The Silence | ✔️

35. L

Fur, dog food and the occasional whiff of litter surrounded our walk through of the dog shelter. It was about two hours out of town and it was enormous. Large cages allowed lots of space for the dogs to run around. There were seperate areas for puppies and on the other side of the property were dogs that weren't up to being re homed. They still needed rehabilitation and caring for.

Kim, the top dog, pun intended, was showing us through the kennels of dogs that were up for adoption. The gravel crunched beneath our feet. Dogs barked at the wire walls that kept them enclosed. Aiden held my hand as we stopped at each kennel and had a chat with the pups. Kim told us to let her know when we had a special interest that she could get out of the kennel and introduce us to. The short but built woman wandered off but was still in sight as she busied herself with something else to give us some space.

"The kennels are huge here," I noted, glancing around as the sun shone down on us through a gap in the large canvas sails that billowed in the wind. They offered shade to the dogs but there were a few breaks where one ended and a new one began. "At least they have space. Not at all like a pet store."

Aiden agreed and we walked with slow steps. There were a huge range of different breeds. But I noted that most of them were staffy's or pitbulls. There were also labs, huskies and German Shepard's. Of course there were mixed breeds too. It was hard to tell which each one was. But as we rounded the corner, we came across a small ish dog. A golden coat with an almost black face and ears that looked as if they'd been brush stroked with ink. She was running around with a toy in her mouth. I crouched down in front of the cage and grinned when she dropped her toy and cautiously approached me.

Aiden crouched beside me and I could see him tilting his head to the side. "She looks like a boxer but—"

"Boxer crossed with a pug we believe," Kim said and we both peered up at the woman who was adjusting her cap. Her short blonde wisps of hair curled out at the edges. "She's grown. She won't get a lot bigger. She's sort of in between. Not as small as a pug. Not as big as a boxer."

She began opening the gate and we shuffled out of the way and waited while a lead was clipped to her thin pink collar. Instead of standing, I sat on the gravel and giggled when Aiden did the same. He was always so proper and stoic that it amused me to see him sitting on the dusty ground with his legs crossed. Kim kept the leash loose and the 'Poxer' walked towards us. She was so careful but there was a definite interest as she sniffed at us. Kim suggested that we hold out our hands and let her make the first move.

So we did.

The Poxer sniffed at our fingers, she licked them a little and then I began to give her chin a light scratch. She liked it. She lifted her nose into the air and walked closer and closer until she was sitting in my lap. I felt my heart do a little dance. She was such a cute thing. Her tail wagged and she leaned into my chest as I patted her all over. Aiden rested his head on my shoulder and rubbed the dogs ears. I could hear the smile in his voice as he asked her if it felt good in a small voice that was so gentle and adorable.

"Her name is Evin," Kim crouched and rested her arms on her knees, the leash hanging loose in her fingers. "It means strong and feminine fighter. Evin was a rescue, like most of the dogs here. But she wasn't in the best shape when she came to us."

"What happened to her?" I questioned, still patting the dog who had settled down and curled into a ball right there on my legs.

Kim shook her head with disappointment. "She was abused. Badly. She had patches of fur missing, the worst case of fleas that I've ever seen. Broken bones and infected wounds."

My throat felt like it was going to close. I stared down at the dog and couldn't understand who would want to hurt such a sweet animal. She was resting with her chin on my thigh. Her ears dropped back while Aiden continued to scratch them as she dozed off.