Doggone Dead Read Free

our house and he pulled out of his collar. He ran off, and now we can’t find him.”
    “Oh dear.”
    “I was wondering if possibly Butch had one of those chips put into him? Maybe we could track his movements that way.”
    Dr. Springer frowned. “Sorry, Betsy, but putting a chip in is a pretty expensive thing for a rescue dog. That’s something that we encourage the new owners to do and to pay for.”
    “Man,” sighed Zach as he sat down in a white plastic chair against the wall. He threw his hands up in exasperation slapping them down on his thighs.
    “But,” Dr. Springer said,” we have Butch’s picture on file, and we’d be glad to make up a lost dog poster for you.”
    “I’ll help put up the posters,” Danny volunteered.
    “Not as good as a chip, but I guess that might work, too,” I said, looking back at Zach, who now sat with his chin propped up with his hands.
    “Great. I’ll get Allison to print something out for you. Just take a seat and she’ll bring it right out.”
    “Thank you,” I said, walking over to take my place by Zach.
    “Miss Allison will make you a picture of Butch. You’ll find him. She’s real good at the computer,” Danny said, sitting down next to me.
    “I’ll tell you my secret,” he said.
    “What’s that?” I asked. His secret could be anything from that fact that he knew all the words to his favorite song to what he was having for lunch.
    “I’m in love,” he said.
    “You’re in love?” Zach rose from his slouch.
    “Yes. I’m in love.”
    “With whom?” I dared to ask.
    “She has stolen my heart. It is Miss Allison,” he said.
    “That’s sweet,” I told him, wondering just what this might do to him if she rejected him. Even though the whole world could see he had Down Syndrome, Danny really didn’t feel any different from anyone else. In our family he wasn’t any different. For him, falling in love with someone without a developmental disability could spell nothing but trouble and heartache. I knew I would have to share this with Aunt Maggie.
    Allison Emory, Dr. Springer’s intern, came out from the back room and was pushing a piece of straight brown hair behind her ear. Allison was in her early twenties with low-rise jeans and a dog paw tattoo on her wrist. The tattoo was covered partially by a shimmering pink Hello Kitty wristwatch encircled with pink rhinestones.
    “Mrs. Livingston, so sorry to hear about Butch,” she said as she handed me a stack of freshly run-off posters. “Dr. Springer said we could run off twenty-five posters for you. I hope this helps.”
    I looked down to see a picture of Butch, sitting on a braided rug, looking up at me. He really was the cutest dog.
    “Thank you, Allison. These are great. Can we put one up here?”
    “Sure.” She took the top one off the stack.
    “Thank you, Miss Allison,” Danny said.
    “Danny, I think we’re all finished here for the day. If you would like to go home with your cousin, you can.”
    “Okay. We have to look for Butch.”
    “I know. Good luck, guys.”
    Danny ran to the back and got his lunch bag while I called Aunt Maggie to tell her I was bringing him home. Allison put her hand on Zach’s head and ruffled his hair.
    “I hope you find your puppy, bud.”
    Zach sighed. “Me too.”
    “You never know, life’s full of surprises.”
    “Yeah, like your dog running away.”
    “With these great posters, that puppy will be back in your arms in no time,” she said as she went back behind the counter to get the phone.
    Danny re-entered holding his Batman lunch bag tightly against his chest. “She’s wonderful,” he said.

Chapter Three
     
    Five minutes later, as we descended the steps of Springer Veterinary Clinic, we had to step back for a man coming the other direction with a small beagle. The beagle seemed to suddenly become aware of his circumstances and planted his paws on the walkway.
    “Excuse me,” he said, looking up at us while simultaneously trying to drag his