way toward the Dumpster with a fistful of treats.
“I’m not going to hurt you, sweetie. I just want to help you, and if you have pups nearby I want to help them as well.”
When I got to within five feet of the dog she began to growl. I stopped walking and tossed her a treat. She looked at it suspiciously before sniffing and finally eating it. I took one step closer. She positioned herself between me and the Dumpster. I tossed her another treat. With each treat I threw, I took another step closer. Eventually, I was within reaching distance. It seemed odd to me that the dog was still guarding the Dumpster when I had readily available food and had made it clear I was willing to share.
“I’m going to look inside to see what it is you’re so intent on guarding,” I softly informed the dog. She growled deeply in the back of her throat, but I didn’t get the sense I was in any real danger as long as I trod carefully, so I took the final step and looked inside.
“Oh my God,” I whispered when I saw four puppies that couldn’t be more than a day or two old laying amid the trash. I slowly reached in and picked up the first pup. It still felt warm, and I could feel its little stomach move as it took a breath. I turned and slowly showed the mom that I had one of her babies. “We need to get your babies to the vet. I’m going to help you, but you need to trust me.”
The mama seemed to understand what I’d said, and she let me lead her over to my car. I opened the back door and set the puppy on the seat. She looked toward the Dumpster and then back toward the puppy. “I’ll get the others, I promise.” The dog hopped inside the car and began licking the puppy, which began to whimper. It only took me a minute to retrieve the other three pups, which were likewise alive. I did a quick search to make sure there weren’t any other pups, then put Charlie on the front seat and headed toward Scott’s.
Chapter 8
“Who would toss puppies in a Dumpster?” Ellie asked later that evening, when I’d stopped by to see how she was feeling.
“I don’t know, but if I catch whoever did it I’m going to be the one wanted for murder.”
“Are the puppies going to be okay?”
“Scott says yes. He’s keeping both mom and pups at the veterinary hospital for a few days so he can keep an eye on things. He didn’t think the pups had been in the Dumpster all that long; probably only a couple of hours. If the bakery owner hadn’t called to complain that the dog wouldn’t let him get near the Dumpster they would have died for sure.”
Ellie picked up one of the kittens she was fostering and held it to her chest. “Sometimes I wonder what’s wrong with people. I’m going to assume someone found the pups shortly after they were born and tossed them in the Dumpster, which is really the only explanation as to how they got there. What I don’t understand is how the mom let them get to the pups in the first place.”
“Maybe the mom left the pups to look for food or water and they were already moved when she got back. Or maybe, even more disturbingly, the pups were put in the Dumpster by someone the mom trusted. It’s impossible to know for sure, but I plan to ask around to find out if anyone saw anything.”
“What’s going to happen to them after Scott releases them?”
“I’ll take the mom and pups home until the pups are old enough to be adopted and then I’ll find homes for all of them. After what the mama dog has been through I’m going to make sure I find her an awesome home with someone who will love her and care for her.”
“Is she a small dog or a big one?”
“Small. About Charlie’s size. Why? Are you in the market for another dog?”
“No, but maybe you should talk to Willa. She doesn’t really seem like she’d be the type to want to have a pet, but we were talking a while back and she mentioned she’d been thinking about getting either a cat or a small dog.”
“I’ll talk to
“I’m not going to hurt you, sweetie. I just want to help you, and if you have pups nearby I want to help them as well.”
When I got to within five feet of the dog she began to growl. I stopped walking and tossed her a treat. She looked at it suspiciously before sniffing and finally eating it. I took one step closer. She positioned herself between me and the Dumpster. I tossed her another treat. With each treat I threw, I took another step closer. Eventually, I was within reaching distance. It seemed odd to me that the dog was still guarding the Dumpster when I had readily available food and had made it clear I was willing to share.
“I’m going to look inside to see what it is you’re so intent on guarding,” I softly informed the dog. She growled deeply in the back of her throat, but I didn’t get the sense I was in any real danger as long as I trod carefully, so I took the final step and looked inside.
“Oh my God,” I whispered when I saw four puppies that couldn’t be more than a day or two old laying amid the trash. I slowly reached in and picked up the first pup. It still felt warm, and I could feel its little stomach move as it took a breath. I turned and slowly showed the mom that I had one of her babies. “We need to get your babies to the vet. I’m going to help you, but you need to trust me.”
The mama seemed to understand what I’d said, and she let me lead her over to my car. I opened the back door and set the puppy on the seat. She looked toward the Dumpster and then back toward the puppy. “I’ll get the others, I promise.” The dog hopped inside the car and began licking the puppy, which began to whimper. It only took me a minute to retrieve the other three pups, which were likewise alive. I did a quick search to make sure there weren’t any other pups, then put Charlie on the front seat and headed toward Scott’s.
Chapter 8
“Who would toss puppies in a Dumpster?” Ellie asked later that evening, when I’d stopped by to see how she was feeling.
“I don’t know, but if I catch whoever did it I’m going to be the one wanted for murder.”
“Are the puppies going to be okay?”
“Scott says yes. He’s keeping both mom and pups at the veterinary hospital for a few days so he can keep an eye on things. He didn’t think the pups had been in the Dumpster all that long; probably only a couple of hours. If the bakery owner hadn’t called to complain that the dog wouldn’t let him get near the Dumpster they would have died for sure.”
Ellie picked up one of the kittens she was fostering and held it to her chest. “Sometimes I wonder what’s wrong with people. I’m going to assume someone found the pups shortly after they were born and tossed them in the Dumpster, which is really the only explanation as to how they got there. What I don’t understand is how the mom let them get to the pups in the first place.”
“Maybe the mom left the pups to look for food or water and they were already moved when she got back. Or maybe, even more disturbingly, the pups were put in the Dumpster by someone the mom trusted. It’s impossible to know for sure, but I plan to ask around to find out if anyone saw anything.”
“What’s going to happen to them after Scott releases them?”
“I’ll take the mom and pups home until the pups are old enough to be adopted and then I’ll find homes for all of them. After what the mama dog has been through I’m going to make sure I find her an awesome home with someone who will love her and care for her.”
“Is she a small dog or a big one?”
“Small. About Charlie’s size. Why? Are you in the market for another dog?”
“No, but maybe you should talk to Willa. She doesn’t really seem like she’d be the type to want to have a pet, but we were talking a while back and she mentioned she’d been thinking about getting either a cat or a small dog.”
“I’ll talk to
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