loud noise of indeterminate origin and perhaps a scream at the same time. It meshed well with what I knew of Della, which is that she was frightened by loud noises. It moved me a step further, but not much more than that.
My next stop was the breeder Ruby had gotten the two dogs from. I’d called there in the morning to see if they would be home. The woman, Harriett, had laughed at the question. “Where else would I be with a house full of puppies?” she’d asked. I could hear yapping sounds in the background. She didn’t sound like the type who raised prize-winning dogs, but I was running out of options and people to question. I wanted to have the police away from my life and my business. I wanted to go back to anonymity.
Someone had wanted those dogs. It wasn’t because they were at the house, because an intruder had tried to take them from me as well. So it had to be something directly tied to the dogs themselves. I wondered if perhaps Ruby had fed them something that was valuable to someone. I nixed that theory because they’d been with me two days. Anything that Ruby could have fed them would be out the other end by now. I hadn’t noticed the Hope Diamond in their poo.
So I was stuck with the dogs themselves as the motive until I heard otherwise. I tried puzzling out an answer as I headed out of the county and onto some back roads. I had to admit that it crossed my mind that people who lived in the country might have easier access to firearms. I thought that perhaps the dogs weren’t really purebreds, yet were sold at purebred prices.
I wondered if that would have mattered to Ruby, who only kept the Scotties as pets and had ensured they were neutered and spayed. Every road that my mind went down came up at a dead end. The dogs had no intrinsic value to them that I could tell. They were just dogs like millions of others.
Fortunately, I’d come to the farm I was looking for at about this point in my mental travels. I stepped out of the car and looked around. I didn’t see anyone, though I could hear the sounds of dogs in the background.
I was allowed to stop running my mind in circles by the sight of twenty or more puppies running towards me at full tilt. I sat down on the ground, despite the cold, and waited for their cheerful attack. Within seconds, I had puppies all over me. Most of them were terriers that I could tell. I recognized the Scotties, and others I believed were Westies. I thought one might be a miniature Schnauzer, but I wasn’t positive on that identification.
For a few moments, I just let them jump and lick on me. I’ve found over my life of working with animals that nothing is more relaxing and enjoyable than spending time with puppies. They are a moment of pure fun that nothing else matches. They were like babies without diapers or 3am feedings.
After a few minutes, someone came outside. I heard the door shut, and several of the puppies stuck their heads out of the pile to look at who was approaching.
She was a broad woman with dark curls. This had to be Harriet. She wore jeans and a t-shirt that said “Terrier Owned.” Definitely someone I could work with , I thought. She understands dogs as well. She came to where I was sitting and stood there waiting for me to explain what I wanted.
I gently set the puppies down and stood up. “Hello, I love all these little guys. I wish I could take them all home.”
The woman laughed. “With enough patience and a big enough credit limit on your card, you can.” Several of the puppies scampered over to her, and she picked up three of them, which she cradled between her arm and her body. They appeared to be in bliss.
“Are you looking for a particular breed or gender? I can help you find what you need.” The puppies squirmed relentlessly now, and she put all three back on the driveway.
“I’m actually here to ask about two Scotties that you sold a few years ago. I don’t know how your records are, but I needed a little help for a
My next stop was the breeder Ruby had gotten the two dogs from. I’d called there in the morning to see if they would be home. The woman, Harriett, had laughed at the question. “Where else would I be with a house full of puppies?” she’d asked. I could hear yapping sounds in the background. She didn’t sound like the type who raised prize-winning dogs, but I was running out of options and people to question. I wanted to have the police away from my life and my business. I wanted to go back to anonymity.
Someone had wanted those dogs. It wasn’t because they were at the house, because an intruder had tried to take them from me as well. So it had to be something directly tied to the dogs themselves. I wondered if perhaps Ruby had fed them something that was valuable to someone. I nixed that theory because they’d been with me two days. Anything that Ruby could have fed them would be out the other end by now. I hadn’t noticed the Hope Diamond in their poo.
So I was stuck with the dogs themselves as the motive until I heard otherwise. I tried puzzling out an answer as I headed out of the county and onto some back roads. I had to admit that it crossed my mind that people who lived in the country might have easier access to firearms. I thought that perhaps the dogs weren’t really purebreds, yet were sold at purebred prices.
I wondered if that would have mattered to Ruby, who only kept the Scotties as pets and had ensured they were neutered and spayed. Every road that my mind went down came up at a dead end. The dogs had no intrinsic value to them that I could tell. They were just dogs like millions of others.
Fortunately, I’d come to the farm I was looking for at about this point in my mental travels. I stepped out of the car and looked around. I didn’t see anyone, though I could hear the sounds of dogs in the background.
I was allowed to stop running my mind in circles by the sight of twenty or more puppies running towards me at full tilt. I sat down on the ground, despite the cold, and waited for their cheerful attack. Within seconds, I had puppies all over me. Most of them were terriers that I could tell. I recognized the Scotties, and others I believed were Westies. I thought one might be a miniature Schnauzer, but I wasn’t positive on that identification.
For a few moments, I just let them jump and lick on me. I’ve found over my life of working with animals that nothing is more relaxing and enjoyable than spending time with puppies. They are a moment of pure fun that nothing else matches. They were like babies without diapers or 3am feedings.
After a few minutes, someone came outside. I heard the door shut, and several of the puppies stuck their heads out of the pile to look at who was approaching.
She was a broad woman with dark curls. This had to be Harriet. She wore jeans and a t-shirt that said “Terrier Owned.” Definitely someone I could work with , I thought. She understands dogs as well. She came to where I was sitting and stood there waiting for me to explain what I wanted.
I gently set the puppies down and stood up. “Hello, I love all these little guys. I wish I could take them all home.”
The woman laughed. “With enough patience and a big enough credit limit on your card, you can.” Several of the puppies scampered over to her, and she picked up three of them, which she cradled between her arm and her body. They appeared to be in bliss.
“Are you looking for a particular breed or gender? I can help you find what you need.” The puppies squirmed relentlessly now, and she put all three back on the driveway.
“I’m actually here to ask about two Scotties that you sold a few years ago. I don’t know how your records are, but I needed a little help for a
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