The Pack, Part 3

A fellow rescuer emailed me about a nine-month-old female border collie. “She’s too much for the owner to handle,” Linda wrote. “If someone doesn’t take her she’ll be dropped off to a shelter in the morning.”

Normally, I would have asked more questions, spoken to the owner, and gotten more details before taking in a dog, but it was a busy time. Besides, how hard could a nine-month-old pup be to handle after all? I said I’d take her.

The next day the woman arrived at my office. I stepped into the reception area and into a frenzy of black and white fur. I tried to introduce myself, “Hi, I’m Terri.”

I think she said, “I’m Gretchen. Nice to meet you,” but who could tell while this blur of black and white jumped to and fro like a tiny little dancer?

“Get off!” Gretchen shouted, and…