Secondhand Dogs Read online

  Dedication

  For Stephanie, who believed

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Gus

  Gus

  Gus Before

  Quinn

  Gus

  Roo Before

  Decker

  Moon Pie

  Tank

  Tank Before

  Gus

  Moon Pie Before

  Gus

  Quinn

  Quinn Before

  Gus

  Quinn

  Decker

  Ghost

  Ghost Before

  Roo

  Gus

  Moon Pie

  Gus

  Gus

  Moon Pie

  Gus

  Quinn

  Decker

  Gus

  Moon Pie

  Gus

  Moon Pie

  Quinn

  Gus

  Ghost

  Moon Pie

  Tank

  Moon Pie

  Gus

  Decker

  Decker Before

  Quinn

  Gus

  Gus

  Quinn

  Roo

  Gus

  Moon Pie

  Gus

  Gus

  Gus

  Miss Lottie Before

  Epilogue: Six Months Later

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  Gus

  Gus lifted his head and sniffed the chilly November air. The smell of dead leaves wafted through the windows and into the cramped kitchen. Someone a few houses down had a fire burning in their fireplace, and that smell, too, curled its way inside.

  Gus sat on his bed. The tip of his tail nervously flipped up and down as he watched Miss Lottie gather the things she liked to bring to the dog park—sodas, snacks, treats, beach towels, food bowls.

  Miss Lottie only took them to the dog park when she was introducing a new dog to the pack. It was neutral territory, since it wasn’t their home and it wasn’t the new dog’s home, either. She would pick up Quinn, the eleven-year-old neighbor who helped her out, and drive him and the dogs to the park. After they were settled, she would bring the new dog over for a meet ’n’ greet.

  As he watched Miss Lottie, Gus felt a strange tremble in his gut. He’d had it all morning. Since he was the first dog Miss Lottie had adopted, under Dog Pack Law he was now the pack leader, which meant it was his responsibility to keep everyone safe and happy. So far he had managed to do that, but a new dog could change everything.

  “New member,” said Tank. The big bulldog spoke to Gus using the usual animal language of snorts, sniffs, scratches, blinks, and grunts.

  “Looks that way,” Gus said.

  “It’ll be great,” Tank said. “It always is.”

  Easy for Tank to say. He wasn’t the leader. He didn’t have to introduce a nervous new dog to the pack. He didn’t have to make sure a fight didn’t break out. He didn’t have to give his official approval of the new dog.

  Roo got up from her dog bed, did a quick spin, then sat back down. Her ears twitched.

  “New dog day,” Roo said to Gus. She did another spin.

  “I hope it’s a puppy!” said Moon Pie. The one-year-old pug wandered over to Tank and snuggled next to him.

  “I hope it’s not a puppy,” Roo said. She scratched an ear. “Puppies make me nervous.”

  “Everything makes you nervous,” Tank said.

  A puppy would be a different kind of challenge. Puppies meant lots of messes and playful nips with needle-sharp teeth. Puppies needed a strong leader to show them the proper way to behave. Even Moon Pie, who was just out of puppyhood, could be a handful at times.

  “Today’s the day, kiddos!” Miss Lottie said. She ushered the dogs out to the driveway, where her rusty, dented van sat. She pulled out the special ramp that made it easier for the dogs, especially the older ones like Roo and Tank, to climb inside.

  As the leader, Gus was expected to go first.

  Gus hesitated. The strange tremble in his gut worried him. He had never felt this way about a new dog’s arrival before.

  “Come on, come on, WE’RE WAITING!” Roo snapped.

  “Right.” Gus ran up the ramp and gave himself a shake before sitting by the window. That feeling in his gut was probably just the rock he ate earlier. He had a bad habit of eating things that weren’t food.

  “Geez, took ya long enough,” Roo said as she wedged herself in next to him.

  “I was thinking,” Gus said.

  “Uh-huh,” Roo said.

  Roo was often annoyed with Gus. His indecisiveness made her more anxious than she already was. Roo wanted answers. Fast action. Quick decisions.

  Gus wasn’t very good at any of those things.

  When they arrived at Quinn’s house, he was waiting out front. Miss Lottie never had to honk her horn for Quinn. He was always waiting there, looking as though his life depended on the van taking him away. Gus often wondered why.

  “It’s a big day!” Miss Lottie said.

  Quinn smiled, eyes downcast, as he quickly climbed into the van.

  “Hey, everyone,” he said in his soft voice. He turned to the back seat and gave each dog a pat on the head.

  Gus licked Quinn’s hand. Even though Quinn wasn’t technically part of the pack, Gus felt responsible for him. Quinn was a good belly rubber and an excellent chin scratcher. On days like today, when Quinn seemed sad, Gus would spend more time than usual nuzzling him or curling up on his lap. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn’t.

  “You’ll love the new dog,” Miss Lottie said.

  “Boy or girl?” Quinn asked.

  “It’s a secret,” Miss Lottie said.

  “Big or little?”

  “I’m not telling!” Miss Lottie laughed. “Don’t you like surprises? I do.”

  Quinn didn’t reply. He slid his phone out and started reading his texts.

  “You sure do get a lot of texts,” Miss Lottie said.

  Quinn shrugged. “I guess,” he said.

  Gus watched trees zoom by as the old van made its way to the dog park. He couldn’t shake the bad feeling. Maybe it was the tennis ball he had eaten yesterday. Tennis balls were especially hard to digest.

  “We’re here!” said Miss Lottie.

  The dog park was empty, the weather too cold and gray for most people. The large, fenced-in lot was mostly dirt with a few patches of grass and a handful of benches facing every which way, as though they had been tossed there by a giant storm and never put back in the proper place. A tangle of trees sat in the corner.

  The pack tumbled through the gate. They stood near Quinn and waited patiently as he spread out the beach towels and set up the folding chairs.

  “I’ll be right back,” Miss Lottie called from the van.

  Quinn gave her a small wave and sat on a chair. He patted his lap. Moon Pie danced over to him, yipped, then danced away. Typical Moon Pie.

  “Silly little guy.” Quinn grinned.

  Moon Pie was both the youngest and the smallest member of the pack and had only been at Miss Lottie’s for a month. Everyone was already attached to him, especially Tank.

  “This looks like a good spot,” Tank said. He spread out on a beach towel and started licking his big belly.

  “Do you ever STOP?” Roo asked.

  “Nope,” Tank said. He turned around and started licking the other side.

  It was quite a thing to behold, Tank’s stomach. Big and perfectly round. When he had first arrived, it had been mostly pink, but it had changed over the years, the way all old dogs’ bellies ch
ange, with dark, bumpy growths pushing up through his fur. It didn’t matter. He still licked and licked and licked.

  Roo made small circles in the grass, trying to find the perfect spot to lie down.

  “Can’t get comfortable! Just can’t, JUST CAN’T!”

  She never could. Maybe it was because she had three legs instead of four, or maybe it was because of her nervous disposition. Whatever it was, Roo, the only hunting dog in the pack, was a quivering bundle of barking, running energy. She was nine, so she was a year older than Tank and two years older than Gus, but her jumpiness made her seem younger than both of them. Today she was squirmier than usual.

  Gus rested his chin on Quinn’s leg. Quinn started scratching behind Gus’s ears.

  Gus sighed. Quinn’s ear rubs always made him feel better. Maybe everything would be okay. All he had to do was make sure this dog was a good addition to the pack. If he was, Gus would give his official wag and his small woof. If he wasn’t, well, Gus would have to think about that. It had never happened before.

  The shelter wasn’t far from the dog park. Soon Miss Lottie was pulling back into the parking lot.

  “They’re here,” Quinn said.

  They all watched as Miss Lottie got out of the van. She smoothed her gray, frizzy hair and looked up at the sky.

  “Looks like a storm’s coming,” she said to Quinn. She hitched up her pants and opened the back door. A large dog hopped out. A dog who did not need the ramp.

  A breeze brushed past. Gus stood. He sniffed the air.

  Something smelled off.

  Way off.

  Gus

  The new dog walked calmly next to Miss Lottie. His ears and his tail were both up. Alert, but not alarmed.

  He wasn’t nervous. Not like the other dogs had been when they first approached the pack.

  He was sizing them up, Gus decided. Gus didn’t know what to think about that. Usually new dogs pulled back a bit, or wiggled a little too much, or stood their ground and barked.

  Not this dog.

  Gus sniffed the air again. The scent that wafted off the new dog was bright and cold, like the metal water bowl in Miss Lottie’s kitchen.

  Gus had always hated that bowl.

  “Meet Decker, everyone!” said Miss Lottie.

  Decker sat on his haunches. He was sleek and muscular, with a long, sharp nose and dark, shiny fur. He glanced at the pack with pale eyes, then stared off into the distance.

  “He looks . . . confident,” Quinn said. He had stopped scratching Gus behind the ears.

  Miss Lottie grunted when her bottom hit her beach chair, just like her old dogs did when they flopped down on their beds.

  “Probably just bluffing,” Miss Lottie said. She stroked Decker’s coat with her palm. “Isn’t he a beauty? He reminds me of Mr. Beans, the very first dog I had when I was little.” She sighed and shook her head. “Mr. Beans was such a great dog. And this guy looks just like him!” Her smile took up her whole face as she gazed at the new dog. “I figure he’s part shepherd, part husky. Maybe a little Doberman, too.”

  Gus rooted around until he found a rock to gnaw on. If Miss Lottie liked Decker, he must be okay. She wouldn’t introduce a new dog into the pack if she thought he was bad.

  Tank struggled to stand. “Don’t like the smell of this one,” he said. “He won’t make a good pack member, Gus!”

  “Why aren’t they sniffing him?” Quinn asked.

  “I don’t know,” Miss Lottie said. “Gus, how do you like Decker?”

  The sick feeling in Gus’s stomach was back, and it wasn’t from a rock or a tennis ball. It was the uncertainty of how to respond to the new dog that was making him nauseous. He had to do something, but what?

  “Is he our new member, huh, Gus? Is he, is he?” Roo asked. She started her sharp staccato barks.

  Moon Pie gave a happy yap and trotted over to the new dog in his puppylike way.

  “Hello! I’m Moon Pie!” he said. “I’m only here for a little while, since I’ll be going back to my human soon. Right, Gus?”

  There it was again. The question Gus dreaded answering. Moon Pie had asked a few times before, and so far Gus had managed to ignore him. Gus glanced over at Tank, but Tank was focused on the new dog.

  “I don’t like the way he’s looking at Moon Pie!” Tank said. He glared at Decker as he said it, daring him to speak.

  “Give him a chance, Tank,” Gus said.

  But he had noticed it, too. There was a strange glint in the new dog’s eyes.

  “Look at his beautiful coat,” Miss Lottie said. She rubbed one of Decker’s ears between her fingers. “It’s just gorgeous. And he’s so calm! I’m telling you, Quinn, it’s like my Mr. Beans all over again!”

  “Is he in or out, Gus? In or out!” Roo barked and ran in furious little circles. She did this when she was upset, which was often. “I HATE not knowing!”

  “Roo,” Quinn said. He leaned over and grabbed her by the collar before she could run another loop. “Shh. It’s okay. Shhhhh.”

  Roo panted heavily. “He seems okay, but what do I know? I’m not the leader! Make up your mind, Gus!”

  “I’m thinking!” Gus said.

  “You’re always thinking!” Roo said.

  “Why doesn’t he say something?” Tank asked. “He’s just sitting there like—”

  Like he’s the leader of the pack, Gus thought.

  He strode over to Decker and stood before him. “We’re a good pack,” Gus said. “We won’t bite, as the humans say.”

  “Really?” Decker said. He looked Gus squarely in the eyes. “Well, I can’t promise the same.”

  “What?” Gus asked. His heartbeat quickened.

  “Just kidding. I only bite food.” Decker licked his lips, showing long, sharp teeth.

  “That’s funny!” Roo said. “He’s funny, Gus! Is he in?”

  Gus’s deep-down dogginess, his gut instincts, could not give approval to this new dog. It felt as wrong and as bad as letting a wolf into the pack.

  Gus would have to growl. Snarl, even. Somehow he would let Miss Lottie know that this new dog was not okay.

  Miss Lottie kissed Decker on top of his head.

  “Mr. Beans was the sweetest thing,” she said to Quinn. “If I was ever worried about something, he would lick my hand. And you’re the same, aren’t you, buddy?”

  The new dog turned to her. Gus watched in amazement as he inched in, then leaned over and licked her hand.

  “Oh, now, see that?” Miss Lottie laughed. “It’s like he IS Mr. Beans!”

  “He’s bad, Gus! Don’t let him in!” Tank said.

  “He’s fine!” Roo said. “Let him in, Gus, let him in!”

  Roo started to howl. Tank barked so vigorously that his front feet left the ground. Moon Pie simply stared up at the new dog, who was easily four times his size.

  Gus had always had good feelings about the other dogs soon after he met them. Always. Decker was the first who smelled and acted wrong.

  But what if Gus’s deep-down dogginess was off? Roo didn’t have a problem with the new dog. Moon Pie seemed okay with him, too.

  “Gus, what are you going to DO?” asked Roo.

  Maybe this new dog just needed a chance, like Miss Lottie was always saying. And if Gus didn’t give his approval, what would happen to Decker? If Miss Lottie sensed they weren’t getting along, she might take him back to the shelter. What if no one ever adopted him? Gus didn’t think he could live with that.

  He wished he had more time to make this decision. To carefully weigh each and every option.

  “What a good boy,” Miss Lottie said as she scratched Decker under the chin.

  And so Gus did it. He gave the small woof and the wag, his official sign of approval.

  Roo and Tank stopped barking. Moon Pie plopped down next to Dexter.

  “They seem okay now,” Miss Lottie said. She looked up at the low clouds. “Do you feel rain?”

  “Yup,” Quinn said.

  G
us saw a flash of lightning in the distance. Roo whined.

  “Oh well. Guess it’s time for home already,” Miss Lottie said.

  She and Quinn loaded the beach chairs, the towels, and the cooler into the van.

  “Okay, kiddos, all in!” Miss Lottie said.

  The dogs jogged over. They stood by the back door while Miss Lottie pulled out the ramp.

  Gus was waiting for the ramp to be put in place when suddenly he felt a hard ball of fur and bone thud against his side.

  “Oof!” Gus lost his balance and fell into a crumpled heap. Dazed, he looked up.

  Decker wagged his tail and hopped into the van.

  First.

  Gus got to his feet as quickly as he could. He ran up the ramp with all the energy he had left after the stressful afternoon.

  But it was too late. Miss Lottie was already in the van, so she hadn’t seen. Quinn, who was in charge of putting the ramp back after they were all in, was checking his phone again.

  But his pack had seen what happened. They had seen the new dog enter the van first, as if he were the leader. He was challenging Gus, and the pack knew it.

  Gus worried for the rest of the ride. Being a good leader meant taking control of new situations. If the other dogs thought Decker might suddenly become their leader, they’d worry about their own places in the pack.

  He had to keep everyone happy. He couldn’t let another pack down.

  Gus Before

  When Gus was a puppy, he always woke up with the mother. She would take him for his walks in gray weather and in bright weather and in snow-white weather. She would talk to him about her upcoming day and hurry him up, just a little, while he did his business.

  When the boy came home, he would take Gus to the park where they watched the ducks swim in the pond.

  In the afternoon, Gus would wait by the front door to greet the father with a happy bark. The big man always rubbed the top of Gus’s head before walking into the house.

  He loved his pack, and his pack loved him.

  They were messy cooks, which made Gus happy, since they often let meaty scraps fall to the floor. Gus was happiest, though, when they were all together watching TV. He would go from lap to lap to lap all night.

  The days melted into each other. Walks, park, head rub, dinner, TV. Walks, park, head rub, dinner, TV. The sameness was comforting to Gus.