Chapter 4 The Adoption
"My name is Alice Connley," said the grandmotherly woman greeting the new arrivals at Animal Haven. "And you are?"
"Amanda King, and these are my sons Philip and Jamie and my friend Lee Stetson."
"Oh," responded Mrs. Connley, giving Lee a disapproving glance. "Nice to meet you. Are you looking to adopt a pet?"
"Well, maybe," replied Amanda.
Mrs. Connley gave the family a sharp look and then continued. "The first step in the process is for you to fill out this form. We want all our charges to have a successful adoption and so we must carefully evaluate all our adopting families and their situations."
"Since we're not sure if we want to adopt a dog, could we skip filling out the forms and have a look at what you have available?" queried Amanda.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible. Everyone must fill out the application. Then you may look at our adoptees. It shouldn't take more than 15 minutes."
Mrs. Connley led them to a small room with a table and six chairs.
"I think you already struck out as far as Mrs. Connley's concerned," voiced Lee after she closed the door.
"Shh.she might hear you," cautioned Amanda as she picked up a pencil from the table and began filling out the form. "They want three references!"
"Oh brother," sighed Lee.
"Are they going to turn us down?" asked an anxious Jamie.
"I don't think so sweetheart. Don't worry, even if they do there are other animal shelters."
Fifteen minutes later, on the dot, Mrs. Connley entered the room. After she scrutinized the form Amanda had filled out, Mrs. Connley indicated for the family to follow her.
"Animal Haven is a private animal adoption facility," she began her well-practiced speech leading them down the hallway to a set of double doors. "Which means that all of our funding comes from generous donations of people concerned with the current pet crisis. Of course we do have a small adoption fee, should you be approved, of forty dollars. We do require that all our animals be spayed or neutered and have their annual shots. We can do this for you at a minimal charge or you could have it done by your own veterinarian. If you do choose to have it done outside our facility, we will need proof within 2 weeks of adoption."
As Mrs. Connley opened the door they were greeted by the deafening sound of barking dogs. The barking continued for well over five minutes as the Jamie and Philip began to explore the inhabitance of the room. The long narrow room had rows of cages staked three high on each side. Only two or three of the cages were empty. Each filled cage had a white piece of paper with neat printing fastened to the door. A few cages also had orange tags.
"At our facility alone, we take in about 1,200 dogs a year. That number is for dogs alone. It doesn't include cats or other animals," continued Mrs. Connley when the noise had quelled to an occasional bark. "We feel fortunate that we are able to adopt out close to half of our charges."
"What happens to the dogs who don't get homes?" asked Philip who had stopped his meandering long enough to hear Mrs. Connley's statement.
"All of our animals are thoroughly checked by a veterinarian before being placed in our adoption holding area," continued Mrs. Connley, ignoring Philip's question.
"Were do you get your animals?" inquired Lee.
" That's a good question. They come from a number of different sources. Some are brought in by their previous owners. They are moving, or have a new member of the family, or the number one reason they give is a sudden allergy to the pet. In such cases, we are able to get some kind of history on the animal. Sometimes a good soul will bring in a dog they've noticed running around the neighborhood. Perhaps they knew the poor creature's previous owner, but usually the history is pretty sketchy. We place the information we get on the animals on the white sheet of paper clipped to the cage. For instance," Mrs. Connley continued as she stepped up to a cage and surveyed the white tag. "This dog is a terrier mix, she is three years old and her name is Brownie. She came here because her owner was moving and couldn't keep her in her new apartment."
"What are the orange tags for?" asked Amanda trying to listen to Mrs. Connley and keep an eye on Philip and Jamie at the same time.
"Those are the dogs who people want to adopt. You see, we screen all our applicants before allowing them to take an animal. The process usually take about three days."
"So this dog already has a home," Lee said pointing to a cage with a rather large German Shepherd.
"Well, actually, that adoption was just turned down. You see, the people keep goats in their yard and we didn't feel like this dog would be a suitable match for that family," explained Mrs. Connley removing the orange tag.
Philip appeared to have tired of looking at the dogs, but Jamie was intent on a cage in the middle row. It contained a furry white dog. "Look at this dog, Mom."
As if on cue, the dog gave his most adorable look, his brown eye shone with excitement and long furry tail wiggled furiously. He placed a friendly paw on the cage door and gave a friendly little bark.
"Oh, that dog is an excellent choice. He came to us 2 weeks ago and normally we don't keep a dog that long, but one of our volunteers took him home thinking her sister would want to adopt him. Unfortunately her sister had just adopted another dog, so he was returned to us. We decided to give him another week. The volunteer said he is well behaved, housebroken and is very obedient. He likes children too. The volunteer would have kept him, but she has three dogs already. He has been neutered, so you wouldn't have that expense. Would you like to take him out into yard to get to know him better?"
"Can we?" an excited Jamie asked looking first at Mrs. Connely and then at his Mother.
"Sure, why not," shrugged Amanda.
Mrs. Connley opened the cage and the dog leapt out dancing around the room, frolicking with joy.
"Here boy," called Jamie as he bent down to touch the blissful animal. The dog came to Jamie immediately. "He's so soft. Just like touching a bunch of cotton balls."
"He was found wandering around in a wooded area just south of here. He was pretty dirty and matted, but our volunteers were able to give him a good bath and brushed out the tangles. The vet thinks he is between two and three years old and some kind of poodle mix. He's been a favorite of the staff since he got here. We're all hoping he gets an extra special home," Mrs. Connley informed them as she led them to the yard, tucking a stray piece of gray hair back into her bun as she walked.
The others watched as a laughing Jamie played with the furry creature.
"I think he looks kind of like a sissy dog," whispered Philip to Lee.
"I heard that Philip," chastised Amanda. "This is your brother's choice. After all he's the one who asked for a dog."
While they were watching Jamie and the dog caper, a gray panel van pulled up in front of the animal shelter. The two men inside looked tired and a little distraught.
"That pooch had better be here," said Roy. "This is the last pound in the area."
The brothers got out of the van and entered the building where a smiling young lady greeted them. " How may I help you?" she asked in a pleasant voice.
"We're looking for our lost little doggie," replied Roy trying to sound sincere. "What kind of dog is he?" questioned the attendant.
"Well, he's a white furry mutt about this big," Roy leaned over and put his hand to just below his knee.
Their conversation was interrupted when Philip and Jamie entered the room followed by Amanda, Lee and Mrs. Connley.
"What ya gonna name him?" Philip was asking Jamie.
"I don't know yet."
"You could always call him Foo-foo. After all he is pretty girly" teased Philip.
"Philip, that's enough," broke in Amanda as they exited the building.
"We have several dogs that fit that description," said the young girl returning to her interrupted conversation. " Mrs. Connley can show you the dogs we have. Mrs. Connley, these men are looking for their lost dog. They say he is a mixed breed, medium sized, white with long hair."
"Very well, follow me," Mrs. Connley said giving the men a doubtful look.
"Here he is Roy!" yelled an excited Jake.
"Yeah, that's him all right," agreed Roy pointing to the dog that Jamie had played with earlier.
The dog was cowering in the far corner of the cage visibly trembling as the three approached.
"So that's your dog," reiterated Mrs. Connley. "What's his name?"
The two stared at one another with puzzled looks on their faces.
"Ahh.Ahh.Rover," replied Jake, with a look of triumph.
"Oh really. Then why don't you try calling him," countered a smug Mrs. Connley.
The two started talking at once. "Here Rover. Here boy. Come to Daddy. Please," they pleaded. The dog continued to tremble in the far corner of its cage.
"Just as I thought," said Mrs. Connley indicating with a wave of her hand that it was time for the pair to leave.
"Rover. Where'd you get that name," cried Roy angrily punching his brother in the abdomen after leaving the building.
"Ain't Rover a common name for a pooch?" responded Jake a puzzled look on his face. "Besides, I didn't hear you coming up with something real fast."
"Ugh, come on."
"Are we going to break into the place tonight?"
"Yeah, and have the whole neighborhood awakened by barking dogs. Good idea meathead."
"What are we going to do then?"
"Give me a minute to think."
"That's been an awfully long minute," Jake whined after waiting in the hot van for 10 minutes.
"Did you notice the orange tag on the cage?" said Roy rubbing his chin in thought. "Someone is going to be taking that dog home pretty soon, so all we have to do is wait around. When they bring the dog out, we follow them home and then snatch it when they take it for a walk or something."
"Hey, that sounds like a good plan. How long do you think we'll have to wait?"
"I don't know," responded an irritated Roy. "I left my crystal ball at home!"
Two days later at one o'clock in the afternoon, Roy and Jake watched as Dotty, Philip and Jamie picked up an energetic white ball of fur from Animal Haven. It was hard to tell which was more excited, humans or dog.
"Well, he certainly is a sweet looking little fellow," pronounced Dotty, as she watched the dog caper about at the end of his new leash. "He seems fairly friendly. Maybe he'll only dig little holes." She conceded.
"Have you thought of a name yet? "Philip asked, leaning over to give their new pet a pat on his furry head.
"I was thinking about calling him Marty after Marty Martinson, the drummer for the Screaming Chickens."
"I'd have to admit, he kind of looks like him too," replied Dotty under her breath as the trio and mutt climbed into the car.
Perhaps if Amanda or Lee were with them, they would have noticed the gray van following about a block behind. But as it was, they were all too excited to pay much attention. When they stopped at their home on Maplewood, the gray van continued on down the block.
"Now that we know where he is, it will be easy to snatch him. So let's go get something to eat." Roy told his brother as they drove on down the street.
Later that evening, Roy and Jake watched as Philip and Jamie emerged from the back yard with Marty in toe. They followed them to the park two blocks away. Philip spotted some of his friends playing basketball and quickly joined them. Jamie hiked down the path with Marty trotting happily along. When they came to a secluded part of the park, Jamie looked around and slipped the leash off Marty. The dog raced away with Jamie attempting in vain to keep up.
"Now's our chance," Roy said to Jake as he headed for a grove of trees and undergrowth that ringed the area.
Jamie called to Marty throwing him a stick. The dog speed after the thrown object, then brought it back to Jamie, but didn't drop it. Rather he ran around Jamie in a teasing manner trying to entice Jamie to run after him. Jamie ran laughing as Marty danced in a zigzag pattern in front of his new master. Suddenly, Marty dropped the stick, turned toward the hidden Roy and Jake and began barking furiously. Jake bolted out of the brush and tried to catch Marty by the collar but the dog had already bounded away.
"Hey," yelled Jamie seeing Jake trying to grab Marty.
Marty began to run away from Jake and Roy easily outdistancing them. He stopped several times to turn and bark at the trailing brothers. A large rottweiller, having just arrived with his elderly owners, joined in the fun. Roy and Jake gave up the chase and dashed into the undergrowth making it harder for the dogs to catch them. The animals retreated when they heard their owners calling for their return.
"Who do you think those men were," the frail woman asked her partner.
"It's hard to tell. Do you know who they are boy?"
"Never seen them before," responded Jamie to the elderly man's question watching the pair as they continued to run.
"What are going to do now Roy?" a much winded Jake asked when they had returned to the van.
"I don't know," answered the sweating Roy gasping for air between words.
"Why don't we just knock on the front door and ask for the dog back?"
"Great suggestion dunderhead."
"My name is Alice Connley," said the grandmotherly woman greeting the new arrivals at Animal Haven. "And you are?"
"Amanda King, and these are my sons Philip and Jamie and my friend Lee Stetson."
"Oh," responded Mrs. Connley, giving Lee a disapproving glance. "Nice to meet you. Are you looking to adopt a pet?"
"Well, maybe," replied Amanda.
Mrs. Connley gave the family a sharp look and then continued. "The first step in the process is for you to fill out this form. We want all our charges to have a successful adoption and so we must carefully evaluate all our adopting families and their situations."
"Since we're not sure if we want to adopt a dog, could we skip filling out the forms and have a look at what you have available?" queried Amanda.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible. Everyone must fill out the application. Then you may look at our adoptees. It shouldn't take more than 15 minutes."
Mrs. Connley led them to a small room with a table and six chairs.
"I think you already struck out as far as Mrs. Connley's concerned," voiced Lee after she closed the door.
"Shh.she might hear you," cautioned Amanda as she picked up a pencil from the table and began filling out the form. "They want three references!"
"Oh brother," sighed Lee.
"Are they going to turn us down?" asked an anxious Jamie.
"I don't think so sweetheart. Don't worry, even if they do there are other animal shelters."
Fifteen minutes later, on the dot, Mrs. Connley entered the room. After she scrutinized the form Amanda had filled out, Mrs. Connley indicated for the family to follow her.
"Animal Haven is a private animal adoption facility," she began her well-practiced speech leading them down the hallway to a set of double doors. "Which means that all of our funding comes from generous donations of people concerned with the current pet crisis. Of course we do have a small adoption fee, should you be approved, of forty dollars. We do require that all our animals be spayed or neutered and have their annual shots. We can do this for you at a minimal charge or you could have it done by your own veterinarian. If you do choose to have it done outside our facility, we will need proof within 2 weeks of adoption."
As Mrs. Connley opened the door they were greeted by the deafening sound of barking dogs. The barking continued for well over five minutes as the Jamie and Philip began to explore the inhabitance of the room. The long narrow room had rows of cages staked three high on each side. Only two or three of the cages were empty. Each filled cage had a white piece of paper with neat printing fastened to the door. A few cages also had orange tags.
"At our facility alone, we take in about 1,200 dogs a year. That number is for dogs alone. It doesn't include cats or other animals," continued Mrs. Connley when the noise had quelled to an occasional bark. "We feel fortunate that we are able to adopt out close to half of our charges."
"What happens to the dogs who don't get homes?" asked Philip who had stopped his meandering long enough to hear Mrs. Connley's statement.
"All of our animals are thoroughly checked by a veterinarian before being placed in our adoption holding area," continued Mrs. Connley, ignoring Philip's question.
"Were do you get your animals?" inquired Lee.
" That's a good question. They come from a number of different sources. Some are brought in by their previous owners. They are moving, or have a new member of the family, or the number one reason they give is a sudden allergy to the pet. In such cases, we are able to get some kind of history on the animal. Sometimes a good soul will bring in a dog they've noticed running around the neighborhood. Perhaps they knew the poor creature's previous owner, but usually the history is pretty sketchy. We place the information we get on the animals on the white sheet of paper clipped to the cage. For instance," Mrs. Connley continued as she stepped up to a cage and surveyed the white tag. "This dog is a terrier mix, she is three years old and her name is Brownie. She came here because her owner was moving and couldn't keep her in her new apartment."
"What are the orange tags for?" asked Amanda trying to listen to Mrs. Connley and keep an eye on Philip and Jamie at the same time.
"Those are the dogs who people want to adopt. You see, we screen all our applicants before allowing them to take an animal. The process usually take about three days."
"So this dog already has a home," Lee said pointing to a cage with a rather large German Shepherd.
"Well, actually, that adoption was just turned down. You see, the people keep goats in their yard and we didn't feel like this dog would be a suitable match for that family," explained Mrs. Connley removing the orange tag.
Philip appeared to have tired of looking at the dogs, but Jamie was intent on a cage in the middle row. It contained a furry white dog. "Look at this dog, Mom."
As if on cue, the dog gave his most adorable look, his brown eye shone with excitement and long furry tail wiggled furiously. He placed a friendly paw on the cage door and gave a friendly little bark.
"Oh, that dog is an excellent choice. He came to us 2 weeks ago and normally we don't keep a dog that long, but one of our volunteers took him home thinking her sister would want to adopt him. Unfortunately her sister had just adopted another dog, so he was returned to us. We decided to give him another week. The volunteer said he is well behaved, housebroken and is very obedient. He likes children too. The volunteer would have kept him, but she has three dogs already. He has been neutered, so you wouldn't have that expense. Would you like to take him out into yard to get to know him better?"
"Can we?" an excited Jamie asked looking first at Mrs. Connely and then at his Mother.
"Sure, why not," shrugged Amanda.
Mrs. Connley opened the cage and the dog leapt out dancing around the room, frolicking with joy.
"Here boy," called Jamie as he bent down to touch the blissful animal. The dog came to Jamie immediately. "He's so soft. Just like touching a bunch of cotton balls."
"He was found wandering around in a wooded area just south of here. He was pretty dirty and matted, but our volunteers were able to give him a good bath and brushed out the tangles. The vet thinks he is between two and three years old and some kind of poodle mix. He's been a favorite of the staff since he got here. We're all hoping he gets an extra special home," Mrs. Connley informed them as she led them to the yard, tucking a stray piece of gray hair back into her bun as she walked.
The others watched as a laughing Jamie played with the furry creature.
"I think he looks kind of like a sissy dog," whispered Philip to Lee.
"I heard that Philip," chastised Amanda. "This is your brother's choice. After all he's the one who asked for a dog."
While they were watching Jamie and the dog caper, a gray panel van pulled up in front of the animal shelter. The two men inside looked tired and a little distraught.
"That pooch had better be here," said Roy. "This is the last pound in the area."
The brothers got out of the van and entered the building where a smiling young lady greeted them. " How may I help you?" she asked in a pleasant voice.
"We're looking for our lost little doggie," replied Roy trying to sound sincere. "What kind of dog is he?" questioned the attendant.
"Well, he's a white furry mutt about this big," Roy leaned over and put his hand to just below his knee.
Their conversation was interrupted when Philip and Jamie entered the room followed by Amanda, Lee and Mrs. Connley.
"What ya gonna name him?" Philip was asking Jamie.
"I don't know yet."
"You could always call him Foo-foo. After all he is pretty girly" teased Philip.
"Philip, that's enough," broke in Amanda as they exited the building.
"We have several dogs that fit that description," said the young girl returning to her interrupted conversation. " Mrs. Connley can show you the dogs we have. Mrs. Connley, these men are looking for their lost dog. They say he is a mixed breed, medium sized, white with long hair."
"Very well, follow me," Mrs. Connley said giving the men a doubtful look.
"Here he is Roy!" yelled an excited Jake.
"Yeah, that's him all right," agreed Roy pointing to the dog that Jamie had played with earlier.
The dog was cowering in the far corner of the cage visibly trembling as the three approached.
"So that's your dog," reiterated Mrs. Connley. "What's his name?"
The two stared at one another with puzzled looks on their faces.
"Ahh.Ahh.Rover," replied Jake, with a look of triumph.
"Oh really. Then why don't you try calling him," countered a smug Mrs. Connley.
The two started talking at once. "Here Rover. Here boy. Come to Daddy. Please," they pleaded. The dog continued to tremble in the far corner of its cage.
"Just as I thought," said Mrs. Connley indicating with a wave of her hand that it was time for the pair to leave.
"Rover. Where'd you get that name," cried Roy angrily punching his brother in the abdomen after leaving the building.
"Ain't Rover a common name for a pooch?" responded Jake a puzzled look on his face. "Besides, I didn't hear you coming up with something real fast."
"Ugh, come on."
"Are we going to break into the place tonight?"
"Yeah, and have the whole neighborhood awakened by barking dogs. Good idea meathead."
"What are we going to do then?"
"Give me a minute to think."
"That's been an awfully long minute," Jake whined after waiting in the hot van for 10 minutes.
"Did you notice the orange tag on the cage?" said Roy rubbing his chin in thought. "Someone is going to be taking that dog home pretty soon, so all we have to do is wait around. When they bring the dog out, we follow them home and then snatch it when they take it for a walk or something."
"Hey, that sounds like a good plan. How long do you think we'll have to wait?"
"I don't know," responded an irritated Roy. "I left my crystal ball at home!"
Two days later at one o'clock in the afternoon, Roy and Jake watched as Dotty, Philip and Jamie picked up an energetic white ball of fur from Animal Haven. It was hard to tell which was more excited, humans or dog.
"Well, he certainly is a sweet looking little fellow," pronounced Dotty, as she watched the dog caper about at the end of his new leash. "He seems fairly friendly. Maybe he'll only dig little holes." She conceded.
"Have you thought of a name yet? "Philip asked, leaning over to give their new pet a pat on his furry head.
"I was thinking about calling him Marty after Marty Martinson, the drummer for the Screaming Chickens."
"I'd have to admit, he kind of looks like him too," replied Dotty under her breath as the trio and mutt climbed into the car.
Perhaps if Amanda or Lee were with them, they would have noticed the gray van following about a block behind. But as it was, they were all too excited to pay much attention. When they stopped at their home on Maplewood, the gray van continued on down the block.
"Now that we know where he is, it will be easy to snatch him. So let's go get something to eat." Roy told his brother as they drove on down the street.
Later that evening, Roy and Jake watched as Philip and Jamie emerged from the back yard with Marty in toe. They followed them to the park two blocks away. Philip spotted some of his friends playing basketball and quickly joined them. Jamie hiked down the path with Marty trotting happily along. When they came to a secluded part of the park, Jamie looked around and slipped the leash off Marty. The dog raced away with Jamie attempting in vain to keep up.
"Now's our chance," Roy said to Jake as he headed for a grove of trees and undergrowth that ringed the area.
Jamie called to Marty throwing him a stick. The dog speed after the thrown object, then brought it back to Jamie, but didn't drop it. Rather he ran around Jamie in a teasing manner trying to entice Jamie to run after him. Jamie ran laughing as Marty danced in a zigzag pattern in front of his new master. Suddenly, Marty dropped the stick, turned toward the hidden Roy and Jake and began barking furiously. Jake bolted out of the brush and tried to catch Marty by the collar but the dog had already bounded away.
"Hey," yelled Jamie seeing Jake trying to grab Marty.
Marty began to run away from Jake and Roy easily outdistancing them. He stopped several times to turn and bark at the trailing brothers. A large rottweiller, having just arrived with his elderly owners, joined in the fun. Roy and Jake gave up the chase and dashed into the undergrowth making it harder for the dogs to catch them. The animals retreated when they heard their owners calling for their return.
"Who do you think those men were," the frail woman asked her partner.
"It's hard to tell. Do you know who they are boy?"
"Never seen them before," responded Jamie to the elderly man's question watching the pair as they continued to run.
"What are going to do now Roy?" a much winded Jake asked when they had returned to the van.
"I don't know," answered the sweating Roy gasping for air between words.
"Why don't we just knock on the front door and ask for the dog back?"
"Great suggestion dunderhead."
