Page 57 of Show Me How to Heal
I could see the answer on John’s face before he even said anything — and it wasn’t a positive one. “We have quite a few smaller dogs that fit the bill,” he said, grimacing. “We could have a look at those.”
Luke’s eyes searched mine. He wasn’t exactly disappointed, but his previous excitement was thoroughly dampened. If he was a dog, his tail would be hanging down right now. “I…” He took a deep breath, his head turning slowly. “Is it possible for me to just… I don’t know, walk along the line of kennels and try to get to know a few of the dogs?” he asked, voice tentative.
John nodded. “Sure. Take your time.”
Luke gave the barest hint of a smile before grabbing my hand again, threading our fingers, and pulling me further to the back of the kennels.
“Are you all right?” I asked him, my thumb massaging his hand.
“Yeah,” he said, looking to his right. He pursed his lips. “Actually, I’m not sure. I had this fantasy of walking in here, seeing a dog, and knowing that this was mine. Like…Liebe auf den ersten Blick…ähh, love at first sight, but with a pet. So to look at the dogs thatshouldfit but not clicking with them is… disheartening. But I’m not going to give up. Maybe there’s a dog here that John didn’t think about because it didn’t fit all the criteria.”
He nodded as if he needed to reassure himself he was doing this. I was just glad this minor setback hadn’t made him reevaluate his decision to get a dog in general, because it was glaringly obvious how much he needed a companion. A furry one.
“Oh, hey, look. A Bernese mountain dog,” he said, pointing at a kennel with a big black dog with a white chest and reddish-brown spots. “A friend of mine from primary school had one. We sometimes walked the dog, which I now realized must’ve looked hilarious. Picture two eight-year-old scrawny kids with a fifty-kilogram dog on a leash. He could’ve dragged us around on that leash, taking us on a walk instead of the other way around, but he was the gentlest creature I’ve ever known.”
He frowned, turning his head toward the dog, extending his free hand so it almost touched the grate. The dog lazily trotted over, cocking his head as he did, and stopped a few inches in front of the grate, sniffling the air. His tail started wagging slowly, but soon started picking up speed.
Luke smiled, pressing his hand against the grate.
“He’s cute,” he said, a wide smile on his lips but no spark in his eyes. “Maybe I should ask John to see this one in the — ohh!” he exclaimed, letting go of my hand and walking down the line of kennels as fast as he could to the very back. “Look at him — or her!”
By the time I’d reached him, he was squatting in front of a kennel, his one hand pressed against the grate while he’d pushed the fingers of his other hand through the holes, scratching the head of what looked like either a young dog or a very, very big puppy that basked in the attention, his tail wagging at high speed. He was giving low yips and yowls while trying to push his nose through the wire as Luke was cooing at him.
Yeah… I was pretty sure Luke had just gotten what he’d wanted — love at first sight. When he managed to spare me a look, his eyes sparkled and he smiled with his whole face.
“Isn’t he the cutest,” he said in a weirdly high-pitched voice. A second later he cringed and cleared his throat. “Sorry. Isn’t he cute?” he repeated, this time with a little more restraint.
“He’s very cute,” I assured him, tilting my head as I watched him and the… big puppy. Very cute and very big. The dog was mainly black except for his paws, the lower side of his face, and his chest where his fur was a light brown.
I heard John approach behind us.
“Oh, you guys found Sammy,” he said fondly. “Didn’t know you were looking for a dog quite that young, but he’s a good one.”
“He’s so silky but fluffy at the same time,” Luke said awed, still giving the puppy scratches behind his ears as best as he could.
“Yeah, he’s a rottweiler puppy.”
“Oh,” Luke said, furrowing his brows. “Aren’t they like… fighting dogs?”
“Well, if the owners make them into fighting dogs, yeah. Because of its strength, the breed is often abused this way. But actually, rottweilers are great family dogs, very loyal and friendly. However, they tend to get territorial toward their owners and family.”
Luke bit his lip. “Will that pose a problem?” He was still petting an uber-excited Sammy.
“Not necessarily. You should definitely work with a dog trainer — though that’s something I recommend to every new owner — but Sammy is a very friendly puppy. He was rescued when he was… five weeks old, and he’s just such a cuddly one. He had the whole staff wrapped around his finger from day one.”
Luke just nodded, his attention back on the puppy. Seeing him so genuinely happy, unrestrained and free, all his self-doubts and grief forgotten for a moment, made my heart speed up.
Yeah, we were leaving with a puppy in tow.
“How old is he?” I asked since my boyfriend was too busy cuddling his new best friend.
“About six months, give or take.”
“Can we meet him… like in his kennel or in your meeting room or wherever?” Luke piped up.
“Sure. Let me fetch a leash real quick and then we can go.”
When John was out of earshot, Luke turned his head, beaming up at me.
