The mother dog and her four puppies were too heavy in that box for her to lift them, so she went back out to the road. Of all days for Landry to be gone. She wasn’t sure who to call, but it didn’t take long for her to decide her wisest choice would be Jack Sheridan. He would at least know who could help her. She pulled her cell out of her back pocket and found his number.
“Hey, Jack, it’s Kaylee Sloan. I…ah…have a situation. I was taking a walk with Otis and he found a mother dog and four puppies. Tied to a tree.”
“You were taking a walk with who?”
“Landry’s dog. Otis. And Landry is gone for the day. He said he wouldn’t be home until late tonight. I don’t know what to do, but I think the mama dog and her babies were left to die. And Jack? I’m a little afraid of dogs. Okay, not a little. A lot. But she seems like a nice dog and I gave her some water. I don’t know what to do. Can you help me or tell me who to call?”
There was a moment of silence. “Where are you? I’ll come,” he finally said.
“I’m on the road that fronts Landry’s two houses. Maybe a half mile from his house. I’m standing out on the road.”
“I’ll be there in ten,” he said.
She looked at her watch, then stood on the road for a couple of minutes. Then she went gingerly back to the mama dog. Otis was in his down position, his front paws stretched out in front. He watched the mama dog closely, but kept his distance. Kaylee couldn’t resist slowly sneaking a hand into the box to touch a furry little puppy and when she did so, mama dog licked her hand. And then she was very brave—she picked up a puppy and held it close for a moment.
Kaylee went back to the road when it was almost time for Jack to appear. She stood where he’d be able to see her and when his truck came into view, she waved. He stopped and jumped out of the truck. “Come with me,” she said, leading him into the trees.
Jack was right behind her when she got to the dogs. “Holy shit,” he said. “Where’d they come from?”
“Well, if I knew that, I’d call the dog police and have them arrested,” Kaylee said. “Look how wasted the poor mama looks!” Then she became aware of how cold it was back in the trees and she pulled off her jacket, covering the dog, the whole litter and part of the mama.
“I don’t think she gave birth here,” Jack said. “I think she was neglected by whoever owned her and was moved out here after the pups were born. If she’d been here a long time that box would be chewed or crushed when she tried to get out or tried to get food. Here’s what we do—I called Lynne Murphy in Clear River and she’s open till six. I’ll help you put the dogs in your car and you can take them to her. We can’t leave them here. Lynne will have some options for you, but let’s make sure they’ve seen the vet.”
It was when Otis was sitting beside the car that Kaylee looked at him and said, “Okay.” He jumped in and watched over his find on the way to the vet. For the first time in her life, Kaylee was falling in love with a dog. She wanted Otis to be her own.
Kaylee was in new territory. Having an SUV full of dogs and puppies was a lot more serious than taking Tux to the vet in a little cat carrier. She was afraid one of the dogs would get excited, start jumping around, maybe spill out the puppies, maybe jump on her and cause her to go off the road, in general just disrupt her. Her hands were tense on the steering wheel, her arms stressed tight, and yet she made the whole drive without incident. And when she got to Dr. Murphy’s office, she asked for help getting them in from the car. And because it was quite cool, she cracked the windows and asked Otis to stay.
She had a pet registered at this clinic but they wanted to know if these dogs were going to go to the shelter or was she willing to pay for their treatment. She hesitated for just a moment and then agreed to take responsibility, hoping it wouldn’t break the bank. Then the waiting began. She checked on Otis several times until the receptionist asked her if she’d like to bring him in and offered her a leash. Otis was very cooperative and allowed the leash and sat with her in the waiting room. Finally she was called into an exam room, where she found a basket full of puppies on the table.
“These puppies are brand-new,” Dr. Murphy said. “Less than a week old. Mama is thin, neglected and malnourished but is in otherwise decent shape. The puppies are okay. I think Mama is some kind of Lab mix and actually a pretty girl. I’ve given her some meds to help with her appetite and parasites. All things considered, she’ll be fine with some nourishment and supplements. Are you going to take them home?”