I stood straight and grinned at her.“But…huskies are vocal.They have strong personalities.They need constant grooming.And they’re bred to run, so they have a ton of energy and need a lot of activity.They’re also remarkably intelligent, so they need their brains engaged and lots of challenges.”
She grinned back.“You did your research.”
“Several threads call their vocals ‘husky yodeling.’”
She laughed.“You know, yeah.That kinda covers it.”
Tonks sniffed my hand hoping I’d take her hint, and I did, scratching her behind her ears.“I found her on your website and did some research.I live alone.I talk to myself.It’ll be good to have someone to talk to who might not understand me, but she’ll talk back.”
Another laugh from Winona.“Sounds like it’s a fit.”She got serious.“But I need you to fill out an application.It’s nothing super invasive, but we want to make sure when an animal leaves our care, they’re going to a good home, and they won’t come back.The board is notified when an application comes in.There are seven members, and you just need a majority to vote yes for her to be yours.We guarantee a twenty-four-hour turnaround on a decision.”
I nodded.“That works for me.”
“Excellent, let me put Tonks back, and I’ll get you an application.”
She headed to the door, but the idea of Tonks going back to her cage made me frown.
“It’s only twenty-four hours, Mabel,” Winona said quietly.
I sighed and asked Tonks, “Can you wait twenty-four hours?”
Her ears cocked, and then she yodeled.
I busted out laughing, crouched, and she snuffled my neck as I gave her another rubdown, this one full body.
“I think it’s gonna be torture for me, girl,” I said.“But if you can do it, I can too.”
With that, Tonks, Winona and I headed out.
While she went into the dog wing, I stood in the hall at the door to the cat wing and peered inside the window.
My life had been tumbling from one turmoil to another.
However, in that turmoil, the only constants I’d had were the animals we’d had along the way.
I’d had cats and dogs, and I still grieved the loss of every one of them.
I knew I was gazing through the cat room window longingly when I didn’t even notice Winona coming back until she offered, “Wanna take a stroll down the cat aisle?”
I turned to her.“Huskies have strong prey drives.”
“Well, fortunately, Tonks was surrendered because she talked too much.”
My frown that time was a lot more severe.
“I know, right?”she asked.“However, her previous owner had two cats and another dog.She’s been around them since she was a pup.In her dossier, she’s been approved for multi-animal households, including cats, due to her early socialization.”
She looked to the window of the cat room and kept talking.
“That said, if you went there, you’d have to spend time introducing them slowly and not leaving them alone together until you were sure they get along.”
I stared through the cat window with her.
I shouldn’t, I thought.
“Let’s look,” my mouth said.
Half an hour later, I was filling out a form for both Tonks and Moccasin, otherwise, and now for good and ever to be known as Moxie, a sleek black and brown tabby with a white chest and the most adorable white finger mittens on both her front paws.
