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.
Truman seemed to enjoy all the attention. After a few days, Kitty reported that he was already acting friendlier with people—even ones he didn’t know.
“He’s a fast learner,” she said as she watched Truman follow Janey around the lobby on Friday afternoon, staying right at her heel. “And you kids are great teachers! I bet he’ll find his new family before long.”
“I sure hope you’re right. Sit, Truman!” Janey beamed as the little dog lowered his haunches to the floor. “Good boy!”