I didn’t realizehow awkward the ride over would be when I invited Dom. We’d all been coexisting in the house decently enough, but the close quarters made the tension inescapable.
Whatever. We’ll get there soon enough, and then it should be chill. Who can stay mad around a bunch of dogs?
Though the closer we got to the shelter, the harder my heart pounded. I’d been sick with worry for weeks now about that poor puppy. My only comfort was hoping that she’d gotten picked up or found somewhere safe and warm to stay.
But if she wasn’t there, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. It was hard to believe that she’d take anyone’s help if she wouldn’t take ours. And the thought of her all alone with no one to count on…
She’s fine. She’s gotta be fine.
As I repeated the mantra in my head, Spencer pulled my hand into my lap and gave it a squeeze. “Ready to see your girl?”
“Fingers crossed,” I offered a weak smile as Dom pulled into a long, cracked driveway.
“Fucking potholes…” she muttered, swerving down the pavement at a snail’s pace.
“Shouldn’t drive this thing fucking everywhere if it can’t handle a little gravel,” Spencer grumbled. I looked over at her and raised my eyebrow before she could continue.
I was one of Dom’s harshest critics, but ever since she’d found out about the lawsuit, Spencer was in a whole different league. It made me sad to see her hurt — worse to think that I had driven a wedge between the two of them. And clearly, Spencer was picking up on that.
“Sorry…” she mouthed to me before giving my hand another squeeze.
“Truce?” I whispered back. “For a few hours?”
“I can do that,” she nodded, though clearly it pained her.
As we crawled through the parking lot, I could already see several volunteers in teal, paw-print t-shirts walking furry friends around the property. I craned my neck, but so far, there was no sign of my puppy.
Though calling her a puppy felt ridiculous. She was easily 80 pounds at nine months old and would surely gain another twenty in just a few weeks.
Eventually, Dom found a spot sufficiently far from the other cars for her liking. Spencer did an admirable job at controlling her tongue, though I definitely caught her rolling her eyes as she got out of the car. Leo popped over from the shotgun seat, holding my door open and offering me a hand up. “Big day.”
Spencer was the first one inside, striding right up to the front desk with that charming smile that made her instant friends. “Hey, how’re you doing today?”
“I’m alright.” The pretty brunette behind the counter smiled. “And yourself?”
“Good, thanks for asking.” Spencer reached her hand back, pulling me to stand beside her at the desk. “We’re here trying to find a stray who’s been visiting our autobody shop. FemaleRottweiler, probably less than a year old. Have any dogs like that come in lately?”
“Oh, we get a lot of rotties…” she murmured, flipping through some loose papers on her desk. “You know, the records here are kind of a mess right now. Might be faster to take a look in the kennels yourself, if that works for you?”
As Dom audibly sighed behind us, Spencer’s grin tightened. “That would be fantastic. Which way?”
Leaning over the counter, the woman pointed to a big double door at the end of the lobby. “You’re gonna walk through there, past the cat kennels, and through the next set of doors at the end of the hallway. All the dogs will be back there. If she asks, just tell Jamie that Dani sent you.”
“Thank you very much, Dani.” Spencer winked before taking my hand and leading me through the doors.
As we walked through to the first set of kennels, my heart was already melting. Each cage was full of adoptable kitties watching us from the tall stacks of kennels. Some hid in their bedding while others rubbed up against the bars for scritches.
“Oh my god, they’re precious,” I cooed.
But Dom quickly grumbled, “Not what we’re here for. Keep it moving.”
Still, I saw Leo sneak a few pets as we strode to the next set of doors, pushing it open to reveal dozens of dogs. Compared to the cat kennels, this place was thunderously loud — it was no wonder they kept them separated from the other animals.
Just like the cats, some of the dogs hid in the back of their cages, curling up under their beds. But others were already up and barking, jumping up against the chainlink doors for a bit of attention.
The sight was enough to break my heart, and despite Dom’s continued grumbling, I couldn’t help myself from stopping togreet each of them. There were all kinds of dogs, from the tiniest of chihuahuas to burly pitties and even a few Great Danes.
But none of them were my rottie. The closer we got to the end of the kennels, the bigger the lump in my throat grew. If she wasn’t here, what happened to her?
