That Place 4: The Routine
#4 of That Place
The next morning I must have slept in because I woke up to the sound of yelping and rattling as the metal guillotine doors were raised and one by one the dogs were booted, sometimes literally, out into the outdoor runs by Tom. I stood up as he literally, in one move, pulled the rope that opened the guillotine door, opened the gate and punted the pitbull through it before releasing the rope letting the door slam shut. "Git out there you fucking bastard," he growled at the dog, not giving it time to react at all. I stood by my door and when the rope was pulled, padded out to relieve myself. As it clattered shut behind me I heard "JIMMY! HOSE 'EM OUT, _NOW_! WE'RE RUNNIN' LATE!"
As I stood by my metal door, waiting to be let back in I heard the sound of water beating on the pavement and bricks, and occasionally clattering against the metal doors themselves in sort of a swirling, swishing manner. It didn't take very long and soon enough the doors were opened and hooked to remain open.
I padded back into my run and smiled at Jimmy, who was busy coiling back up a thick black hose. Everything was wet - the walls, the floors, the fencing - just about everything dripped water up to about the middle of the gates. The cards in their holders and the signs on the cages were still mostly dry, but everything else literally dripped water, which I watched as it flowed along the gully-like trough just outside the run gate, flowing down towards the front of the building.
Since there was nowhere to sit that wasn't wet, I just stood there. Normally I had been fed twice a day, so I was kind of hungry, since last night's dinner wasn't very good or very much. In came Jimmy dragging a green garden hose, then one by one, in the occupied runs, he dumped and refilled the water bucket, and picked up the bowl that had contained dog food. I'd imagine most everyone ate theirs, and I don't know why he started at my end of things, but I smiled as I got some extra pettings while he filled my bucket. It seems he did that to all the dogs, who weren't as loud about barking at the moment. A few did - some little yips from smaller dogs at the other end of the kennel - but nothing much from the big ones towards my end.
I heard clattering as stuff was being put away, and the hose loop disppeared rather quickly from sight, him having worked back towards the front of the building with the water-giving end of it.
By that time the floor wasn't quite as wet so I laid down in it, a decently large spot having dried in front of the door from the breeze from the outside. Not that I minded playing in puddles or taking baths, but my people.... well, what USED to be my people, didn't seem to like it too much if I was wet, so I tried to stay dry most of the time... well... yeah, most of the time.
The pitbull padded in and started lapping the water from his bucket, having stayed outside the whole time. He then stopped mid-lap and sniffed the air.
"Kid... you got done last night, didn't you?" he asked, a half-smirk on his face.
"Done?" I asked, completely confused.
"Yeah, cut... fixed... done." He nodded with emphasis.
I just blinked and canted my head to one side, still confused.
"Hey! New kid lost his balls last night!" the pitt called out. There was barking laughter from some of the group, and whimpers from others.
I stood up, and looked at him, then sat down and lapped at myself. No, they still seemed to be there. I looked at him confusedly and noticed he looked shocked.
"How did... but you.... you SMELL like vet! All over your butt, like you visited the vet, and in here that only means losing how you make puppies no matter your gender."
I just shruged. "No vet, just Jimmy. He took me behind the all-metal door and did some vet things to me. He said he needed to check me. Then we came out and went to one of the rooms with a couch and he petted me and put things inside me and then cuddled afterwards."
The pitt looked at me with utter disbelief. "Get this, the kid says he was in the room with the all-metal door and came back out to cuddle with Jimmy!" Laughter barking rang through the kennel. Then kind of quietly, a soft feminine voice rang out. "Did.... did you really?"
When the snickering and jeers died down again I just barked out "Yes... it was fun." The laughter started all over again and when it died down the pitt said, "Kid, really. It was the room with the red light by the door? That one with the all-metal door?" I nodded, as that WAS where I had been. "Kid, either you've got a screw loose or you're fucking with me... or... who knows. But anyone that's been here over a week can tell you that no dog goes in that room and walks back out again. None. Ever."
The still of the kennel was solemn and eerie, but the soft voice once again came. "I... I did, too. But none of you would believe me." From elsewhere down that way I heard a little yap "Aw shuttup chica. Yoo been here way too long. No one want yoo. Tom sez yoo go with da next group... so no more of your lies!" Only I seemed to hear the whimper amid the jeers as the pitt next to me shook his head and padded back out to the outdoor run.
I followed, but he then promptly turned around. "Stay away from me, kid. You're messed in the head or something to say all that, and then get their hopes up. Most of them know you're full of shit, even if you don't know it yet yourself.
"But he's not. Jimmy and I cuddled too... my first night here!" The voice was more audible here, outside. I looked down the kennel row to see a rather pleasant looking mixed-breed female looking through the rows of chainlink back my way. She was colored like me, but with very long hair... it was gnarled a little in spots but you could tell it had been combed out and then brushed relatively recently.
"You both are batty. Jimmy's nice but I mean, really... to go in that room and walk back out? Bah!" the pitt grunted and padded back indoors. Laughter could be heard from inside upon his arrival.
"My family called me Goober. What's your name?" I called out to her. "I have no name," she called back. "I had no family... I was just living in an abandoned building and eating food people that lived nearby left for me. Lots liked petting me and cuddling me... winters weren't fun because of the cold, but playing in the snow....!" I couldn't see it but I could swear I could hear her smile. "That and the kids... the kids that loved to have me tow their sleds that winter. I mean, the ones whose mothers weren't right there to shoo me away. That was so very fun...."
Her voice trailed off... and then I could hear her sigh.
"What's wrong?" I barked to her.
"Paco was right... no one wants a large dog, let alone a large BLACK dog. You they might like... you're at least a purebred. I'm... just...." I so wanted to nuzzle her right then, but of course I couldn't. Then I heard her sob. "I know I'm going to die here, in that room, like they talk about. Go in and never come out. I know even Jimmy can't do anything because he works here. I've heard him say that before....."
Now I REALLY wanted to nuzzle her and comfort her... defend her... everything I would have done for my boy before all this happened. "Don't give up hope. Something good may happen yet!" I barked to her.
She didn't have a chance to respond because as soon as she opened her mouth a great amount of barking started from inside and she dashed in. Confused, I followed and stood by my gate - not barking but just watching.
Pressing my head against the gate I could see down the aisle a ways. It was an older couple. Older than the parents of my boy had been, but not as old as his great-grandma that came to visit every so often. They were looking at this run and that run, all the dogs clamoring to meet them. When they reached mine I just sat down and smiled up at them. The guy reached down to pet me through the wire but his wife jabbed him with her elbow and pointed to the sign.
"He doesn't look mean, dear. In fact, he..." the man stooped a bit. "Yep, he's a he. He looks right nice, actually."
I smiled at the man, stood up and wagged my tailnub and my whole bottom waggled along with it. Then I noticed the woman frowning.
"That BREED? In MY house? You have GOT to be kidding. He'll terrorize everyone! What would Carol and Michelle think? They'd just FAINT!" That seemed to bring a smile to the man's face. "No, Harold. We are NOT having a dangerous dog like that in our house. There was a nice little one back here....." she started walking back the way they came.
"Sorry, boy." The man stuck his fingers through the fence and I pushed my head against them. "I would take you home in a minute."
"HAROLD!!!" came the grating, insistent voice from further down the aisle. "Coming, dear," Harold said as he stood and strode quickly after his wife.
Within the din of the kennel I couldn't hear what was said as they stood near one of the runs on the opposite side, but not far from where my fair maiden was.
Now that's a curious concept... I'd just met her but now I was thinking of her as mine - as kin - someone to protect and defend, aid and dote on.... I shook that thought from my head as the little loudmouthed Chihuahua yapped from the arms of the lady, over the din. "Hey... yoo awl! I gonna have a HOME! An gess what?! I'm gonna get TUTORED! I gonna be a smart dog!"
"Bye Paco... have fun at the vet!" the pitt just rolled his eyes and barked.
"Vet? There no vet! I go to school! University!" Paco praddled as they turned the corner and the door thumped shut once again.
"He'll see. Tutored, hah! NEUTERED!" the pitt sneered, then his gaze turned back to me. "Like you probably were but you don't know it yet!"
I turned so my rump was to him, my seedorbs still dangling in their pouch as they always had been. "I don't know what you mean, but everything back there seems to be how it's always been... pretty much."
The pitt moved real close to the fence and I took a half-step forward, not really trusting him that much around that part of my body.
"Well... you still smell like vet, and they must have done something to you... your ass is all puffied up!" he grunted.
I sat down and curled to try to see for myself. Well, it did feel a little different under my tongue, but... it didn't hurt. Not exactly. It just felt different, neither bad nor ... well.... I flumped out fully and thought about it. It did feel kinda good.
* * * * *
The rest of the day went pretty much the same way. People would come in and look at the dogs, or cats I guess, though I never saw any of that since the room was before the kennel runs. There was an Asian couple, one pitbull that came in got claimed by his owner. Three more came in through the back door from a "drug bust", whatever that is. They went through to the front rather than stayed with us.
"They're put in quarrantine. That's those runs up front. I was there for awhile too," a husky said from a couple runs down on the opposite side, when he saw me watch Tom drag them one by one down the aisle.
"Why were you there?" I asked.
"My owners were accused of something. I don't quite understand it. First the vet put things in my ears, then up my nose, they rubbed something in the back of my throat, in my malepouch, and then..." the husky shuddered. "They gave me something with a needle that made me kind of wooshy inside so I couldn't really stand up, and then I felt this huge thing get shoved up my butt, and them rubbing around in there too." He whined a little. "I couldn't sit down for a week without it feeling weird back there. It hurt for a couple of days because of the size of whatever they put in me back there. Tom grumbled about "Animal Fuckers" each time he got me out and put me back, but he says things like that a lot."
I nodded, as Tom's swearing about people wasn't anything new to me by now. I'd never heard someone so angry, and then when people were around him so very polite and ... well, it was just very weird. I'd never known anyone to be that way.
"So what's going to happen with you?" I asked, innocently curious.
"He's going to go with the rest of us, kid." The pitt grumped as he raised his head from napping. The husky nodded. "My owners were locked up like this too... or at least that's what Tom told Jimmy. Jimmy seemed sad about that. I had 4 other kin-dogs with me at home... now it's only me and Sleek left."
At her name another husky padded up in the neighboring kennel. "Flash, don't trouble the boy. At least even if we go, we'll go together." Her sweet voice and smile made me sad, and apparently she saw this.
"We were just friends back home. But... since the others went... we've decided to become mates, even though we can't... won't be able to.... " Her voice faltered and she walked back further in her run where I couldn't see, but I could hear the sniffling and occasional whine in the now-quiet kennel.
"It's alright, kid... she's just worried. I know our time will come soon. After the months of court mess with us back in quarrantine, it's only been a week for us out here, but... that's all we get - a week. That's all you'll get, too. And because there's two of us, it's less likely for us to find a home."
"I... I don't know what to say." I stammered, my voice cracking.
He smiled tenderly at me. "Don't worry, kid. They say it doesn't hurt much. Like going to sleep... only forever. And when you wake up..."
"Don't fill the kid's head with funnyweed tales, there," the pitt broke in. "His head's already full of fluff thinking he's been in the room and walked back out again."
I growled at the pitt a little, but he paid me no heed. I looked back at the husky. "There may be something... there's got to be."
He padded back to the rear of his run to curl up next to his mate. "I only wish there was...."