Chain link pens lined both sides of the hallway a good hundred feet or so and wrapped around the corner.
Christ, this was so fucking sad.
Brown, soulful eyes met mine behind every pen.Pitbulls.Dachshunds.Mutts.Puppies.Oh god, there were puppies.Six wiggly bodies jumped around their exhausted mama as they wrestled and played.Mama’s tail barely wagged as she met my eyes with a tired, emotional blink.
“We’ll start at one end,” Alice shouted over all the noise, dragging my attention away from the pen.She took a leash off the wall and headed for the first large kennel.“We’ll take them one at a time to the outdoor area and let them run.You can play with them or clean up.Whatever you feel like.”
I turned my wide eyes from her entering the pen to the long line of still yipping, barking dogs.Outside sounded like heaven.Even if I had to pick up shit barehanded, I’d rather be there thanhere.
And wasn’t that so fucking sad?
“I’ll go with you,” I told Alice through the chain-link fence.But her attention was focused on a huge pony-sized dog who looked just as freaked out as I felt.His ears were pinned back, his eyes wide and darting side to side, and his whole body shook with shivers.
Alice easily slipped the lead over his neck then nudged him to the gate.
With freedom so close, the dog didn’t have to be led at all.He trotted through the gate, passed me, and headed down the hall.
I followed them and tried not to make eye contact with any of the dogs we passed.They were all so sad; their mournful howls and barks followed us out of the building.Even the door clicking shut behind us didn’t fully muffle the sound.
“How do you do that on a regular basis?”I asked with wide eyes.“I feel like I just visited a war-torn country or something.”
“That’s exactly why I come.”She let the dog off the leash and the huge animal bounded around the fake grass.“I don’t have the space or autonomy to have my own pet, so I volunteer here to get my fix.And they need the help since it’s not an easy job.”
“No.”I turned back to the door we’d came through and where the barks and yips still echoed.“It’s really not.”
“What made you think you might want a pet?”Alice asked, her eyes still on the dog bounding around the yard.
“Well, uh, it wasn’t actually my idea.”I rubbed the back of my neck with a grimace.“Harper suggested it.I might’ve been complaining about being lonely since they all paired up and got married and are starting families.And then there’s me…the sad sack all alone.”
“Is that really how you see yourself?”
Yes.
“Nah, I was just taking artistic license.”I lifted a shoulder.
The dog came bounding back with a squeaky toy in its mouth.Squeak, squeak, squeak.He spat the toy out at my feet then sat back with an excited spark in his eyes.I bent down, picked it up, and tossed it to the other end of the area.He leapt after it.
“What’s this one’s name?”
“Ah, this is DJ.He was surrendered due to housing issues.Lots of people think Great Danes are cute and mellow as puppies but overlook how big they get as adults.He’s only a year and a half.”
DJ brought the toy back, squeaking the whole way, his black body wiggling just as much as his tail.
“He’s pretty.”I reached down and patted his head then scratched behind his ears.Unlike last time, he didn’t let go of the squeaky squirrel.Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak.The sound was as pervasive as the barking behind me.
But this time it made me smile.
Or maybe that was the goofy expression on DJ’s face.Like he was so fucking happy.It was infectious.
“DJ gets overwhelmed with the noise of the other dogs at the shelter.I don’t think he’d been around a lot of other dogs.But once he’s outside, he’s calm.He loves butt scratches and any attention really.”Alice reached over and scratched DJ on his rear hips.The dog groaned and pushed his hips into her hand.“He’s 117 pounds.He knows sit and walks well on a leash like I’m sure you saw.He’s very treat-motivated and takes them like a gentleman.”
“Is this the sales pitch?I thought you said no pressure today.”
Alice laughed.“Sorry.It’s hard not to talk him up.DJ is my favorite.He’s been here for a month already.”
“What happens if he doesn’t get adopted?”A sliver of dread tunneled into my stomach.
“We’ll reach out to some rescues in the area if he doesn’t get placed soon.This is a low-kill shelter.But they haven’t euthanized any animals since I’ve been volunteering.It’s a last resort kinda thing.”But her sadness was plain as day as she petted the animal staring adoringly back at her.
