Page 73 of Alpha Bait

The dogs all bounced to attention the moment I entered the room and a symphony of loud excitable barking greeted me. The attendant, a short black-haired Latina woman with a thick accent introduced me to a few of them by name. None of the first dogs interested me.

These were the puppies, the cute ones with no health problems. Those weren't the ones I was interested in.

Towards the back of the shelter was an old St. Bernard mix, with a short snout and long fur that needed to be brushed.

"What's his name?" I asked.

The attendant replied, "Oh Athena? She's been here for months. She has only three legs. People aren't really into that."

I took a second glance and noticed that indeed the dog did have three legs. As I peered into her enclosure, she bounded towards me, limping towards me with an almost gleeful look on her face and her tongue hanging out.

"Can I pet her?"

"Sure, go ahead."

I smiled and reached into the cage to pet Athena. I knew that she was the animal that I wanted. She seemed lonely back here and so was I. I had no one in California and neither did she. With her three legs, who else would adopt her? I had to take her home.

The attendant drew up the papers and after proving that I had suitable funds to care for the dog I took her away on a leash.

That night, Athena took to me immediately. She curled up at the foot of my bed, her warm body pressed against mine and her chest heaving up and down. No one in my family would have ever dared let dogs sleep in their bedroom, much less in their bed. I took pleasure in doing something that they would have rebuked.

Plus, the warmth of the dog's body allowed me to feel a little bit less alone at least for one night. I at least deserved that. I had said goodbye to Rich, the only man I had ever met who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I had said goodbye to my family, the people I had shown loyalty to when I could have had a chance with Richard. With Athena, I didn't have to fear loneliness. She wouldn't force me to make difficult choices. She wouldn't abandon me. She wouldn't do anything to hurt me.

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