A New Home for Truman (6 page)

But when Janey called the shelter again on Saturday, Kitty told her that Truman was still there.

“Your ad
did
work, though,” Kitty added. “Sort of, anyway. Three different people came in looking for Truman because they'd seen him on your blog.”

“Really? Then why is he still there?” Janey asked.

“They all decided he wasn't quite right for them,” Kitty said. “They all chose different dogs instead.”

“Oh.” Janey sighed. “Oh, well, lots of people come to get new pets on the weekend, right? Someone will probably take him home soon. Lolli and I will be right over—we want to see him again before he finds his new owners.”

Soon the two friends were at the shelter playing with Truman. A family was in the Meet and Greet room getting to know a few of the shelter's cats, so the girls tossed a rubber bone for Truman in the wide, rubber-paved aisle of the dog room. There were dogs in the runs on either side of the
aisle, but Truman paid little attention to them, staying focused on the girls.

“Good boy!” Janey exclaimed when Truman pounced on the bone and then brought it back to her. “You already know how to fetch!”

“He's supersmart.” said Lolli as she ruffled Truman's ears. “Aren't you, boy?”

Just then the door to the dog room opened. Kitty walked in, followed by a nicely dressed man and woman and a five-year-old boy.

“Excuse me, girls,” Kitty said. “This lovely family has come to see Truman.”

“That's right.” The mother had a nice smile. “Are you Janey? We saw what you wrote about Truman on your blog, and we just had to meet him!”

Her husband nodded. “We were planning to get a dog this weekend anyway, and we think Truman might be perfect. Is that him?”

“Yes, this is Truman.” Janey saw that Truman was backing away from the man. “Um, he's a little shy with new people.”

“He's cute! Here, Truman!” The little boy rushed toward Truman, who quickly sidled out of reach.

“Slow down, son,” his father called. “You don't want to startle him.”

He strode over and grabbed Truman before the little dog could get away. “Careful,” Kitty warned. “He's still getting used to things here, and…”

“Easy, fella! We just want to pet you, that's all.” The man hugged Truman to his chest. Truman struggled against his grip, looking anxious.

“Why don't you let me hold him for you?” Janey said quickly. “He knows me, so that will help him relax.”

“Ow!” the man said as Truman scrabbled against his chest, looking frantic now. “Oh, no! He just put a hole in my new shirt!”

He set Truman down and peered down at his golf shirt. Truman darted behind Janey and pressed himself against her legs. She could feel him trembling.

“It's just a shirt, Steve,” the man's wife said, rolling her eyes. “But perhaps Truman isn't quite right for us after all. We don't want a dog we need to tiptoe around.”

The little boy already seemed to have forgotten all about Truman. He was over by one of the runs, reaching in to pet a friendly hound mix.

“I want this one!” he cried. “Look—he likes me!”

“Can we meet that one?” the man asked Kitty. “He seems like a good family dog.”

Kitty shot Truman an anxious glance. “Sure, let's take him over to the Meet and Greet,” she said. “I think the cats are out of there now.”

As soon as the family had disappeared,
along with Kitty and the hound mix, Truman came out of hiding. He grabbed the rubber bone and dropped it at Lolli's feet, wagging his tail.

Janey sighed. “Oh, Truman,” she said, kneeling down to give the dog a hug. “You're such a sweetie pie. Why can't anyone but us see that?”

A little while later, Kitty returned. “Well, at least Chance found a new home,” she said, gesturing at the empty run where the hound mix had been. “That family loved him, and it was totally mutual. I think it's a great match.” She bent to pat Truman, who was sniffing at her shoe. “I just wish this little guy would find his perfect match.”

“Me, too,” Janey said. “I can't believe nobody wants him!”

Kitty sighed. “I know. Poor Truman was just a little too shy or a little too untrained
for all the people who were interested in him so far.”

Just then the door opened again. Zach burst into the dog room, followed by his mother. “Yo, Truman!” Zach exclaimed loudly when he spotted the dog. “Are these girls bothering you, little guy?”

He rushed over to the dog. Janey expected Truman to try to get away, but instead he barked and jumped up on Zach's legs. Zach laughed and rubbed Truman's ears.

“Hey, he's being friendly now,” Lolli said.

“Sure he is, he's my buddy.” Zach grabbed the rubber bone and tossed it. Truman barked and leaped off to retrieve it.

Dr. Goldman chuckled. “Don't even think about asking again to take him home,” she warned Zach. She glanced at the girls. “Zach was with me when I did Truman's intake checkup and shots the other day. As you can see, the two of them hit it off.”

“Is that why you two stopped by?” Kitty asked the vet with a grin. “To adopt Truman?”

“Actually, I stopped by to take that new cat's stitches out. Seeing Truman is a bonus,
but I'm afraid we can't take him home. We already have a cat, which is about all I can handle with four boys, a busy vet practice, and an absentminded husband who gets so caught up in his work that he's not likely to remember to walk a dog unless it's actually piddling on his foot.” She smiled at Janey and Lolli. “Is one of you thinking about adopting Truman?”

“Our parents won't let us take him home, either,” Janey said. “And nobody else seems interested, even though he's so fab!”

“Poor Truman.” Lolli patted Truman as he trotted past with the rubber bone. “He just needs someone who understands him.”

“Maybe.” Dr. Goldman pushed Truman down gently as he dropped the bone, barked, and jumped up on her legs. “But he could
also use a little training and socializing to make him more adoptable.”

“What do you mean?” Janey asked.

“He's a nice dog,” the vet said. “But some adopters might not be able to see the diamond in the rough the way we can.” She smiled at Janey and Lolli. “If you girls want to help him find a home, maybe you can work with him a little. Teach him a few basic commands, and get him more used to being around people.”

“We can do that!” Janey felt a surge of hope. “Right, Lolli?”

“Definitely!” Lolli agreed.

“Yeah,” Zach put in. “I can help if you want.”

“Thanks, but that's okay,” Janey told him. “We've got it covered. Come on Lolli, let's start right now!”

Kitty smiled apologetically. “Actually, you'll need to get your parents to sign our volunteer form before you can do any real training or take him for walks outside,” she said. “Sorry. I probably shouldn't even have let you spend all this time with him before doing that.”

Janey frowned, feeling impatient. But Lolli nodded. “We can do that,” she said. “We
were planning to ask about volunteering here anyway, and both our parents already said it was okay, so I'm sure they'll sign. I'll call my mom to come get us, and then we'll be back as soon as we have the forms filled out and signed.”

“You girls are lucky that this shelter lets kids volunteer,” Dr. Goldman told them with a smile. “I would've loved to get involved like that as a kid, but the shelter in the town where I grew up only allows people over eighteen to handle the animals.”

“Not here,” Kitty said cheerfully. “We've found that younger kids are great with the animals! Come on, girls—let's get you those forms.”

Over the next week, Janey went to the shelter as often as she could to work with Truman. Lolli usually came, too. Even Adam took some time out of his busy dog-walking schedule to show the girls some training techniques. Janey knew that Adam had
worked with lots of dogs, but she was impressed by how quickly he taught Truman the commands for sit, stay, come, and heel.