Crossing Boundaries

Shep

Sang entered the laundry room where Shep had been set up the night before and saw Nathan and Kota standing apprehensively to the side watching Shep. Shep was wide awake and sniffing to his heart's content around the little room. His tail was wagging furiously. Sang greeted the boys and at the sound of her voice, Shep whipped his head up and gave a friendly bark. He bounded towards Sang with lumbering enthusiasm. "Oh no you don't," Nathan stepped forward and tried to ward of an over excitable dog. Sang simply sidestepped past Nathan and crouched down to Shep. Shep leaped onto Sang's lap and lavished her with slobbery wet kisses. Sang, in her delight, laughed and cooed at him, "Oh, you big guy, how I missed you, Mr. Pudgy." She spoke in a soft, babyish voice and in the background Nathan and Kota snickered quietly.

Kota sobered up and said, "We have to take him out. He already made a puddle on one of the newspapers." Together, Sang, Kota and Nathan lead Shep out towards the door to the garden. Luke and Mr. Blackbourne had emerged from Sang's bedroom and were descending the stairs. They watched Sang with Shep.

Mr. Blackbourne waved at the boys and Sang, "Well, I have to get going. Good luck with the dog, Ms. Sorenson." Mr. Blackbourne nodded and strode to the front door. Sang watched after him with a longing look on her face. She had seen so much of him the past few days. Now that the ordeal was over, she did not know when next she would see him. Probably at school, but somehow it just wasn't the same.

Once out in the garden, Shep stuck his nose to the ground and was off sniffing everything he could find. Luckily the pool in the backyard was closed, the last thing they wanted was a soaking wet dog. Nathan, Kota and Luke were discussing about the best way to train a dog.

"You have to train the dog to go in one place all the time in the garden," This was from Kota, who obviously knew what he was talking about because of Max.

"Looks as though Shep has already got a plan," said Luke who was watching Sang and Shep. Sang was trailing after Shep, still talking to him enthusiastically. She tried to weave her hands in his fur but he was more intent on finding a place to relieve himself. After Shep did his business, he started butt-wagging his way to Sang and running circles around the boys. Sang ran with him while laughing the entire time.

The boys just stood staring at Sang. They were mesmerized by the carefree expression and laughter coming from Sang. This side of Sang took some time to emerge but once it did it was as if she had swallowed the sun and spat out rainbows. The boys were ready to park themselves in front of her with a bucket of popcorn.

"If I had known that a dog was the answer to this kind of Sang, I would have gotten her 50 dogs the day we met," Luke said. Nathan nodded and asked Kota, "Hey Man, did she every behave this way with Max?"

"No, Sang is friendly towards Max of course, but I think the night he knocked her down made her cautious towards him."

"Hmm...pity. But this, this...makes everything we went through yesterday worth it to see Sang so taken with that dog."

Sang collapsed on the grass with the dog sprawled over her. They both panted from their play. The weather was sunny and warm and the duo soaked it up. Sang grinned up at the boys and patted the space next to her. The boys positioned themselves around Sang and her dog.

"So, what do you think of him?" Sang asked. She looked up at Kota first, waiting for his approval. Kota smiled at her and scratched at a luxuriating Shep. The heavy dog rolled over and exposed his stomach for more scratches. They took turns patting Shep and making him feel welcome.

Kota looked up at Sang and said, "Well, we have to train him for sure. I can help you; guide you through the process. It's harder with older dogs but doable."

"Did you train Max?" Sang asked.

"Yes, Golden Retrievers are usually easy to train and Max is highly intelligent and he makes an excellent guard dog."

"What kind of dog do you think he is?" Sang asked looking at Shep's great shaggy head. Shep was covered in thick layers of grey and white fur. He had a shaggy mustache and fur dangling down towards his eyes. Parts of his fur had thick mats and other parts were like soft downy wool. He probably needed a good wash and groom.

"Probably an English Sheepdog mix."

"Ooh, how would Max react to having another dog around," Luke piped up.

Kota laughed and said, "Fine I think. Max has been through puppy school so he is perfectly capable of adapting himself with other dogs around. He might even be useful keeping Shep in line."

Sang's expression brightened and she stood up, "Good, let's go get Max now."

Kota stood up as well and placed a hand on Sang's arm, "Wait up Sang. Shep has to get used to us first and he needs to get used to his new home as well."

They lead Shep back into the house and into the kitchen. Kota had brought with him some doggy kibble and a spare bowl for water. He measured out an amount for the dog's breakfast. Once he placed it on the floor, Shep pounced on the food and within seconds everything was gone.

"Hmm, he might benefit from a slow-feed bowl," Kota mused.

"What's that?" Sang asked.

"It's a bowl designed to slow the dog's feeding. It's not good for the digestive system for dogs to eat that fast. Max started with one as a puppy, but he has since learned to pace himself."

Just then, Gabriel strode into the kitchen. He heard that last bit and perked up, "Know what that means?" He winked at Sang.

Sang looked at him quizzically.

"Shopping trip!"