Page 14 of Moore to Love

“The coat of fluffy fur that puppies are born with helps regulate their body temperature,” I explained. “When they get older, it will grow into their adult coat, which is normally thicker and stiffer.”

“I’m kinda like a puppy.” Benjamin ran his fingers through his hair with a grin. “’Cause my hair is getting darker.”

“It sure is, sweetie,” Ellie agreed. “Thicker too. Just like your sister.”

The little boy snickered. “Yeah, she used to be bald.”

“Did not,” Madison denied.

Benjamin nodded and insisted, “Did too when you were born. It’s in your baby pictures.”

“No arguing, or else we’re going to have to head back home for time-outs,” Ellie warned.

The threat stopped them in their tracks, and they both focused on the puppies. Meghan stepped away to help a couple who came in to look at a two-year-old boxer dropped off a few weeks ago. The poor guy had been abandoned by his family because they were moving to Indianapolis and said they couldn’t find an apartment that would allow him on the lease.

The situation was all around fucked up because breed bans shouldn’t even be a thing since they didn’t do shit to improve public safety. And people needed to stop taking the easy way out when keeping their pet became complicated. It exasperated me to no end how quickly some people were willing to give up an animal to make their lives easier. Even though I gave them a list of complexes that allowed boxers—which had only taken me half an hour of searching online—the family had still insisted on leaving their dog behind when they left Mooreville.

“They look really interested in Oliver,” Ellie whispered, her gaze locked on the boxer wagging his stubby tail as the woman stroked his back.

I was thrilled to see how the couple interacted with our newest rescue resident. At eighty pounds and full of energy, not to mention the bad rap his breed got, placing Oliver would be difficult. He needed owners who were prepared to give him a lot of exercise, and the high-end running shoes the guy was wearing gave me hope that it would be a good match. “Keep your fingers crossed.”

Lifting her hands, Ellie was adorable as she did just that, adding, “You can’t see it, but my toes are too.”

“I’ll do the same.” I tapped my foot on the ground with a wink, making her giggle.

“Me too.” Madison stuck her tongue out as she tried to get her fingers crossed, smiling up at her mom when she reached over to help.

“Why’re you doing that?” Benjamin asked.

His sister shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Ellie leaned forward and whispered, “Because we’re hoping that the big dog over there just found his forever home with that man and woman.”

“Forever home?” the boy echoed, tilting his head to the side.

“Dr. Moore helps dogs and cats find families when they don’t have one,” she explained. “They stay here at the clinic until he finds the right people to take them home.”

“Can we take him home?” Benjamin turned pleading eyes on his mom. “I love him, and he wants to live wif us.”

At Ellie’s panicked look, I intervened to buy her some time. “Sorry, buddy. These puppies aren’t quite old enough to find their forever home yet.”

“That’s right.” Ellie flashed me a grateful smile. “Remember how I said they’re still babies?”

“Yeah.” Benjamin heaved a deep sigh, his shoulders slumping.

“But you know what we can do?” Ellie asked, getting to her feet and reaching a hand down to each of her kids to help them up. “Go play with the kitties.”

Her distraction worked perfectly. Their excitement over seeing new animals helped ease the disappointment over not being able to take a puppy home. And crossing our fingers and toes also worked since the couple who came in to meet Oliver turned out to be perfect for him. Joshua helped them fill out the paperwork and took their picture to post to the website before they headed out to his new home.

When Ellie and the kids were ready to leave, I walked them to the door. “I think you guys are my good luck charm.”

“How so?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“We beat our Saturday adoption event record today.” I smiled down at Benjamin and Madison. “Probably because you two did such a great job playing with the cats and dogs. You made the day more fun than usual, and it really paid off for our rescues. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Benjamin puffed out his chest and beamed a smile at me.

“Welcome,” Madison echoed as she tugged on her mom’s hand.

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