CHAPTER 7: All in the Family
Daphne cradled on of the puppies in the folds of her dress, feeding it some of Victoria's baby formula.
"They're almost old enough to be weaned," said Marc, "but weaning them is the least of my worries; I'm more concerned about their socialization."
"Socialization?" asked Shaggy, perplexed.
"Yes, dogs are social creatures," clarified Velma, "and they learn by emulation. Normally, they would learn from their mother, but, unfortunately, the mother is not here to teach them anything. So unless they have someone to emulate, they will not acquire some of the essential behaviors necessary for survival."
"We may not have to worry," said Fred, gesturing to Scooby. "Looks like someone else has taken on the role of the mother dog."
The three puppies were clawing and climbing on the older dog, nipping at his ears and tail and trying to engage him in their play.
"Anyway, kids," continued Marc. "Socialization is very important for the pups at this age. They form their first impressions of humans during this time, and the way they are treated now will affect them for the rest of their lives. When we were still married, Laura would take care of raising the puppies…" He paused, then added, "…and selling them too," a hint of disgust detectable in his tone of voice. "But now that we are separated, since I work full time, I won't be able to socialize them properly."
"We'd be more than happy to help out," suggested Fred; his suggestion elicited a suspicious glare from his wife.
"Fred, we have a six month old infant in the house," said Daphne. "We cannot possibly take in four puppies…puppies that will rapidly grow to over fifty pounds each by the time they are five months old."
The blond man quickly clarified his intentions. "They can stay here with Mr. Wyndham, and we can drop by every so often to check on them during the day."
"I suppose that is better than nothing," conceded Marc, "besides, I trust you kids more than I would trust some pet-sitter." He handed Fred a copy of the apartment key.
"Like, we ought to name these guys," suggested Shaggy. "We can't just keep calling them 'dog.' Any suggestions?"
"Not 'Scrappy!" Fred, Velma and Daphne answered in unison.
The little animals continued to accost the adult dog. Scooby glanced wistfully at his human friends; his dark eyes seemed to say, 'I've had enough, help me, please.'