So many choices. Too many choices. Steve and Lucy had brought their little family to the local animal shelter so each of them could choose a pet. Well, not James. He was a little too young for a pet, but Steve and Lucy had decided that pets would be good for the older pair. Pets would not only help teach them responsibility, but give them some companionship, too. It had all started because of the Storms, really. The children had gotten a taste of what it was like to have a dog from the Storms, and had been asking for a pet of their own ever since.
Steve sighed as they slowly walked through the kennels, sad to see so many animals who needed good homes. "I don't even know where to begin. Do you?" he asked Lucy quietly, so that Martin and Lianne wouldn't overhear.
"Well, we've done the paperwork," Lucy murmured back to him. "Maybe we should split up - you do cats with Lianne, and I'll do dogs with Martin, and then they can show each other the ones they like best?" She didn't have the first idea how to do this, but Liv made it look so easy.
To be fair, Liv and Johnny only had a dog, while Steve and Lucy were looking for both a dog and cat, but it wasn't a competition. "Okay, you want me to take Jamie?" he asked, leaving the decision up to her, while the pair of children oohed and aahed at the vast selection of pets needing good homes.
"Might be a good idea," she nodded. "The cattery is mostly enclosed, so he won't be able to freak out any cats there when he squeals at them." She grinned at her husband; they both knew Jamie was in the middle of a phase of loving the sound of his own voice at the moment. She looked down at Martin. "All right, ma petit, shall we go and look at the puppies?"
Steve chuckled at Lucy's logic. Neither of them knew the first thing about choosing a pet, though they had done their research regarding caring for one ....or two. "Sounds like a plan. I'll meet you back here in a while." He touched a kiss to her lips and offered a hand to Lianne, the other pushing Jamie's stroller. "Ready to check out the cats, Li-Li?"
Meanwhile, Martin beamed a smile up at his mother. He was clearly in his glory. "Oui, Mama. I am ready!"
"Oui, aussi, Papa," Lianne echoed her brother as she took Steve's hand, wriggling her free fingers in Martin and Lucy's direction.
Lucy chuckled, sweeping her elder son's bangs out of his eyes. "Well, come on, then," she encouraged him. "We have a lot of dogs to see." Personally, she was hoping for a puppy, or there was going to have to be some strict discipline laid down between the dog and the cat.
Martin wiggled his fingers back at his sister, before being tugged along by his mother in search of a dog, like his father had promised. "What kind of dog should we get, Mama?" he asked, trusting eyes looking up at her from beside her.
"Well, that all depends on which dog suits you, doesn't it?" Lucy smiled down at her son, not embarrassing him by holding his hand this time. They were still working out what was allowed at age nine, and what wasn't. "But if the dog you choose is an old one, you will have to goodbye to them sooner than you may be ready for."
He seemed to consider that a moment, before looking back up at her again. "But old dogs need homes, too, n'est ce-pas" Like Aunt Peggy. She was old, but we loved her until it was time to say good-bye, oui?"
Lucy had to blink to clear her vision as he brought Peggy up, mentally cursing for trying to warn him ahead of time. She swallowed, pausing to crouch down and look him in the eye. "I'm not saying you shouldn't, if you take to one of the older dogs," she promised him. "I just don't want you to go into this and be shocked if, in just a couple of years, your friend has to leave us. But this is about you, ma petit. Your friend, your choice."
He looked back at her soberly and nodded his blond head. "Oui, Mama, I understand," he replied obediently. Somehow he knew she was trying to save him some pain and suffering, but that wasn't what was important here. What was important to him was giving a good home to a lonely animal in need. "Why are there so many dogs here, Mama?" he asked curiously. There were certainly enough homes in the city for all of these poor creatures, weren't there"
"I don't know all the reasons, sweetheart," she told him. "But some are here because their owners couldn't cope with them, or couldn't afford to keep them anymore. Some are here because they were picked up as strays on the road. Unfortunately some are here because they were taken away from owners who were hurting them - like Bella was. There are lots of reasons why the shelters are so full, but one of the main ones is the silly people who don't spay or neuter their pets, so they end up with a litter of puppies or kittens that they can't deal with."
"Why would anyone hurt them?" he asked. Though already nine years old, he was still a child and still young enough not to understand the cruelties of the world, though he'd experienced some of them. Unlike little Maria, he'd been lucky enough to have escaped their ordeal without any physical injuries, though nightmares still sometimes woke him in the middle of the night.
"Because some people can be very cruel, especially to anyone who needs them, like dogs and cats, and even children," Lucy explained gently, rising to her feet to wrap her arm about his shoulders. "But that's why shelters like this one exist, so that dogs and cats and animals who have been treated badly can have a chance of going to a home where they'll be loved."
Martin frowned sadly as his mother moved to her feet to lead him through the rows of cages in the kennel. "I wish we could save them all," he said quietly, though he knew that was impossible. "When I grow up, I will help them all find good homes," he declared, coming to an abrupt decision about his own future. "Could I do that, Mama?" he asked, looking up at her again. "Could I do something to help them when I get older?"
"I wish we could, too," she agreed with him, understanding that wrenching feeling of knowing they could only take one. "Martin, you can do anything if you set your mind to it. You are a bright, compassionate little man, and I have every faith that whatever you choose to do with your life, you will succeed in."
"I will do that then," he said, determinedly, deciding right there on the spot that his future career would somehow involve animals, though he wasn't sure what direction he'd take that in yet. Of course, he had plenty of years to both plan and change his mind, but at that moment in time, he was determined to make it happen.
Smiling, Lucy squeezed his shoulder, proud of him for feeling so strongly about something that he could make a decision like that in the moment. Of course, he might well change his mind, but she knew they'd support him, no matter what. "All right, then, handsome. Let's see who catches your eye." The kennels were full so close to Christmas, and it made her ache to know that so many of these dogs would be returned to the shelter in January or February when their new owners realized the commitment they had made. But that wasn't going to happen with them. "Every cage has a sign up with the dog's name and a little bit about them, too, see?"
Steve sighed as they slowly walked through the kennels, sad to see so many animals who needed good homes. "I don't even know where to begin. Do you?" he asked Lucy quietly, so that Martin and Lianne wouldn't overhear.
"Well, we've done the paperwork," Lucy murmured back to him. "Maybe we should split up - you do cats with Lianne, and I'll do dogs with Martin, and then they can show each other the ones they like best?" She didn't have the first idea how to do this, but Liv made it look so easy.
To be fair, Liv and Johnny only had a dog, while Steve and Lucy were looking for both a dog and cat, but it wasn't a competition. "Okay, you want me to take Jamie?" he asked, leaving the decision up to her, while the pair of children oohed and aahed at the vast selection of pets needing good homes.
"Might be a good idea," she nodded. "The cattery is mostly enclosed, so he won't be able to freak out any cats there when he squeals at them." She grinned at her husband; they both knew Jamie was in the middle of a phase of loving the sound of his own voice at the moment. She looked down at Martin. "All right, ma petit, shall we go and look at the puppies?"
Steve chuckled at Lucy's logic. Neither of them knew the first thing about choosing a pet, though they had done their research regarding caring for one ....or two. "Sounds like a plan. I'll meet you back here in a while." He touched a kiss to her lips and offered a hand to Lianne, the other pushing Jamie's stroller. "Ready to check out the cats, Li-Li?"
Meanwhile, Martin beamed a smile up at his mother. He was clearly in his glory. "Oui, Mama. I am ready!"
"Oui, aussi, Papa," Lianne echoed her brother as she took Steve's hand, wriggling her free fingers in Martin and Lucy's direction.
Lucy chuckled, sweeping her elder son's bangs out of his eyes. "Well, come on, then," she encouraged him. "We have a lot of dogs to see." Personally, she was hoping for a puppy, or there was going to have to be some strict discipline laid down between the dog and the cat.
Martin wiggled his fingers back at his sister, before being tugged along by his mother in search of a dog, like his father had promised. "What kind of dog should we get, Mama?" he asked, trusting eyes looking up at her from beside her.
"Well, that all depends on which dog suits you, doesn't it?" Lucy smiled down at her son, not embarrassing him by holding his hand this time. They were still working out what was allowed at age nine, and what wasn't. "But if the dog you choose is an old one, you will have to goodbye to them sooner than you may be ready for."
He seemed to consider that a moment, before looking back up at her again. "But old dogs need homes, too, n'est ce-pas" Like Aunt Peggy. She was old, but we loved her until it was time to say good-bye, oui?"
Lucy had to blink to clear her vision as he brought Peggy up, mentally cursing for trying to warn him ahead of time. She swallowed, pausing to crouch down and look him in the eye. "I'm not saying you shouldn't, if you take to one of the older dogs," she promised him. "I just don't want you to go into this and be shocked if, in just a couple of years, your friend has to leave us. But this is about you, ma petit. Your friend, your choice."
He looked back at her soberly and nodded his blond head. "Oui, Mama, I understand," he replied obediently. Somehow he knew she was trying to save him some pain and suffering, but that wasn't what was important here. What was important to him was giving a good home to a lonely animal in need. "Why are there so many dogs here, Mama?" he asked curiously. There were certainly enough homes in the city for all of these poor creatures, weren't there"
"I don't know all the reasons, sweetheart," she told him. "But some are here because their owners couldn't cope with them, or couldn't afford to keep them anymore. Some are here because they were picked up as strays on the road. Unfortunately some are here because they were taken away from owners who were hurting them - like Bella was. There are lots of reasons why the shelters are so full, but one of the main ones is the silly people who don't spay or neuter their pets, so they end up with a litter of puppies or kittens that they can't deal with."
"Why would anyone hurt them?" he asked. Though already nine years old, he was still a child and still young enough not to understand the cruelties of the world, though he'd experienced some of them. Unlike little Maria, he'd been lucky enough to have escaped their ordeal without any physical injuries, though nightmares still sometimes woke him in the middle of the night.
"Because some people can be very cruel, especially to anyone who needs them, like dogs and cats, and even children," Lucy explained gently, rising to her feet to wrap her arm about his shoulders. "But that's why shelters like this one exist, so that dogs and cats and animals who have been treated badly can have a chance of going to a home where they'll be loved."
Martin frowned sadly as his mother moved to her feet to lead him through the rows of cages in the kennel. "I wish we could save them all," he said quietly, though he knew that was impossible. "When I grow up, I will help them all find good homes," he declared, coming to an abrupt decision about his own future. "Could I do that, Mama?" he asked, looking up at her again. "Could I do something to help them when I get older?"
"I wish we could, too," she agreed with him, understanding that wrenching feeling of knowing they could only take one. "Martin, you can do anything if you set your mind to it. You are a bright, compassionate little man, and I have every faith that whatever you choose to do with your life, you will succeed in."
"I will do that then," he said, determinedly, deciding right there on the spot that his future career would somehow involve animals, though he wasn't sure what direction he'd take that in yet. Of course, he had plenty of years to both plan and change his mind, but at that moment in time, he was determined to make it happen.
Smiling, Lucy squeezed his shoulder, proud of him for feeling so strongly about something that he could make a decision like that in the moment. Of course, he might well change his mind, but she knew they'd support him, no matter what. "All right, then, handsome. Let's see who catches your eye." The kennels were full so close to Christmas, and it made her ache to know that so many of these dogs would be returned to the shelter in January or February when their new owners realized the commitment they had made. But that wasn't going to happen with them. "Every cage has a sign up with the dog's name and a little bit about them, too, see?"