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“HI, PUPPY. ARE YOU okay?" Juliette had never owned a dog and didn't know exactly how to handle the situation, but she didn't want to do anything to make it feel cornered. She couldn't tell if it was hurt or not, but she could see the outline of ribs and the pronounced ridges of each vertebrae running down the dog's back. The shoulder blades and hip bones protruded sharply beneath the skin as well. "Oh, puppy, you must be starving."
Her heart broke as the dog tried to push itself up, then collapsed back into a heap with another whimper, its eyes never leaving Juliette's face. She couldn't just leave it there, but she knew better than to crawl under the bushes for it. "Come on, puppy. You need to come out. Come to me." She knelt on the grass a few feet away from the dog, her heart aching as it dragged itself out on its belly. She stayed where she was, coaxing, pleading, urging, until it was close enough to touch.
"Please don't bite me, okay? I want to help you." She reached out a hand, palm up, and rested it on the grass in front of the dog's nose. The pitiful thing stuck out its tongue and licked her fingers. She eased her hand up and tentatively scratched its ears, stroked its shoulders, and ran her hand down the bony back. "You're coming home with me, okay? Will you do that?"
She stood slowly so as not to startle it but the dog only thumped its tail a few times. It wasn't as small as it had seemed curled up under the hedge, but it didn't look like it weighed much, and Juliette was fairly certain she could carry the creature home without any problem. It didn't even struggle when she scooped it up in her arms. Wrinkling her nose at the smell emanating off the unkempt fur, she headed back along the path that lead out of the park.
By the time she reached home, the dog was like dead weight in her rubbery arms. Inside her garage, she lay the dog down on a rag rug door mat, then stood, massaging her aching limbs. It rested its head on its paws again and watched her intently, but the tail no longer moved.
Juliette dug her phone out of her pocket and dialed Renata's number, hoping she'd be home from church by now, and would pick up her phone. They'd only spoken briefly since their discussion over Tim Larsen, but Juliette desperately needed her sister now. The Dixons had two Labradors; Renata would know what to do.
Renata answered, much to Juliette's relief, and she rushed in. "Hey Ren, I just brought a stray dog home, and I think it's almost dead. It's really skinny, but it's so sweet and trusting, and I just couldn't leave it at the park. I don't know the first thing to do for it, though, and oh, my goodness, it stinks."
"Slow down, Juliette. You brought home a stray from the park? What were you thinking?"
"I know, I know. But you wouldn't have left it there either."
"Have you given it any water or food?"
"I don't have any dog food." Juliette was beginning to panic as she thought quickly about the contents of her refrigerator and pantry. "Can I give it tuna?"
"No. What about water? I know you have that."
She covered the mouthpiece with her hand and made eye contact with the dog. "Hold on," she said to the animal. "I'll be right back." She hurried into the kitchen for a bowl, then returned to the garage and filled it with water from the laundry sink. She set it down in front of the dog and stepped back. The animal raised its head and sniffed the dish, then began to lap up the liquid until it was completely gone.
"Wow. Poor thing was really thirsty. Should I get it some more?"
"No, not yet." Renata directed her from the other end of the line. "Wait and see if that stays down. If it hasn't had anything to eat or drink in a while, it might gorge itself, and then throw up all over the place. Just give it a little at a time."
The dog stared up at Juliette. She crouched down to stroke the fur over its ribcage, and was delighted to see the tail wag a few times. "Now what?" she asked.
"You need to call the animal shelter and have them come pick it up, Juliette. You don't want a dog, and you certainly don't want a stray."
"Who says I don't want a dog?"
"You?" Renata scoffed. "A dog? Since when have you ever wanted a dog?"
"I've been thinking about it recently," she said, her tone defensive.
"Recently...as in the last half hour, since you stumbled across this one?"
"No, as in the last couple of months. Since I left Mike."
"Juliette."
"What? I have! And this dog needs me. I don't want to call the pound." She rubbed the velvety ears between her thumb and finger, surprised at how soft the fur was there.
Renata took a deep breath and let it out slowly, as if preparing to talk to a child. "You still have to call the shelter. It's for your own good, Juliette. For you and the dog. They'll quarantine it to make sure it's not sick or rabid, give it vaccines if it lives, spay or neuter it, and if no one claims it, then you can take it back for a nominal fee. It's worth every penny."
Juliette rolled her eyes and stood up, wrinkling her nose as she sniffed her fingertips. "Fine. I'll call them when I get off the phone. But this dog is mine." She hadn't realized until that moment that her mind was made up.
"Do you need me to come over? I can bring some dog food."
Juliette couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Really? On a Sunday? What about your guys?"
Renata's voice was like a tire gone flat. "John's taken the boys out to lunch. It's a guy thing, you know; a man and his sons. So," there was a brief pause, as though she was choosing her words with care. "I guess I'm free to do as I please this afternoon. Shall I come over?"
"Oh, Ren, that would be great. I would feel so much better if you were here." Juliette could tell there was more to the story than what Renata was telling her, and she confirmed it with her next words.
"I'd feel better if I were there, too, instead of sitting here staring at the walls. I'll be right over, bearing flea and tick shampoo and dog food." She hung up before Juliette could even say good-bye.
~ ~ ~
RENATA, NOSE WRINKLED the moment she walked into the open garage, insisted they bathe the dog immediately, and it took a surprising amount of effort to keep the suddenly energetic animal in the deep laundry sink. Once clean and dried, though, the dog looked much more presentable, and he certainly smelled better. Juliette loaned her sister a clean set of clothes, and they took turns showering while the dog slept, exhausted by its bath-time adventure. When Juliette emerged from the bathroom, Renata had lunch ready for them and was filling a bowl with food for Tootles, who was lying on an old blanket on the kitchen floor where they could keep an eye on him.
Renata had confirmed that, yes, the dog was in fact a male. She also didn't think he was very old; pointing out that he still had a few of his sharp baby teeth intact. "He must have been born on the streets, poor guy. I wonder what happened to his mommy. He's just a little lost boy."
And that was how Juliette came up with his name, after one of the lost boys from Never Land.
Renata placed the bowl of food in front of the sleeping dog while Juliette poured a couple glasses of iced tea for them, then they sat down to share their meal. Without really thinking about what she was doing, Juliette grabbed Renata's hand. "Do you mind if I pray today?"
Renata hesitated momentarily, then shrugged. "Sure."
"God, thanks for my sister. And thanks for Tootles. And thanks for the sandwiches. Amen." She smiled shyly across the table, knowing she needed some practice before she could sound anything like her sister. Renata stared at her with raised eyebrows.
"You're really serious about this, aren't you?"
"About what?" Juliette didn't know if she was referring to her prayer or the dog.
"Your faith," Renata clarified. "You're really taking this whole thing seriously."
She nodded, and took a bite of her sandwich. They ate in silence until Renata nudged her, and tipped her head toward the dog. Too tired or too lazy to get up, Tootles had scooted over to the bowl and was eating the food while still resting on his belly.
"He is pretty cute," Renata conceded.
Juliette grinned like a proud parent. "I know." She had called the animal shelter and learned they had emergency staff only on Sundays, so Juliette offered to keep the dog until Monday when there would be more help available.
"So tell me exactly how you found him," Renata asked. In the flurry of activity, there'd been no chance to discuss the details of Juliette's morning walk.
"Well, I skipped church this morning so I decided to take my Bible down to the park—oh! My Bible! I left it on the bench!" Juliette jumped up from her seat. "I need to go back and get it. My notebook, too."
Renata frowned up at her. "I didn't know you had a Bible."
"You gave it to me; don't you remember?"
"You kept that?" Renata's surprise made Juliette smile.
"Of course, silly. I wasn't going to throw a Bible away. I was too afraid I'd get struck by lightning or something."
"Wonders never cease," Renata quipped. "Well, I'm glad you kept it. I'm glad you're using the Bible I gave you." She pushed her chair back and stood up. "So, what are we waiting for? We need to go find that Bible!"
Turning to the dog, she said, "Tootles, you're coming too. We don't know what kind of house guest you are. And no barfing in my car, do you hear?"
