Brooke

It had been days since this beautiful husky mix had been dropped off in this place that the humans called the dog pound. Since she had been here, things had been rather uneventful. Not many people made it down to the end of the row where she lay silently looking out of the bars with her clear blue eyes. Surely someone would come and take her home. After all she was a friendly dog and pretty obedient too. And she was even good with other dogs, kids, cats, and other animals. And all of this was stated on the paper that had been filled out about her then placed on her cage. It just seemed that everyone who came in wanted those puppies that they kept at the entrance and never even ventured down here to see her... Maybe today would be different?

Greg Wallock

It wasn't like they had a lack of pets at the so called 'bachelor pad' where Greg and his two friends lived, but the young man had never owned a dog of his own before. He'd been around them often enough because of his mother's work with rescue programs, but their house had always been home to cats rather than canines, mostly on account of limited space. Now things were different though; he had the room to get a dog of his own, and hopefully one that would fit in well with the sometimes hectic house where he lived.

Moving along the rows of dogs, the brown-eyed young man, with a mop of similarly colored hair, payed special attention to the cards that described the various dogs in their kennels. He needed one that was good with animals above all else, and preferably one that had a good energy level. "You sounds like a good girl. Say's you're name is Brooke?" He'd at last reached the husky mix's kennel towards the end of the row, and was immediately drawn to the information that stated she was good with animals and kids. That aside, he found her appearance a striking one, particularly those blue eyes of hers. "Hey there-" Greg knelt down in front of the chain-link gate of Brooke's pen and stuck his fingers through for her to sniff at if she wanted, "-how'd you like to go for a little walk?"

Brooke

Brooke laid her head down as yet another person entered the dog pound and walked up to the cages of puppies, stopping and immediately picking out one of the little wiggle bundles of fur. Well, when would someone come here to see her and to take her home with them? Sure, she wasn't a puppy any more, but she was not really old and decrepit either. She was still a young two year old dog who at times could act more like a puppy than anything. But she just was not in that cute little puppy body any more.

Another time the bell over the door jingled, this time Brooke just barely lifted her head as her blue eyes peered out through the bars. She had pretty much lost hope in anyone even coming to see her at all. That was when she heard it. There were foot steps coming closer! Could it really be some one wanting to come and look at her all the way down here, passed all the puppies and other dogs?

Her big ice blue eyes filled up with hope once more as a man stopped at her cage door and looked over her papers. He spoke in that human language that she did not understand but when she heard him speak her name, she was immediately on her feet. She wagged her tail like she thought she would never wag it again as she walked up to the door. As she reached it, he knelt down and stuck his fingers through the openings in the metal and she sniffed them quickly before she began to lick them. She was very friendly...

The man then mentioned walk and immediately, she sat down and barked once, she had been trained to sit while her master put the leash on her and she knew what the word walk meant. Her front paws pranced in place as she waited for the leash to be clipped on her collar, though it wasn't necessary, it had been the law back where she lived before.

Greg Wallock

She was a friendly girl, Greg saw right off the bat. Eager to greet a new face, but he also saw something else encouraging about this particular pooch. She responded to the word 'walk' with definite excitement, and even sat down obediently without being commanded to do so. It told Greg that she had some sort of obedience training, and apparently had a running list of words or commands she was familiar with. Perfect! It meant that she would hopefully be easier to introduce to the other pets, and be behaved enough that the other two housemates that lived with him would have an easy time with her as well. Kate would have no problem of course - she loved all sorts of creatures, but Matt was not exactly an 'animal person'.

"I take it you like walks?" A bright smile spread across his face when he saw her reaction, and now that he had it in mind that this might just be the dog he was getting, all he needed now was to get a leash and take her for a quick walk to see how things went. The man strolled away from her kennel and back to the front desk; and only moments later, he and a shelter employee were walking back to Brooke's cage. While Greg stood aside, the employee opened the gate and reached in to put the lead around Brooke's neck.

Brooke

It seemed like this canine's whole out look on life could have just changed in the matter of minutes that it had taken for the man to approach her cage. She was no longer just laying near lifelessly in the back of her cage on the hard cement floor, no, now she was up and at the door, her tail wagging fiercely. Maybe this man would take her home? Oh, how she missed having a home. This place was nothing like a home. She hated being in cages and when she was in an actual home they were not necessary. She was perfectly house trained so at her old home she had never been caged.

As he spoke the word walks she began to prance her front paws in anticipation once more. Another single bark was released from her muzzle as her tail continued to wag. Then something she had not expected had happened, the man walked away. Had she not been good enough? A whimper escaped from her muzzle as she stood up and made her way back to her corner. Then, once again the man came into view with another man and a leash. Again her excitement returned and she bounded to the door where she sat.

The man now slipped the lead over her head and Brooke waited for the command to go before she stood up and began to walk with the man. As she did so, she stayed at his left side very nicely, leaving plenty of slack on the leash. Every once in a while she would lick his hand as they walked.

Greg Wallock

Once the lead was safely around her neck, the other end was handed back to Greg, and he was given the go-ahead to take her for a walk around the property of the shelter. To his continued surprise and relief, she proved to be a great walker, and not one that lunged at the end of the leash to the point of choking herself out, or dragging him along after her. Walking past the other dogs in their kennels, many that barked at her as she went by, and a few that would growl or snarl, Greg watched Brooke for her reaction to these canines; the card had said she was good with animals, but he wanted to see first hand how she handled other creatures.

He moved from the kennels and on outside, probably one of the few times Brooke had been outside for a bit of exercise since being dropped off at the pound. After a good five minutes of walking along the sidewalk and through the lawn, just giving Brooke some time to stretch her legs , Greg decided to test her knowledge of commands. So far, he was pleased by her manners, and her friendly licks now and then to his hand made him more certain that this was the dog he was going to take home with him. "Alright Brooke, lets see what you know. Do you know sit? Sit!" The young man had come to a stop when he started speaking to the husky mix, and with a forceful, clear tone, he gave her the order.

Brooke

As they walked along the rows of cells that held the other dogs, she more or less ignored them. She had been taught that while on her leash she was to pay the utmost attention to her master first and when the ok to socialize was given then she would play. But until then, she ignored the other canines. Even the growling of the others did not bother her. She knew that they too were behind bars as she had been and that they could not harm her. So, she just continued to walk passed them. It was as if now she had not a single care in the world aside from trying to please this man that she now saw as her new master.

When they made it outside, she was overjoyed. She loved to be outside. Though, she would never make it living outside, but she loved to be able to run and play. She was a very active dog, though she still did not act up when she was not allowed to exercise. After all, her former owner was an elderly man, so she did not really get out as much as she might have liked, but she enjoyed just being by his side even if it meant being stuck inside all of the time with no time to stretch her legs.
After walking for about five minutes, she was not even beginning to tire, though she still did not pull when the man stopped. As he stopped, she immediately did so as well. The man's words caught her perked ears as she heard his voice. She caught some words she did not understand, then she heard the word sit. That was all she needed to hear. Before he had even said the command the second time, she was already lowering her rear end to rest on the side walk. It was obvious that she was not one that needed a firm hand to make her obey.