Sally And Sam

Sally And Sam

1.

One of the main reasons why she bought her house was the large, deep back yard with the nine mature trees and their leaves providing a cooling shade during the hotter Summer days. And she chose to use the back bedroom as her study and library because the window looked out into the back yard. Her desk, holding her computer and printer, was placed in front of the window so, when not editing or doing needed research, she could look into the yard while taking a break.

It was a quite, friendly neighborhood and the only downside to her was the two dogs in the neighbor’s yard who sometimes barked during the day. She didn’t even know what the dogs looked like because of the six foot tall Redwood fence the separated the two back yards. Still, she assumed they barked at the Squirrels in her trees and their trees. Or at the birds that perched on the fence line. Or people walking in the alley behind the homes on her street. But she quickly learned to focus out the barking while doing her editing and research.

But late Monday morning, as she was editing a commissioned short story to send to a magazine, she wondered to herself why she hadn’t heard any barking for awhile. So she opened the window and listened. After a few moments what Carol heard sounded, as least to her, like the sound of soft whimpering, a sound a younger child might make. So she saved the editing to a file, turned off the computer and headed into her back yard.

At first she was concerned one of the two dogs next door might have hurt itself. But halfway into her yard the whimpering seemed to come from the back of her own property. When she reached it Carol saw a large cardboard box placed near the gate leading into the alley. The lid of the box was secure by a single piece of masking tape. Another short piece of tape secured an envelope. She opened the lid to see two young dogs, not much older that puppies, in the box. Carol gently lifted the dogs, one at a time, and sat them on the grass. They stayed close to each other, almost hugging, looking slowly around her back yard. But neither one made an effort to explore the yard or move away from the box. Carol assumed it was because of their age and they were either to timid or scared to move. So she carefully removed the tape from the envelope and took it to her back porch to read. What was inside the envelops was a hand written, one page letter. 

2,

“My husband lost his job and neither one of us can find a job quick enough to stop us from being evicted from the rent house we live in. We’ve decided to move out of state and stay with my folks until we can catch up with the bills we owe and save a little money. But the cost of us moving, which includes spending four night in cheap motels and the gas money means it  will be difficult to find a cheap motel that allows pets and a damage deposit in advance for those that do. But I heard from an old friend of mine that you have dogs and am hoping you’ll raise this sweet, loving brother and sister we can not take with us, Or maybe you know someone who will because we didn’t want to leave them at the pound. We call them Sally and Sam, but you can call them other names if you want. Love, Joanne”

After reading the letter again, Carol quickly though about the irony of how they ended up in her yard, like her  remembering she must have forgotten to lock the back gate after bringing the trash cans in from the alley and finding the two dogs in her back yard was likely a mistake because the house numbers are not posted in the back of most of the houses on her street. Them she focused on the two dogs to wonder what she should do next. Will their neighbors accept Sally and Sam? Do they know someone else who would? But the first thing she wanted to do was try to get the dogs to trust her. So, she went into her house and brought out a large bowl of water and set in on the end of her back porch. Then she came back inside to try to find something they would eat. All she could find that she was pretty sure they would eat was a package of pre-cooked lunch meat, both ham and beef. Carol placed these on a dish, but decided to watch through the screen door until the dogs came up to the porch. They ventured perhaps half-way towards the porch but wouldn’t come any closer. So Carol sat the plate of lunch meat near the water and went into her study to go back to her editing.

After perhaps a half hour she head the soft whimpering coming from her porch and looked outside and noticed the lunch meat plate was empty. So she saved the editing and turned off her computer. As Carol headed to the back door she decided to take a gamble and opened the door, them placed a book on the floor to use as a wedge to hold the screen door partially open. And she would go back into her study and waited to see if dogs were ready yet to come into her house.

They had stopped whining, but still wouldn’t come into the house. So she removed the wedge and locked the back door, then hurried to her local grocery store to buy both dry dog food and canned meat. After returning home she finished the needed editing and turned off her computer. Then she decided to take another gamble because it was close to time that she went to sleep. She went into the hall closet and pulled out her sleeping bag she used when she went camping. Then she opened a can of meat and placed it on a plate, then carried it out to the porch and picked up the empty plate. The she took her sleeping bag to the back porch. Because if was a mild, early Summer night Carol slept on top of the sleeping bag.

When the early sunlight woke her the two dogs were laying on the sleeping bag near her. Carol still didn’t know if they trusted her enough to come into the house, but at least they were eating and drinking water. So in her study, with the computer on, she printed out the new story and emailed a copy to the editor at the magazine. Then she did some research about placing pets in foster homes. After doing so, she went out to her back porch to study the dogs.

Even thought she doubted they were ready to come into the house they were exploring her large back yard. So she decided she would first talk to her neighbors when they got home from work. Until then she would start on a new short story from a concept she though of the night before, taking a break every once in awhile to watch the dogs in her back yard.

3.

After the couple next door got home from work Carol introduced herself to them. They introduced themselves as Bob and Linda, then Carol showed them the letter left with the dogs and asked them if they would take care of them until someone willing to adopt them could be found.

“We would love to have a few more dogs living here,” Linda told Carol.

“But the older dogs we have are very protective and can be aggressive at times,” Bob added.

“We’ve tried several times, but the last time we tried that poor boy, I think he is a Lab mix, they tried to attack. It took a lot of effort to keep them from doing so. So I really don’t think they’ll accept the two in your yard,” Linda told her visitor, then asked her, ”But what about you keeping them?”

“Our folks wouldn’t allow cats or dogs in our house because they raised birds, mainly Parrots, that the sold to pet shops when they were old enough. So, I’ll have to think about it.”

“That letter we read? We’ve seen several versions of it. Sometimes the words are altered, but it’s always the same handwriting,” Linda told Carol, then added, “Our small town has a dog pound, but not an Animal shelter. The closest Animal Shelter is forty miles from here. Whoever writes those letters is hoping someone would accept the dogs she, or he, leaves at their house.”

“If you decide to keep them, your personal temperament will be as important as their own temperament, Dogs, even members of the same breed, can have different personalities. Much like humans do.” Bob informed her, then asked Carol, “But I think Linda and I should visit Sally and Sam now if that’s okay with you?”

“And that nice man we saw with you right before you bought your house, the guy in uniform, is he related to you?” Linda wondered.

“Not yet, but we’re engaged. He’s a Captain in the National Guard and, after he’s finished his tour of duty overseas, he’s retiring from Guard and we’re getting married.”

“Congratulation, Carol. Will he consider the idea of keeping the dogs?”

“Hank was raised on a farm, so I’m pretty sure that won’t be an issue.”

4.

With the three of them sitting on her back porch, Sally and Sam instantly came up to Linda and Bob.

“That’s not surprising because, with their keen since of smell, they likely could smell the scent of our dogs on our clothes.”

“That’s because we went outside to say hello to them before you came to visit,” Linda suggested, then added,” But these young dogs have suffered from separation issues, like being taken from their mother too soon, and will need a little patience and reassuring attention at first. Something like I had to give Bob when we first got married.”

“Linda always thinks she’s cute when she says this, but she’s right about these dogs,” Bob replied, then handed Carol the one called Sally. And Linda and Bob watched as she cradled and petted Sally. And they we’re surprised when Sally responded to the attention she was being given.

“Well?” Linda wondered.

“I’ll keep then and raise them, but first I want to email Hank to see it he likes the idea.”

“I’m sure he will, but I suggest the first thing you do is have a ‘Dogie Door’ installed in your back door.”

“Of course, but do you guys know anyone local who can do this?”

“I will on Saturday. No charge to you except the cost of the door,” Bob told Carol.

“Bob has installed at least a dozen of these,” Linda mentioned, then added, “You won’t always be home is why the “Dogie Door’ is needed.

“I know, but I teach at you local high school now, except during the Summer. During the Summer I focus on my writing. After discussing it with Hank first, I bought this house because houses here are certainly a lot cheaper than in the city where I lived. And Hank is putting his own house up for sale.”