“OK, OK.” Matt surrendered. “How did you get out of the kennel anyway?”
The clip lay on the floor, and Greta looked pleased with herself. The dog was Houdini.
He pulled on shorts and a T-shirt and went to the kitchen, Greta right on his heels, urging him on with bumps from her nose.
“Brody!” he called as he opened the back door. Greta raced into the fenced yard and zoomed around the perimeter three times before stopping to pee. Barking sounded from the kennel on the other side of the fence. Greta ran back into the kitchen. Matt laced up his running shoes. He ducked back into the bedroom, where Brody ignored him.
“OK, then. We’ll be back soon.”
Brody squeezed his eyes closed, settled deeper into the comforter, and snored. Since his retirement, he no longer approved of dark-o’clock runs. Plus, he’d been shot in the same career-ending incident as Matt, and the dog had lingering shoulder issues. The vet had said he shouldn’t overdo the physical activity. Brody had taken the vet’s instructions to heart.
Matt snapped the leash onto Greta’s collar, and they set out at a brisk jog, increasing their pace over the next few miles. They covered five miles at a good clip, returning to the house as the coming dawn brightened the sky. Back in the house, Matt showered. Brody finally got out of bed. After a long, full-body stretch, he ambled into the kitchen for breakfast. Matt served up the dogs’ kibble, then took Brody outside to do his business without being accosted by Greta. Matt scrambled eggs for himself, then left the shepherds settled in for their early-morning nap. He didn’t bother to crate Greta. What was the point?
Outside, the sun had barely broken the horizon as his sister’s minivan turned into his driveway and parked in front of the kennel. After he’d left the sheriff’s department, Matt had intended to train K-9s, but his sister had filled the runs with rescues before he could get started. Since discovering Greta among the discarded dogs, Matt had changed his business plan. Now, he intended to actively search animal shelters for dogs that might make suitable K-9s.
Sometimes you choose your path in life. Other times, it chooses you.
Or your sister chooses it for you, Matt corrected himself with a chuckle.
Cady stepped out of her vehicle and opened the rear cargo hatch. A dog crate occupied the back of her van.
“New rescue?” he asked.
“Pulled him from the shelter.” She nodded. “Owner surrender.” She opened the crate, crouched, and dropped a slip lead over the dog’s head.
Matt stepped back to give the animal space. Most rescues were timid.
“No need.” Cady laughed. “This guy is not shy.”
A lean black dog bounded out of the crate and jumped on Cady’s legs, wagging and licking. She gently pushed his paws off her thighs. “Feet on the ground, lover.”
Seeing Matt, the dog shifted his excitement and leaped toward him. Cady redirected him. “According to the surrender forms, they got him as a puppy for the kids, didn’t bother to train or exercise him, then wondered why he’s destructive and hard to control.”
“So same old, same old. At least he looks like he’s in good health.” Matt eyed the dog and played Guess That Breed. “Lab and pit?”
“Probably.” Cady led him toward the kennel. “I’ll let him settle in. Maybe you could work with him?”
“Sure.”
They went inside, and the kennel erupted in barking. He and Cady didn’t bother trying to talk as she put the newcomer in a run. Several dogs jumped on the kennel doors for attention. Others cringed at the backs of their runs. Matt helped his sister feed the dogs. Finally, the barking subsided into the scraping of stainless-steel bowls being pushed around the concrete runs.
“Do you have plans today?” Cady asked, fastening the door latch on the last kennel. “I need to talk to you and Bree about the fundraiser, and I’m picking up two dogs from a hoarding situation.”
“Sorry. I’m working on a case.” Matt hated to say no to his sister. “Please don’t go alone.”
“No worries. I won’t.” Cady was neither helpless nor foolish. She wouldn’t intentionally put herself in dangerous situations. But she would take a calculated risk to help an animal in need. “I’ll get another volunteer to go with me. Are you on the case of the murdered goat farmer?”
“Did it make the news already?”
Cady began filling water bowls. “I heard the story on the way here. It sounded terrible.”