15. Thomas
15
THOMAS
T homas drove away from the village and through country lanes until he reached the crossroads that led to the next seaside village, central Cornwall, and the road that led to the animal sanctuary. He turned left and followed the road to a locked gate with an intercom on a post to the right of it. He got out and pressed the buzzer then waited.
After he’d given his name and car registration, he was buzzed through, and he followed a gravel driveway through tall well-established trees until he reached a farmhouse. He parked next to a white van with the animal sanctuary logo on the side, got out then looked around.
The sanctuary was on private land, surrounded by trees, hedgerows and acres of open fields. It was green, yellow and brown for as far as he could see, with fields lush with various crops and those left fallow. The farmhouse was at the front of the buildings with several converted barns behind and the kennels made from converted stables.
He headed for the reception area and went inside. The walls were painted primrose yellow with black and white photographs of animals in frames on every wall. There was a reception desk, some chairs, and a large weighing scales with a chart about ideal weights for different dog breeds pinned above it. Soothing instrumental music played softly from hidden speakers and a receptionist behind the desk typed into a computer. The place smelt of lilies and a lemony disinfectant, along with the scent of animals that Thomas suspected permeated the plaster of the walls and the tiles of the floor. It reminded him of the smell at the vet’s when he’d been there before to drop off a Christmas card.
On the reception desk behind the computer were open boxes of leaflets about the sanctuary and its mission, ways to make a donation and adoption procedures. To the side of the desk on the wall was a pinboard with information about upcoming fundraising events and ways people could help.
He approached the reception desk and gave his name to the young man sitting there then waited. About five minutes later, Leanne emerged through a side door.
‘Hello there, Thomas! It’s good to see you again. Please come with me.’
She led him through the door and along a corridor to an office. She sat behind the desk and gestured for him to sit too.
‘Right, I’ll just print out some forms and we can get you sorted.’
While she printed the forms, Thomas gazed out of the window that overlooked a courtyard. He could see the stables opposite and one of the barns. A few people passed the windows carrying small scruffy looking dogs in their arms.
‘We had an emergency call last night. A runner found a dog tied to a tree with a box full of puppies next to her. Thankfully, it wasn’t too cold out last night but even so, the puppies are only young, and the poor mother was trying to keep them warm.’
‘God that’s awful,’ he said.
‘It happens a lot. We take as many dogs as we can here but there are more and more desperate cases arising all the time.’
‘I want to help,’ he said, filled with a determination he hadn’t felt in some time. ‘I want to do what I can.’
It was as if the clouds had cleared and a light was shining down on him from the heavens, making it obvious exactly what he was meant to do. All it had taken was for him to take a step in the right direction and now he knew. This was what he was meant to do. He’d spent three years healing and mourning who he’d been before, but there were animals being mistreated and hurt every day, and he was in a position to do something about it. This could be his mission.
‘I’m happy to hear that, Thomas,’ she said. ‘If you can read through these and sign them then let me have your driving licence and another form of proof of address, we can get you started around here.’
They went through the paperwork, which didn’t take long as Thomas had already sent in references, and then Leanne shook his hand. ‘So, this will be on a voluntary basis for now but as soon as we have a paid vacancy, you’ll be welcome to apply for it. Getting experience to ensure that the work is right for you, just as we need to ensure that you are a good fit for us, will help with your application for a paid role. Does that all sound OK to you?’
‘Absolutely.’ Thomas nodded.
‘Right then, I’ll show you around.’
Leanne had given him a virtual tour with her phone previously, but he was keen to see the place for himself, especially the kennels where the dogs were housed. Also, he really wanted to meet the dogs and get to know them before he started working there.
They walked around the whole site. Leanne took him into the barns where they had the cattery and a small animal section, then to the reptile house, next to meet the goats and ponies, and then, finally, to meet the dogs.
‘We tend to encourage our volunteers to choose where they’d prefer to work as then people can develop a specialism. This helps if you decide to pursue a career in something like veterinary care or want to study reptiles, for example.’ Leanne opened the door to the kennels and gestured for Thomas to go in before her.
Inside, there was a long corridor with windows to the right and doors and interior windows to the left. Each door opened into a small room where there was at least one bed, a stand with a water bowl and space for a food bowl and a basket of toys. At the rear of each room was an opening that Leanne told him led through to the outdoor space. It could be closed off at night and during cold weather, at which point the heat lamps would be turned on too.
‘It looks very comfortable.’ He peered into the first kennel where a Doberman was stretched out on the hammock style bed, her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth as she slept.
‘We do our best to give them comfort and plenty of exercise and attention, but we always want them to have a home of their own. There’s no substitute for that.’ Leanne smiled as she gazed at the Doberman whose name, she told him, was Fifi.
They walked slowly along the corridor and Thomas looked in at all the resident dogs. There were Labradors, chow chows, greyhounds, terriers and a few crossbreeds. Leanne opened each kennel in turn so he could meet the dogs and then she told him he could hang around there if he wanted and spend some time getting to know them.
‘That would be awesome, thanks.’ He nodded his acceptance.
‘I’ve got some paperwork to get through so come over to the office when you’re ready and we can have a coffee.’
‘Thanks, Leanne.’
She showed him how to lock everything up properly then headed back over to the office and Thomas was left alone in the kennels. A few employees came in and introduced themselves, took dogs out for walks and meet and greet appointments, and Thomas spent the next few hours taking turns sitting in each kennel. He thought all the dogs were wonderful, but Fifi the Doberman won his heart. She was only eighteen months old and very sweet and playful. She kept picking up a ball and dropping it in his lap, so he’d roll it away, she’d chase it, then return it to him.
When his stomach growled loudly, he realised it was lunchtime, so he reluctantly said goodbye to Fifi then locked her kennel and turned to go. But she pressed her beautiful face up against the glass, her big brown eyes imploring him to stay with her. He couldn’t leave her like that, so he unlocked the kennel and went back inside for another hour until one of the employees arrived to take her to the secure exercise field.
He returned to Leanne’s office and knocked on the door and Leanne called him in.
‘Coffee?’ she asked.
‘Please.’
‘I have biscuits too!’ She brandished a packet of custard creams. ‘You’ll find that we always have biscuits here.’
‘Good to know.’ He accepted a mug of coffee then a custard cream. ‘Thanks for this morning. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.’
‘I’m glad to hear it. Did Fifi guilt trip you into staying with her longer?’
He laughed. ‘She did. It’s those big brown eyes of hers.’
‘She’s good at that. She’s such a beautiful girl. It’s hard to believe that someone abandoned her outside our gates.’
‘What?’ Thomas almost dropped his biscuit into his mug. ‘They left her there?’
Leanne nodded. ‘We try not to judge anyone because life can be hard, and lots of people are struggling right now, but I do wish they’d contact us and ask for help rather than leaving dogs to fend for themselves like that.’ She gave a small shrug. ‘Sadly, that’s how things are. Luckily, our security cameras alerted us to the fact that there was movement at the gate, and I went out and brought her inside. Poor girl was bewildered and ravenous, but we fed her and snuggled her up and she soon settled. She’d clearly been a loved pet but for some reason her owner had felt unable to keep her. I suspect it’s because she’s big with a big appetite and she needs a lot of exercise and mental stimulation, but she also needs love and cuddles and has so much love to give in return.’
‘Has she had any interest?’ Thomas ate his biscuit, trying to swallow his sadness down.
‘Not yet. People tend to go for the smaller dogs and larger breeds like her get left behind. We do our best for her though and I live on site so I’m always here. Some of the employees stay over in the allocated rooms a few times a week just to help out, especially when we have litters of abandoned pups in that need round-the-clock care. And we have a network of fosterers who are incredibly important to the rescue. They take the pressure off here so we can make space for more dogs and other animals.’
‘It’s an important network then,’ Thomas said.
‘Indeed, it is. And now, hopefully, you’re going to join us?’
‘I would love that.’ He sipped his coffee. ‘How’s Harvey getting along?’
‘Oh that pug is just the sweetest. I don’t know how he hasn’t been snapped up yet. We’re crossing everything that he will be though.’
So there was a good chance that Harvey would be adopted but not Fifi.
‘I wonder if…’ He stopped himself.
‘If?’ Leanne smiled. ‘Please never be afraid to ask something or make suggestions, Thomas. We’re a solid team here and we are always open to a fresh perspective.’
‘OK. Uhm… I wonder if perhaps I could foster Fifi for a bit. I’d get to know her first of course so she trusts me, and then perhaps in a week or two she could come and stay with me. I could bring her in with me on my work days, and then take her home at night. Would that work, do you think?’
Leanne’s face broadened into a huge smile. ‘I think that would be perfect. I saw how well she took to you.’
Thomas frowned in confusion.
‘On the cameras in the kennels,’ Leanne said, pointing at the monitor in the corner of the office. ‘We have cameras everywhere to keep an eye on things in case any of the animals get distressed or need anything.’
‘Of course. I did see the cameras when I went in, but I’d forgotten.’ Thomas laughed.
‘Fifi had you wrapped around her paw, didn’t she?’
A flush crept into his cheeks but Thomas smiled. ‘She did. I think she deserves a chance.’
And just like that, Thomas decided to foster a beautiful young Doberman named Fifi.