can’t find a place for you, or worse, if they think you’re a biter, right?”
I felt my strange, shaky heart skip a beat.
“You get put down.”
Put down? As in put to sleep? Forever? Was that what happened to Shep?
The thoughts rose through me like stair steps leading back to panic followed quickly by something else. I barely knew the dog, but still. Shep was dead.
My throat tightened and for a moment I had to look away. “Shep,” I whimpered and panted even more.
“Einstein. Don’t freak out on me. You’ve got to calm down.”
I didn’t listen. Those embers of fear and anger flared to life. I started to howl again, though not intentionally. It just happened. Despair surged, crashing over me.
“Old man!” This time I shouted, the howling bark echoing against the cinder blocks and cement.
The swinging door burst open. “What’s going on in here?”
It was Nurse with Vinny on her heels.
“He’s upset,” Blue said, “because of Otto. We know the animals sense when others have been put down.”
Nurse looked resigned to the reality of it. Vinny shrugged then stepped forward. At the expression on his face and the sight of the stick-lasso thing leaning against the wall, I realized with a start that my time had come. I began to whimper again. Vinny didn’t bother with the lasso; he reached for me with one of his meaty hands. This bastard who had been so horrible when he bathed me was going to kill me.
Blue turned away. Nurse frowned. Vinny gave me a look that said I was in for a bit of retribution before I met my maker.
“Old man!” I cried again, scrambling in the cage, backing away, the terry cloth towels bunching underneath my paws. “Oh, God, no. Please,” I howled.
And just when Vinny grabbed me by the fur on my neck, a strange surge of heat and electricity shot through me. The room seemed to shift, and I swear even Vinny felt it. Confusion wrinkled his brow; his grip loosened and he glanced over his shoulder.
Yes, yes, I thought. The old man was going to step in and fix this.
But just as suddenly, the energy shifted even more, seemed to grow static—then disappeared altogether as if the old man had thought better of saving me.
Misery spiked. “Old man! You can’t do this!”
Vinny shook himself, then jerked me from the cage. I cried and fought to get away, yelping when he yanked me off the floor and carried me dangling like a sack. My feet scrambled in the air, but my cries were cut off along with my breath because of his strangling grip. Then suddenly I heard the bang, like a shot echoing against all the metal and cinder blocks.
“What’s going on here?”
Vinny jerked, swinging me around with him. Surprise as much as pain made me yelp, followed quickly by relief when I saw my wife standing in the doorway, her eyes wide. Then her brows slammed together. “Put him down.”
“Emily!” I tried to bark. But Vinny hadn’t given up. He swung me up into his arms.
“I said, put him down.”
The man grumbled and glared at me.
Nurse glanced from me to my wife. “Emily, you know this is how it works. Einstein had his chance. No one wants him.”
The words surprised me. Never in my life had no one wanted me.
A strange sort of disconnect raced down my spine. I refused to examine what the words made me feel, refused to put a name to the pressure I felt behind Einstein’s eyes. My little dog’s body trembled as I looked at Emily. “Please want me.” It was yet another pathetic and embarrassing bout of begging. This from a man who had never been fond of sloppy displays of emotion. But I couldn’t help it. “You have to want me.”
My wife sighed. “This is crazy.”
“Please,” I murmured.
My wife pressed her eyes closed, exhaling sharply.
“Emily,” Nurse said. “Don’t get any ideas. You’d take every dog home if you could.”
She opened her eyes slowly, looking directly at me. “This is different.”
The skin beneath her eyes was shadowed with half-moon
I felt my strange, shaky heart skip a beat.
“You get put down.”
Put down? As in put to sleep? Forever? Was that what happened to Shep?
The thoughts rose through me like stair steps leading back to panic followed quickly by something else. I barely knew the dog, but still. Shep was dead.
My throat tightened and for a moment I had to look away. “Shep,” I whimpered and panted even more.
“Einstein. Don’t freak out on me. You’ve got to calm down.”
I didn’t listen. Those embers of fear and anger flared to life. I started to howl again, though not intentionally. It just happened. Despair surged, crashing over me.
“Old man!” This time I shouted, the howling bark echoing against the cinder blocks and cement.
The swinging door burst open. “What’s going on in here?”
It was Nurse with Vinny on her heels.
“He’s upset,” Blue said, “because of Otto. We know the animals sense when others have been put down.”
Nurse looked resigned to the reality of it. Vinny shrugged then stepped forward. At the expression on his face and the sight of the stick-lasso thing leaning against the wall, I realized with a start that my time had come. I began to whimper again. Vinny didn’t bother with the lasso; he reached for me with one of his meaty hands. This bastard who had been so horrible when he bathed me was going to kill me.
Blue turned away. Nurse frowned. Vinny gave me a look that said I was in for a bit of retribution before I met my maker.
“Old man!” I cried again, scrambling in the cage, backing away, the terry cloth towels bunching underneath my paws. “Oh, God, no. Please,” I howled.
And just when Vinny grabbed me by the fur on my neck, a strange surge of heat and electricity shot through me. The room seemed to shift, and I swear even Vinny felt it. Confusion wrinkled his brow; his grip loosened and he glanced over his shoulder.
Yes, yes, I thought. The old man was going to step in and fix this.
But just as suddenly, the energy shifted even more, seemed to grow static—then disappeared altogether as if the old man had thought better of saving me.
Misery spiked. “Old man! You can’t do this!”
Vinny shook himself, then jerked me from the cage. I cried and fought to get away, yelping when he yanked me off the floor and carried me dangling like a sack. My feet scrambled in the air, but my cries were cut off along with my breath because of his strangling grip. Then suddenly I heard the bang, like a shot echoing against all the metal and cinder blocks.
“What’s going on here?”
Vinny jerked, swinging me around with him. Surprise as much as pain made me yelp, followed quickly by relief when I saw my wife standing in the doorway, her eyes wide. Then her brows slammed together. “Put him down.”
“Emily!” I tried to bark. But Vinny hadn’t given up. He swung me up into his arms.
“I said, put him down.”
The man grumbled and glared at me.
Nurse glanced from me to my wife. “Emily, you know this is how it works. Einstein had his chance. No one wants him.”
The words surprised me. Never in my life had no one wanted me.
A strange sort of disconnect raced down my spine. I refused to examine what the words made me feel, refused to put a name to the pressure I felt behind Einstein’s eyes. My little dog’s body trembled as I looked at Emily. “Please want me.” It was yet another pathetic and embarrassing bout of begging. This from a man who had never been fond of sloppy displays of emotion. But I couldn’t help it. “You have to want me.”
My wife sighed. “This is crazy.”
“Please,” I murmured.
My wife pressed her eyes closed, exhaling sharply.
“Emily,” Nurse said. “Don’t get any ideas. You’d take every dog home if you could.”
She opened her eyes slowly, looking directly at me. “This is different.”
The skin beneath her eyes was shadowed with half-moon
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