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 Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 4:00 pm
Lily struggled with her pack, her pack of dogs that is. The animal shelter was short handed today as many of the staffers had caught a nasty virus, a few of the volunteers had been sent home with symptoms and many back phone calls yeilded no answers.
This unfortunately left Lily to walk several dogs at once because being so short handed to walk them all and still take care of the cats, rabbits, ferrets, birds, kennels, cages and front desk looked nearly impossible. Unfortunately it seemed Lily had gotten saddled with a hyper Dane Mix who was about six months old, as well as a jack russels which together wasn't a good combination, add to that an elderly poodle and a pregnant mutt, that looked like it had some German Shepard in it somewhere, Lily was getting no where fast.
She, the poodle and the mutt, were being hustled slowly up the street by the dane puppy and annoying pulled in the other direction by the terrier, not that it made to much difference to anyone but Lily's poor arm. "Will you stop it," she said her patience wearing thin, "we are not going that way and I could hardly go that way even if I wanted to."
She huffed as she nearly tripped over the daddling poodle and frowned with the mutt decided to impede their progress further by splitting a pole. "Come on Kizzy, please come around," she said to the dog while she tried mostly failing to keep a reign on the dane puppy. Where was everybody when they were needed and for that matter where was Chris.
"Come on, just a bit further the little park is just up the street, please cooperate."
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Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 4:22 pm
It was just a normal jog today, focusing on aerobic and low-strain exercise for the day and a lot of creatine shakes. The park itself was pretty quiet, not too many people out since it was between rushes. But there was ....noise to his left, close enough to the running path to be nearly a cacophony.
Dogs?
Lots of dogs. All different sorts that were straining and milling around a pole. And...a girl there? Someone hadn't thought basic sizes and comparative weights through at all when they decided giving that poor little thing so many was a good idea. Maybe if they were all the small kind. But wouldn't little ones get very tangled? Someone smart should figure out a leash for dogs that was like those sailor things...cat'o nines. One big leash and non-tangling little lines at the end as legs for walking lots of little dogs.
His pace had slowed while he considered, watching this situation, then he startled and picked up in her direction.
You aren't helping her just standing here! Look at her little arm, its practically off from that big dog pulling on her. Help her already.
"Miss!" He boomed over the complaints of the dogs, "Can I help take a dog or two? You only have two arms, and they want to go more than two ways, I think. I can walk with you."
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 12:40 pm
Lily struggled to keep a hold of the situation and then there was a shadow and she looked up to see quite honestly the biggest guy she had ever seen in person. She didn't even know what to say, she simply handed over the leash to the great dane puppy and the jack russel relieved to no longer be tugged in opposite direction.
"Thank you, for the help. I am not going far, just a few more block I need to take them to the park for just a bit," she said with a small smile.
She got her wits about her untangling the poodle and the mutts leashing before looking back to the man beside her, "I'm Liliana and you are holding Diggs," she said pointing to the dane, "and Spirit," pointing to the jack.
"I've got Maxwell," she pointed to the poodle," and Zira," she pointed to the mutt. "Um, whats your name?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 8:45 pm
"Björn, " he took the leashes with a grateful nod. She accepted the help easily. "It is no worry, I am not in a rush. They seem happy to be out."
He crouched to scruffie Diggs, wobbling the puppy gently on his over-sized paws. " Are they all yours? Are you a pet sitter?"
The little jack russel was ridiculous. Who would own a dog so small? It was...palm sized practically. He carefully pet it as well, making sure not to loom and threaten it. Spirit might bite or pee or whatever other unpleasant things small animals tended to do when they felt peril of large predators.
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Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 10:46 am
Lily was very happy to have help and she motioned for Bjorn to follow, "You have a very nice name. I like it and yes they are very happy to be out. I am a volunteer for the animal shelter and we are short handed right now, so they are a bit antsy at not being able to do everything the shelter usually allows them. They are usually walked one or two at a time, or allowed to romp in the open area in the back, but it is too small for so many and until they can relocate, its a no go."
She was happy for the much slower, less tuggy pace they had now set. "What were you out for, surely not just to play the knight in shining armor?" She lefted lightly, it was obvious she was simply joking, being cordial and friendly, as she so often was.
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Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 10:23 pm
"Ah, I was just out for exercise. Running is good for aerobic muscle and body tone. Walking with dogs is just as good, though." He grinned, "I didn't know there was a shelter near here. Or...did you crate them in a van?"
"Are there a lot of call offs? Or is it all volunteer effort? " He wasn't certain if short-handedness excused giving such an awkward load to the girl. He guessed the animals really did need their exercise, and if the volunteers couldn't be out late maybe there was nothing for it then. "No, no shining knight here. But you are a fair maiden in distress. You should train these to scent a knight for you. Do they know any tricks?"
He didn't know much about dogs, if tricks were hard and when they would be willing to perform them. They did look too excited to be paying attention much to anything but burning off some energy, either way.
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 11:28 am
"Yes, there is a shelter back in the direction from which I came. It really isn't to far, but now that you said it I do not know why I did not simply put them into my car and bring them. It is certainly big enough for the four of them. Would have made life a bit easier."
"It's a lot volunteer effort. I think most of the staff are there today, but we are getting a lot of volunteers become unable to do so as of late. I will be starting college at the end of summer, so even I will be more unavailable soon. I think they just have to wait on the new batches of freshmen entering high school to get trained up."
She laughed at him comment, "well maybe you can be a knight for just today," she said walking with two she had. "Unfortunately these shelter dogs are lacking in the tricks department. They are pretty much heal and fetch kind of dogs. Either way they are a bit hyper for that, they probably couldn't pay attention right now anyway."
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:12 pm
“You are kind to answer many questions. I’ve never had a dog, actually. “He matched her step, if not stride, fairly easily. The dogs were no trouble to keep in tow, however hard they pulled. They were nothing compared to usual exercise. “There are cairn hunting events at some of the highland games. When I’ve gotten the time, they were fun to watch. The course was always a maze underground that ended at a cage to protect a rabbit or a raccoon or something. I guess that sort of dog used to be used for hunting. “
“You must like animals, “ a plain enough observation, but delivered with a bright grin. “I can’t have any where I live now. Volunteering like this is like having many pets, I bet. “
“Knight for a day? “ he untangled the leashes of his charges as they tried at opposing bushes, “It could work! I’m no good with a sword, I think, but I can try out. I don’t think Diggs is much of dragons. Spirit, maybe. Does a lady who has leashed dragons really need knights? Even…untrained, wiggly dragons.“
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