Page 24 of Slapshot
My hands stuck to the steering wheel as I navigated us the couple of blocks to our destination. I’d downplayed the significance of this shelter. No one knew I came here.
Not Mack. Not Oscar. No one.
I had such a complicated relationship with my parents, and animals had always felt like the catalyst.
No time for a son, there were dogs to train.
But the truth was, I loved animals. I’d have adopted half the shelter years ago if it wasn’t unfair when I traveled so much.
Coming here gave me the connection without complication. Without the reminder of my parents.
We parked at the back of the lot, under a tree, and hustled toward the shelter. I shivered in the brisk breeze, regretting not taking the chance to change into a dry shirt. The shelter was always warm, and the work was often dirty so we’d be fine inside. Though my shirt probably wouldn’t last the day. As the door chimed, announcing our entrance, Katie looked up from behind the desk with a welcoming smile in place. The expression warmed into something less practiced when she recognized me.
“Cian! Welcome back.” I grinned and held my knuckles out for a pound as the teen bounced out of her seat. “Decided to grace us with your presence today. You know Girtie has been missing you.”
The ring-necked parrot was a long-time resident of the shelter, and a menace to the volunteers who passed too close to her cage. I had a chunk missing from my left ear that I’d passed off as an old hockey injury.
It was Girtie-induced.
I rolled my eyes at her and held a hand back for Blair, making quick work of introduction.
“She’s going to help out today, so make sure you give her the good ones so I don’t look bad.”
“They’re all good ones,” Katie said, grinning at me, then turning her smile on Blair.
“Come on through. We have some spare rubber boots you can put on, if you want to save your sneakers.”
Once we had appropriate footwear, Katie led us back to the exercise area.
Unlike other shelters in the area, this branch of Austin Animal Allies was set up more like a pet motel than a shelter. As animals came in off the street, they were assessed for social skills and trauma, alongside their physical condition, and were accommodated in different areas dependent on temperament. The ones who were well socialized were given yard time every day to burn off excess energy and ensure their well-being, playing with others of a similar size in a space full of enrichment toys and a shallow pool for wading. This was where I wanted Blair to spend the day, tossing a ball and enjoying the energy of dogs likely to be reclaimed by loving families within days of entry to the shelter.
I scratched the ear of a cocker spaniel I hadn’t met before and offered a tennis ball to Blair. I gestured toward a bulldog who was already dancing in place, his eyes fixated on her hand.
“Toss it as hard as you can. Bruce loves the chase, even if he’ll only bring it back once or twice before he needs a rest.”
She glanced at me quickly, then hauled off and threw as hard as she could. Bruce took chase with a grunting wheeze that had the same cadence as a steam train.
“Oh, my God. He’s adorable.”
“He’s a machine, all right. Just don’t leave him alone with peanut butter treats.”
She laughed, and the sound echoed through my chest, carefree and happy.
I wanted to stay and bask in the joy radiating out of her as she bent to say hello to a three-legged labrador who was another resident I hadn’t met, but there was something I needed to do first.
“I’ll be back in a few, okay? Just chill here and I’ll come find you when I’m done.”
Her agreement was lost in a shriek as the lab decided to cement their friendship with a kiss.
Chuckling, I closed the gate behind me and headed for the less-pretty part of the shelter. As I entered a hall lined with bolted wire doors, I called a greeting to Dan, the maintenance manager of the shelter.
“How’s my girl today?” I asked, stopping in front of the second to last door in the row.
“Pretty much the same. I don’t think she’s let anyone get close since you started the season.”
I sighed as Dan turned his attention back to the light globe he was replacing.
Before I entered the cage, I took a moment to shake out my shirt, allowing my scent to waft through the small space. In the back corner, a black nose rose out of a bundle of blankets.
