Page 41 of Happy Days Ahead in the Cornish Village

She clapped before giving her a treat from her pocket.

‘Do you want to go again?’ Tapping her side, she walked to the start of the agility course and told Cindy to sit. ‘Good girl. On your marks, get set, go!’

With the shade of the trees, the air was cooler here and Megan felt as though she might be the only person for miles around. It was idyllic and she could see why Ginny, Sally and Alex enjoyed working here so much. And working with the dogs too, even from the little involvement she’d had with them, she could see how rewarding it would be.

She’d always wanted a dog. Something to keep her company on the long weeks Lyle was away. Though, of course, it had always been out of the question. Megan had long ago stopped suggesting the idea, had stopped trying to discuss the idea with Lyle. Too messy, too demanding, too dirty. That was his automatic response whenever she’d asked him.

She smiled. She didn’t have to follow Lyle’s rules any more. She was on her own. She could decide what she wanted and how she wanted her new stage of life to look. And maybe a dog would be perfect. They’d offer companionship, love and a purpose. Yes, maybe she would look into getting one. A rescue dog from Wagging Tails.

When she had a home for herself, of course, she had to remind herself.

She swallowed, the fear she’d felt this morning when she’d realised Lyle had cut her off, resurfacing. She was homeless. Penniless. And without a job or a way of earning money, she’d have to sleep in her car for the foreseeable.

She plunged her hands into her pockets, the meaty crumbs from the dog treats she’d filled her pockets with coarse against her skin. It wouldn’t be so bad, would it? Loads of people ended up having no choice but to sleep in their cars. You heard about it on the news and on social media. With the enormous waiting lists for social housing, some had no choice but to sleep in tents or cars whilst they waited. If they could do it, so could she.

‘Penny for them.’

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Megan turned and saw Percy closing the gate behind him. She hadn’t even heard him walk up.

‘Oh, you know. Just watching Cindy, that’s all. She’s brilliant at making her way through this agility equipment.’

‘Aye, she is. It always shocks me how easily she takes the tunnel. What with her long legs.’ Percy chuckled.

‘Yes.’ Megan watched as Cindy sped towards her again, halting seconds before hurtling into her legs and sitting without being asked. Pulling another treat from her pocket, she held it out to her, waiting as the greyhound delicately took it from her palm. ‘Good girl, Cindy.’

Percy grinned as Cindy lolloped towards him, her deep brown eyes staring at him until he gave her a treat. ‘There you are, clever girl.’ He turned to Megan. ‘It’s such a shame that Cindy’s adoption failed. She’s not one for life in a kennel.’

Megan nodded. Although everyone was careful not to leave Cindy alone or at least out of earshot, on the occasions when Megan had been working in the kitchen with the reception area empty, even the few minutes it took her to run to the toilet and back had instigated a meltdown for the poor dog.

‘Do you think the separation anxiety will ever get better?’ she asked.

‘Oh, there’s always hope. There is. We’ve had dogs before who have suffered and then we’ve heard back from their adopters how much better they’ve become. Sally’s been working with Cindy, but, of course, it’s difficult in the kennels. Even if she appears to make real progress, a home environment is completely different and a huge adjustment again, which might just set her back for a while.’

‘Do you think that’s what happened with the couple who adopted her?’

‘I do, yes.’ Percy fussed Cindy’s ears before pointing to the agility course again and watching her bound off, her tongue lolling out to one side. ‘Sally had made such a difference with her, but they’d been warned, this couple, and they’d assured us all that they’d had the experience of dealing with anxious dogs.’

‘You think they were lying?’

‘I don’t know about lying, maybe they did, but I think they took on more than they could chew, so to speak, and when it dawned on them, returning her and jetting off on holiday was obviously the easier option.’

‘Do you think she’ll get rehomed again?’ Megan watched as Cindy jumped over the hurdles, a huge grin plastered on the dog’s face.

‘Hopefully. We’ve had a few resident dogs over the time, dogs which we know can never be rehomed, but Cindy’s not one of them. It might take a while but I’m positive there’s someone out there for her, someone patient who works from home and can put the time in to train her.’

‘Some dogs can’t be rehomed? Like Ralph, you mean?’

‘That’s right. Some, like poor Ralph, are just so traumatised by what’s happened in their past, the way they’d been mistreated, that they’re reactive and it just wouldn’t be safe for them to be rehomed. Not for them nor for the people who take them on, or anyone. It’s safer to keep dogs like Ralph here, so they can be cared for by people they know and trust.’

‘Is that why Ginny comes in early each morning to walk him?’ She was sure she’d heard Flora tutting at Ginny for her getting in at five before or leaving late.

‘That’s right. Of course, it’s easier in the winter, but when the days are long and the weather’s like this, there are always people about and it’s safer and less stressful for Ralph to be walked when it’s unlikely he’ll run into another dog.’ Percy nodded.

‘He seems such a sweetheart.’

‘Oh, he is. He’s just scared, poor soul.’ Percy watched as Cindy looped around the course again. ‘But he’s safe here. He’s taken to kennel life well thankfully, unlike some.’

‘You mean Cindy?’

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