. He might not eat. He probably won’t wag his tail when people check him out in his pen. He won’t look anything like he does now. He’ll just sit in the back of that pen as depressed as can be, unable to process why he’s been left alone like this. A dog in that condition is pretty hard to adopt out to anyone. And you’d be surprised, how few retired people come in here looking for a dog Rex’s age. And for those who might come, if he’s too sad to even greet them…”
Tears rolled down the woman’s cheeks. The boy’s, too, but he quickly wiped them on his sleeve. Nancy got out of her chair, reached for a box of tissues on the windowsill. She used the first one to dab her own eyes.
“I don’t want that,” the woman said, reaching for the tissue box. “Not for Rex. He’s been way too good a dog to let him end up that way. But what can we do? My husband’s expecting us to get a puppy for his kids. And I don’t think I got it in me to say everything to him, the way you just said it to us.”
Rodney took out a tissue, too. “I don’t want that for Rex, neither.”
“Well,” Kim said, “the good news is, you really don’t have to choose one or the other. In general, how does Rex get along with other dogs?”
“He’s good with other dogs,” Rodney said. “Long as they’re friendly.”
“That’s good,” Kim said. “If you plan to get your puppy from here, I can help you make the situation work. We can follow some steps to make sure the puppy you pick will be a good fit for Rex. I can help you train him, or her. Even work with the children in the training. The main thing will be not to expect too much from Rex. He won’t mind all the attention the new pup’s getting from your kids. He’ll be happy just to watch from afar. The main thing will be to keep the puppy from bothering Rex too much. But other than that, sounds like he’ll do just fine.”
The woman’s whole expression changed. So did her son’s. “I think we can manage that,” she said. “What do you think, Rodney?”
“Definitely,” he said. He reached down and acknowledged Rex for the first time directly. “Hear that boy? You’re not going anywhere. You’re coming back home with us.”
Rex stood up for that and leaned into Rodney’s leg, his tail just wagging back and forth.
“I can’t thank you enough, Miss…” The woman held out her hand.
“It’s Kim.” She shook her hand. “Happy to help. And seriously, you go make sure things are okay with your husband. If he has any questions, feel free to call. When you’re ready, come on back and we’ll set up a meet-and-greet with Rex and your new puppy.”
“Thank you, Kim. Thank you so much.”
Kim backed out of the interview room, followed by Nancy. The woman and her son went out into the hall and back outside toward the parking lot.
“C’mon, Rex,” the boy said. “Wanna go for a ride?”
Nancy watched the scene unfold, turned to Kim and said, “See…it is magic. There’s no way I could ever pull off something like that.”
TO ORDER THIS BOOK, CLICK HERE
