Dog Eat Dog Read Free Page A

racket!” she said to Faith. “It’s me, your grandmother.”
    Dog-talk for breeder. Immediately the puppy stopped barking and wagged her tail. As Aunt Peg doffed gloves and hat and unwound her scarf, Faith danced on her hind legs, offering to help. What a pair.
    â€œYou’re early,” I said. “I’m just feeding Faith.”
    â€œSix,” Aunt Peg said firmly. “I’m right on time.”
    My watch said ten to, but it wasn’t worth debating.
    Aunt Peg followed me back to the kitchen. “Where’s Davey?”
    â€œAt a friend’s house for the evening. I told Joey’s mom I’d be by around nine. We’ll be back by then, won’t we?”
    â€œIf we’re lucky.” Aunt Peg watched with a critical eye as I added a dollop of cottage cheese and some canned meat to Faith’s kibble, then set the dish on the floor. “Sometimes these meetings go on until all hours. It depends how much arguing everyone wants to do.”
    â€œAbout what?”
    â€œAnything and everything. The members of the Belle Haven Kennel Club are a diverse group, nearly all with different breeds and strong opinions about what’s best for each of them.”
    I considered that. Faith was the first dog I’d ever had. In many ways, I was still feeling my way around Poodles. I knew even less about what went on in the other breeds.
    â€œActually,” I told her, “you never did explain exactly what a kennel club is.”
    â€œIt didn’t occur to me. You know what the American Kennel Club is, of course.”
    I did. The A.K.C. was the largest registry of purebred dogs in America. From its offices in New York City and North Carolina, it registered puppies, issued pedigrees, and sponsored more than a thousand dog shows every year.
    â€œLocal clubs are a little different, both in their goals and their make-up. They serve a variety of functions, one of which is to give breeders in a particular area a chance to get together, socialize, and compare notes.”
    That seemed obvious enough. “What else?”
    â€œA well-run club can act as a liaison between dog owners and the community. Club members take their dogs to visit nursing homes and hospitals. They put on programs in schools. They sponsor clinics, do breeder referral to help people who are shopping for puppies, and many now have rescue services, which take in unwanted pets and find them new homes.”
    â€œIt sounds like a lot of work.”
    â€œIt is. And that’s only half the job.”
    Faith finished her food, and looked up. When Aunt Peg patted her leg, the puppy ambled over obligingly. Never one for subtlety, Peg ran her hands over Faith’s body; checking, no doubt, to make sure that I was keeping her grandchild in good condition.
    I picked up the empty stainless steel bowl and carried it to the sink. “What’s the other half?”
    â€œThe kennel clubs put on the dog shows. One per year, for most clubs.” Apparently satisfied, Aunt Peg straightened from her inspection and scratched Faith under the chin. “That’s their most visible function, and certainly most profitable. If a club knows what it’s doing, the show can support club activities for the rest of the year.”
    â€œDoes Belle Haven know what it’s doing?”
    â€œOverall, I’d say yes. Like most dog clubs, we have a core group of dedicated members who do the lion’s share of the work. Most of us have been in the dog game a long time. Which is not to say that we always get along. I’ll say one thing for Belle Haven’s meetings. They’re seldom dull.”
    I opened the back door and let Faith out into the yard. When I let her back in a moment later, Aunt Peg’s gaze went pointedly to the clock over the sink. “We wouldn’t want them to start without us.”
    â€œThe meeting starts at six-thirty. It takes twenty minutes to get there.”