Chapter 1 #2
With the dog chores completed, he went to the kitchen and made himself a simple dinner of tomato soup and grilled cheese. The dogs all sat around his chair, watching him for anything that might hit the floor.
A knock sounded just as he finished eating. He checked and opened the door, careful to keep the dogs inside. “Carrie, why are…?” He was surprised at first to see his best friend from college. She was working to finish law school at Dickinson. He gasped as he remembered.
“I take it you forgot we were going out,” she said with a slight huff.
“I’m sorry.” He let her in. The dogs clamored for her attention. “As you can see, things have been eventful.”
“You got dogs,” she said and sat down, petting all of them. “What happened?”
“They were my neighbor’s. She passed a few days ago, and I promised to take them. We just found her today, and I’m still trying to get my head around the fact that she’s gone and I have these guys. There’s Daisy, Dash, Dover, and Dahlia. Two male and two female. They are really sweet.”
She lifted Dash into her arms, and he settled right away. “You’re going to end up with puppies, you know.”
“No. They’re all siblings as far as I understand, and they’ve been fixed. Corky’s dogs were all descendants of the first ones she got years ago.” He settled on the sofa, and the other dogs found places around him. “They’re all sweet things.”
“Yes, they are,” she agreed. “So I guess instead of going out, we could have ice cream and watch Netflix.”
“Now that sounds like a real plan,” Lyle said.
“I have to ask,” Carrie said as she got comfortable and Lyle grabbed a pair of sodas from the refrigerator. “What do you know about caring for dogs?”
“What’s there to know? Feed them, water them, take them on walks so they can poo and pee.”
She laughed. “Your ignorance is usually charming, but this time you’re going to end up with said poo all over the house.
First thing, these are small dogs, but they need a place to run outside.
Have they had their shots? Is there any special care they need?
And look at them—they will need regular grooming. ”
Lyle groaned. “Okay. You made your point. I don’t know crap, and I’m going to be a terrible pet parent and ruin their lives.” He was only partly kidding.
Carrie grabbed his soda before he could open the top of the bottle, then hurried to the kitchen.
“No drinking. Let’s put these guys in my car, and we’ll bring them to Mitchell.
He takes care of my cats, and he’s the nicest guy.
He has a dog rescue, and he’ll be able to help you with the dogs and look them over to make sure they don’t need anything special.
” She tossed a couple leashes at him, the dogs already excited.
They got them out of the house and walked them quickly so they could pee and stuff. Then Lyle got in the backseat with them while Carrie drove through town to the shelter, making a call through the Bluetooth on her phone on the way.
“The shelter is right next to his home. Mitchell will meet us there.” She drove carefully for her, which meant she chose a speed slightly slower than bat out of hell.
Still, they all arrived in one piece, and Lyle got out with Carrie as a man in his late thirties or so strode across the grass to where they waited.
“These are Corky’s dogs,” he said skeptically.
Lyle swallowed hard. “She passed away, and she always said she wanted me to care for the dogs. But I never had one growing up, so I need to know that they’re okay and what I should do. I’ve got food and water dishes, their beds and toys.”
“You’ll need a supply of poop bags for walks, and I assume you work.
So who is going to check on them during the day?
These are small dogs, and they’re used to a regular routine.
” He looked over each one. “Yes, they are all in good shape. Dash and Daisy are two, Dahlia and Dover are three. They come from different litters but have the same mother, as you probably guessed. Unfortunately Lilly Anne, the mother, passed away last year.”
“I remember her. Corky was so sad about the loss.”
“Yes, she was. I think that was when she decided to make sure the dogs would be taken care of. She said she had someone that she would name in her will to take them. I’m guessing that was you.”
“Yeah. She asked me to care for the dogs, but I don’t know all that much about them.” After listening to Carrie and Mitchell, he wasn’t sure he could take care of them.
“Are these Corky’s dogs?” a husky male voice asked.
The guy was tall and wide, and he seemed kind of intimidating.
Lyle took a step back and wasn’t sure if he should let the dogs anywhere near him.
But when the man knelt down, they hurried over, reveling in the attention he lavished on them.
They ran around his legs, loving every pet, nudging each other out of the way so they could get closer to him.
“Where is she? Why didn’t she bring them in? ”
“James,” Carrie said gently. “She passed away a few days ago.” She put a hand on James’s arm. “Lyle is going to take care of the dogs. Corky asked him to, because he’s the kindest person. But he’s never had a dog before.”
James nodded and stood. “So that’s why you’re here.” He smiled, and the intimidation factor slipped away. His face lit up, and Lyle found himself smiling back.
“Yeah, Carrie suggested I bring them to Mitchell. They were fending for themselves for a few days, and I wanted to make sure they were okay. I was worried they didn’t get enough to eat and stuff.
I fed them when I found them, and I gave them a little more a while ago, but I don’t know how much they should have. I don’t know anything.”
“Okay. They don’t seem hungry at the moment. Give them a little more food before bed, and plenty of water,” Mitchell said.
“But what about when I’m at work? I thought I could come home at lunch to feed them and let them out. I know Corky was home all the time, so they had her company. But I have to work, and….”
Mitchell was patient. “There’s nothing to worry about. Just make sure they have food and water when you leave. They should be okay for half a day. I’d suggest putting them in an enclosed space to start with to see how they react.”
Lyle nodded. He thought he could close them in the kitchen.
The cabinets all snapped shut, and the counters were too high for them to jump on.
He supposed as long as he had the chairs under the table, they couldn’t use them as an intermediate step.
The floor was tile, so any accidents would be easy to clean up.
“Okay. I can do that. I really just want them to be happy.”
James chuckled. “Then they will be. Just remember that when they do something wrong, it’s not their fault. They’re dogs and they do what dogs do. So if they get into the garbage, then you didn’t take it out or they got bored or hungry. It’s not their fault; it’s yours.”
“I have their toys and stuff. I thought I’d leave some out for them.” He was starting to feel a little better. “Is there anything else?”
“Just care for them, and they will love you forever,” Mitchell said. Now, that sounded like something Lyle really needed.
Coming in Summer 2026