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Some more dogs had been brought in throughout the day by various people. Some, like me, whose families brought them here. Others Tom dragged in on the end of the loop-pole thing and shoved into the empty runs here and there. They were mostly afraid, or were hurting and biting at the pole thing and anything else they could latch onto. One even was bleeding from the mouth where you could clearly see one of his canine teeth had cracked off in his struggles against Tom. That one was a white german shepherd that went into the kennel right next to the back door, and after Tom clumped forward to the office, a lock was placed on his gate and a red sign "Danger: Do not Enter without Authorization".

"What's your story?" I barked across the aisle in pleasant inquiry.

"Fuck you!" came the barking response. "Those damned two-legged assholes! They catch me about to make love to my mate, say I'm vicious since I bit the postman after he kept swatting me with magazines every time he showed up, and then my owners told that grumpy bastard to just take me! ME! After defending them and protecting their property, just haul me off here...."

Anyone with half a brain could tell he was upset, and hurting for his tooth, blood spattered all over the front of his ivory-colored coat. He was kind of dirty but... not like he'd been living on the streets. I was somewhat confused about that. I mean it was one thing if your family was leaving to go somewhere else and you couldn't go along, but it's another for them to just tell a dog to go away, especially with someone like Tom.

Later that night, after feeding and after the lights went out, Jimmy came back to see me like he had the night before. I was happy to see him even if a little worried about what the husky and the pitt had to say about the place. I also remembered my no-name girl down the aisle.

"Do you want to come out again, Goober?" he asked. For the first time he used my name. I smiled and wagged my tailnub vigorously. Even though the events of the previous night were weird, he didn't hurt me and it felt good sleeping on the sofa with him.

"I have to tend to Max over there first, ok? But then I'll be back for you," he said as he strode over to where the white shepherd was.

"Stay the fuck away!" Max barked loudly at Jimmy.

"Max! Stop! Jimmy's a good person. He won't hurt you!" I barked back across the aisle, waking those dogs that weren't already awake.

"Fuck that! He works here! He's with that other one!" Max barked at me as Jimmy stopped.

"He's not like the other one. Jimmy is good, Tom is bad," I retorted as Jimmy frowned a bit. He furrowed his brow a bit and then went off down the aisle a couple steps. By now everyone in the kennel was watching though no one barked or yipped. Jimmy turned around and looked at me, then slid the latch-bolt on my gate to let me out. "Here, you pad around a bit... I've got to get something."

I stepped out of my run and moved over to the white shepherd. "He really is a good person. I trust him, and I think you should, too. Judging from the looks, your tooth needs a bit of fixing and it probably hurts a lot. I think that's part of what he's intending to do... maybe a little something more like he did with me last night. At the very least, give him a chance and see if he's different from the people you've known."

"Why the fuck should I?" Max growled back.

I tilted my head for a moment, then smiled and woofed. "What have you got to loose? I don't think you're having much fun there, and now I know your tooth hurts by how you speak. So... either he'll help you feel better, or at least you'll get out of the run for awhile. Either way, it's a plus for you, isn't it?"

"And if they take me to the room?" Max asked.

"That's probably where he'll take you, but you'll be able to come back out. I did last night. You'll probably get to tonight, too, since it's after hours and it's just Jimmy. That room is where they keep stuff to make us better. Kind of like at the vet's but not like at the vet's. Jimmy's nicer than that. He actually likes me, and I think he likes you too. At least likes you enough to help you feel better."

"Well...." the shep grumbled. About that time Jimmy came back with a key on a red fob, a leash, and something else in his hand.

"You two making friends, Goober? At least you got him to quiet down," Jimmy said as he smiled. Max growled at him, but didn't make as much of a fuss as Jimmy unlocked the padlock on the gate.

I took a couple steps back to give him room. "Easy there, Max. I know you must be hurting, but please don't hurt me. I'd have a lot of cleaning and a lot of explaining to do if you did...." Jimmy eased the gate open as he crouched but held it with his knee so Max couldn't barge past. He had on a thick leather glove on his left hand, and in his right a sort of flimsy clothlike tube with straps.

Max was still growling as Jimmy pet his head, but the growls became softer and softer. "I'm going to have to put this on you, because I can't stand the chance of you biting me, but it won't hurt, ok?" Jimmy droned. I sat down up against the back door and just watched. Max looked at me, studying me, and then looked at Jimmy similarly, as if trying to figure out just what was going on and if I was right or if he was.

With a swift and practised motion, Jimmy had the cloth muzzle on Max before he knew it, securing him from biting but easily letting him pant through the ring of webbing at the end. It was soon buckled behind his head and drawn tight as the shepherd scrambled back against the wall, growling and writhing. I rose to my feet, not knowing just what would happen but Jimmy only sat down in the entry gate. "Sorry, big fella. I had to. But it'll be alright... c'mere, and we'll go for a little walk."

"I don't want to... you'll take me to the room!" Max growled as he pawed at his muzzle, trying to remove the cloth muzzle. Jimmy stood up and put his hand on Max's head. "It'll be alright. If you want, Goober can come along. We'll just get you cleaned up a little and see about your tooth. No one would want you with your coat all bloody like that."

At that I stood up and wagged my tailnub. "It's alright. He didn't hurt you yet, see? It'll be good, you'll see." I barked happily.

Max let the leash get clipped on and off we strode down the aisle. "He's gonna take me to the room..." Max whined the whole way. Every dog we passed looked down, except the female I'd seen earlier, she just watched. I stopped by her cage and nuzzled her through the wire.

"Hi again. You shouldn't worry so much. Things will be alright, you'll see." I woofed quietly to her.

"You're so full of hope, Goober... but I don't know. It's been so long for me here and... I don't think I CAN hope anymore." She whimpered, but nuzzled me back all the same.

"I.... I like you. I want to be near you and to protect you, and...." I woofed quietly, but before I could finish, Max was padding back down the aisle, the leash trailing behind him and Jimmy getting back to his feet. "I told you he was going to take me to the room!" Max whimpered, as he padded past me.

Seeing Jimmy coming quickly behind, I grabbed the trailing leash and pulled, upsetting Max so he fell down in the aisle. Jimmy said nothing but patted my head as he reclaimed the leash and sat down next to the fallen Max, who was scrambling to try to get up.

"Silly dog," Jimmy chuckled. "Trying to get away from me. It's not going to be bad, trust me. Goober here does..." He reached over and fuzzled my head. "I thought he was coming with us but apparently he got distracted."

Indeed I had, and the female was smiling a bit as we stood near her run. That was the first time I saw her smile... I didn't know whether it would be the last, but at least I saw her smile.

Getting back to his feet, Jimmy patted his leg and I padded over to him, and together we three went back towards the front of the building. Max was still cowering at being reclaimed and wimpering a little. I just padded on like I was going for a walk in the park with my boy back home. The all-metal door was propped open the same way it had been when I was there the night before, and the lights were on. I padded in first, and Jimmy stood in the doorway. Max cowered outside in the hall, sniffing and whimpering.

"It's alright. See? I'm here and it's alright," I barked merrily, trying to get Max to stop being so upset. Jimmy chuckled, then bent down and lifted Max up onto the peninsula counter like I had been the other night, only this time with him facing the wall so the leash could be tied to a strong hook there.

"Easy boy..." Jimmy droned as he got Max up there, then tied the leash securely. "It'll be alright."

I padded to the cabinet and sniffed the drawer where the orange stick-thing was kept and then looked to Jimmy. He laughed.

"You're pretty smart there, Goober, but I already know he's chipped. Max had been in trouble and been here before. It was in his records, so I don't need that."

Max had stopped whimpering but growled loudly as Jimmy lifted his upper gum to look at the broken canine tooth.

"Oh, that looks rather bad," he said at the glimpse in. "And if you're going to snap at me, I'm going to have to give you something..." Jimmy frowned and then got out his keys and unlocked a metal cabinet hanging on the wall. Inside were vials of this bright pink liquid, and a couple of a clear one. He grabbed one of the vials of clear liquid and brought it over to the counter. From a drawer he got a syringe and put a needle on it, twisting it to lock it in place. Max cowered, as he couldn't see what Jimmy was doing, but I could. My ears drooped and my tailnub lowered. I backed a couple steps towards the door as I'd seen the vet do that before I got jabbed for vaccinations.

When Jimmy turned around, Max saw what was happening and he started to struggle against the tied leash, as Jimmy grabbed one of his forelegs well above the paw.

"He's going to do it! I!... I!.... AIIIIIII!" Max whined as Jimmy found a vein, guided the needle in and pushed the plunger down.

My heart was racing, my mouth was dry. Jimmy was.... he couldn't be.... He wouldn't do that, would he? I mean... I figured....

Jimmy just moved about Max calmly as Max looked at me with a sort of glassy-eyed expression. "I tollllllldddd yoooooooo...." his whimper drawled, but he didn't collapse like I was expecting. He just sort of sank down to the table, still fully awake but... apparently quite groggy.

Jimmy looked at me, and my eyes must have been wide as he burst out laughing, then moved around the counter to shut the door next to me. "Silly pup... you thought that....? Well, this IS the room for it, but no... I'm not about to have done that right now in the middle of the night. In fact, I shouldn't be doing this, but he needed help and I knew Tom wouldn't bother. Jenny up front would have wanted to, but she kinda freaks out about things, so that's why she's just the receptionist and file clerk." Jimmy fuzzled me. "He'll be alright... I just needed to make sure he wouldn't bite me when I put the capping compound on his tooth. We're not supposed to have it here, as a real vet is supposed to do that sort of thing, but with the way Tom is, we get a few every now and again that break off a tooth from him wrangling them with his catchpole."

I just sat down and watched as Jimmy removed the muzzle from Max's mouth. He had enough energy to stay upright, chest-laying, but not much more than that, so when Jimmy lifted his lip and opened his mouth, he didn't put up any kind of a struggle. I padded closer and then smelled this stinky putty stuff that Jimmy got out of a cabinet, and put a little on the end of a stick. I couldn't see it, but it looked like Jimmy smeared it on Max's tooth and then he got a an empty capsule, like for pills, and stuck it over that, so the capsule capped the goo over Max's tooth, preventing him from licking it off.

"There, that should about do it for now. That capsule will dissolve in a few hours but the putty will have set by then, leaving you with a kind of funny-looking tooth, but at least it won't hurt now," Jimmy smiled and kissed Max on the head. "I do have to do the other thing, though..." Jimmy said, putting on a pair of gloves and getting out the white tube. A loud snap and squidge, just like yesterday, and then Max whined as his tail was lifted and I watched Jimmy's finger disappear in Max's backside.

Being a Shepherd, Max had more hair back there than me, but even I could see how stretched he was when two fingers slid into his tailhole. Max whined the whole time but Jimmy pet his back, and must have known he wasn't hurting the dog from the feelings inside. Soon enough, Jimmy extracted his fingers from Max's rear, and pulled off the gloves. "No problems back there as far as I can tell... and if I wouldn't have had to sedate you, you'd be getting some fun tonight, but you had to put up a fuss...." Jimmy murmured as he pet Max's head, and down his back, along his sides. He untied the leash, knowing the worst Max could do now would be to fall off the peninsula. He braced the door open again and then lifted Max into his arms.

"Sorry, Goober, but no fun for you tonight, or Max either. I'll have to keep an eye on him until he gets more together in case he has a reaction to either the capping compound or the sedative."

I didn't care really either way, and Jimmy carried Max into the introduction room we'd spent the night in last night, laying him out on the sofa. Jimmy then left and came back with some soapy water in a small bucket and began cleaning up the bloodied shep.

Watching him, I just flumped down near the other sofa and smiled... Max would soon figure out I was right and that Jimmy was a good person, not out to hurt anyone. Then I realized... I got up and padded to the door, past Jimmy, then stood in the hallway and whimpered.

Jimmy looked up from his cleaning Max's chest and looked curiously at me. "What's wrong, pup?"

I took a couple steps towards the kennel door and then turned and whimpered again. Jimmy finished drying off Max where he'd been cleaned, and then stood up, carrying the bucket. "You're wanting to go back? I thought you liked it with me."

I smiled a bit, padded to the door and whimpered again.

More confused than ever, Jimmy carried the bucket with him and opened the door to the kennel for me. I padded on ahead and I saw Jimmy put the bucket back in a sort of closet-room in the door across the hall from the all-metal door.

I was already around the corner and up to the female dog's run by the time Jimmy caught up with me. I sat there and whimpered. He just looked at me, then at her, then at me, confused.

I stood up and pawed at the gate, then Jimmy understood and smiled. He then laughed and fuzzled my head. "You made a friend and want her to come with us, huh?" Jimmy smiled broadly when he said that. Then his expression changed to one of thinking hard. His face remained that way for a bit until I yipped, then he smiled. "Well, I suppse it's alright. I've had Vicky out before and she was sweet, you're alright... and Max is so groggy he couldn't stand up if he wanted to. So I suppose it's alright."

Jimmy shifted the bolt for the gate and it swung open. Vicky, as he called her, just stood there. I bounced on my paws a couple times and she still just stood there.

"Come on! You can come with me! It's alright," I barked to her.

She hesitantly stuck her head out of the gate and woofed. "Are you... you're sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! Come!" I barked happily.

"Shuttup and let some of us sleep!" came a midrange male yap from somewhere down the aisle.

I quietly woofed. "Come with me, Vicky. We can spend the night together."

"Really? I mean.... you.... don't mind that I'm.... not like you?" She seemed taken aback by my kindness.

I nuzzled her and smiled broadly. "I... think I want you to be my mate. Like I said, I want to make sure you're happy and protect you and everything... I don't know why I feel this way, but... I feel it all the same," I woofed to her.

"But... we're... here. We're not going to get out. You're mean and I'm unwanted. The pitbull there is right... " she whimpered as we walked behind Jimmy back to the room.

"Well, even if he is right..." I nuzzled her, "I still want to be with you, like those two huskies across the way. But I still think something good might happen. You never know."

"This way, you two..." Jimmy gestured to the open door as the kennel door clicked shut behind us. He held out something for me "Goober, you were a good boy today with Max." It was a treat. I took it an munched it happily. "Vicky, I can see Goober likes you, and I like you too... so here's one for you also." He held out the treat.

Vicky just stared at it. "It's a treat... you eat them, kinda like special food." I woofed quietly.

"I... never had one before." Vicky admitted, ashamedly, but took it and slowly crunched the treat.

I smiled and didn't say anything but padded over to the other sofa, the one not occupied by Max, and climbed up and laid down. I woofed for Vicky to join me.

"I... it's alright?" she asked and I smiled. Jimmy smiled too as he laid down to cuddle Max close. Even Max smiled a bit from Jimmy's warmth. Vicky climbed up and snuggled up next to me, and as I closed my eyes to snooze, I sighed contentedly. This wasn't home. This was really odd, to be sure, but... I was happy. Worried about the future and whether the others were wrong or not, but... for the moment, I was happy.