8. Meet Maverick

Johanna

I t wasn’t that Jo was against the idea of a dog. She had really always wanted one. She had a small Shih Tzu when she was growing up. When it passed away, she was devastated and always felt it would be a struggle to get attached to another dog, so she abandoned the idea when she was alone. But now, maybe she should get a companion. She lived alone, and sometimes, the nights were spent alone, with only her thoughts. And her thoughts, at times, tended to be scary.

“I’m just looking,” she told May as they entered the annual Adopt-A-Pet event.

“I know. I know. You have literally told me that a thousand times since we left your apartment. You’re only looking. I got it.”

Jo laughed. “Just want to make sure you really did. And I doubt it was over nine hundred times. I’m not that cuckoo.”

“You wish,” May teased.

Jo laughed and shook her head. Finding a friend like May was underappreciated. She couldn’t imagine going through life right now without May at her side.

“So, where do we even start?” Jo asked.

Adoption agencies from all over the state and even surrounding states were scattered throughout the park. It was overwhelming, but it helped to have someone like May to help her navigate it all. May grabbed her arm and pulled her in another direction.

They scoured the park for two hours, checking the different sites and getting to see the dogs eagerly begging to be adopted. In a perfect world if Jo could have adopted them all, then she would have just done that the day would have been done. However, Jo was there to meet her dog and there wasn’t one dog that seemed to jump out to her.

She stopped at the end of a path and sighed. “Guess it wasn’t meant to be today.” She shrugged. “Oh well. When it happens, it will happen.”

“Jo, we literally have only begun. There are at least twenty other adoption agencies to check out. You don’t have to give up yet.”

Jo touched her stomach. “I’m starving. Aren’t you?”

May snickered. “Always, but I think you’re just trying to put it off.” May pointed over to a food truck and smirked. “Besides, we can eat and then continue. I have no place to be. Do you? A hot date, maybe?”

Jo rolled her eyes. “As if. But, okay, we’ll grab something to eat and then head back out. This is a long and grueling process. Who would have thought?”

“You have to make sure you’re getting the right dog. It’s really only expected that things wouldn’t happen that quickly.”

May had a point. Jo didn’t want to jump on the first dog she saw. This was a lifelong process, and she had to ensure that whoever she chose would be the perfect fit for her home.

They grabbed a couple of hot dogs, a large basket of fries, and two bottles of water. Then they headed back out on their hunt. They started down one path. There was a two-year-old German shepherd. He was a cute and even had a friendly disposition, but there was another couple with a boy who seemed attached to him. Jo stepped away, feeling happy to help the family out. There were others that would be out there and be her perfect match. She had to trust that. They ended the path, though, and still didn’t have a dog in tow.

Jo stretched and looked around the park. May was right, and there were still several places she hadn’t been to. She started down the next path when her eyes went to a pen. She stared at the dog that was lying there, just waiting for someone to look in his direction. Jo started in his direction when May reached out and grabbed her arm.

“You won’t want that dog,” she whispered.

“Why?”

“First off…he’s older. So, he won’t have much life left in him. If you’re going to get a dog, don’t you want to get it from a puppy age, or at least no older than two? That dog looks to be at least 6. That means in dog years, you’re looking at forty-two. I would advise you not to do that.”

Jo looked over at him. There wasn’t anyone around him. Everyone else probably felt that way, too. “I’m just looking.” Jo shrugged, released her arm from May’s grasp, and then walked over to the pen. The dog stood up and moved closer to her. “Hello there. Aren’t you just the precious one?” She rubbed behind his ears. His ears were velvety soft, and she felt an instant connection to him. When he leaned in and licked her nose, she was instantly hooked. “Oh my gosh, May. He’s so precious. ”

“I’m warning you,” May hissed.

“Hello there.” Jo turned to the woman; she hadn’t noticed standing there before. “My name is Cassidy. I run Hope Pet Adoption. I see you have a fondness for Maverick here.”

“Is that his name? Maverick? I love that.”

“Yes. Maverick is an eight-year-old Cocker Spaniel. He’s been in our care for three years now.”

“Three years? That’s a long time,” Jo turned back to him. “And he’s so friendly.”

“Sadly, even at only five, people think that’s too old to start off with a new dog in the family, so they tend to steer clear of him. But Maverick is very friendly. He’s good with kids and with other pets. And he’s a people pleaser. You won’t find a better companion, that’s for sure.”

“What happened to his previous owners?” Jo inquired, still rubbing the backs of his ears. He nuzzled his head into her palms, and she just went with it.

“He was abandoned. No one knows why. He was found dirty on the edge of the street and brought into our facility. Sadly, most places would have probably taken him to the pound, and his outcome would have been far less positive, but we at Hope want to give life to all breathing animals, and we just couldn’t let anything happen to him.”

“He’s darling,” Jo cooed. At that point, she had forgotten that May was standing behind her until she heard May take a deep breath. Jo looked over her shoulder to a disapproving May. “Isn’t he so sweet?”

May smiled slightly, then knelt down next to Jo. May reached out, and Maverick licked her hand. “I must admit, he has a face that’s hard to say no to.”

“Are you a couple?” Cassidy asked .

“What?” May squealed. “Um, no. Just simply a friend that’s helping her friend. That’s all.”

Cassidy nodded. “Just was wondering if you would be adopting together.”

“No,” Jo stood up. “I’ll be adopting him solo.”

Cassidy’s eyes lit up. “So, you’re taking him?”

Jo couldn’t resist him now. In the five minutes that she spent standing at the edge of his pen, she knew that Maverick was the dog for her. “I don’t have any supplies, so I’ll have to run and get some. Will you hold him for me?”

“Absolutely!” Cassidy wrote down her information, and Jo hurried away to grab the supplies she would need.

“You’re sure?” May asked as they drove to the closest pet store.

“I’ve never been more certain. Maverick is my dog. I can just sense it in my being.”

May didn’t say another word in objection. They went to the pet store, bought a collar, leash, some toys, and plenty of food, and then hurried back to pick him up. The adoption process was painless as Jo filled out an application, gave some information about her background, and then paid the adoption fees. She had Maverick leashed up, and they were out of there within fifteen minutes.

“I can see how happy you are,” May replied.

Jo looked over her shoulder to Maverick. He was staring out the window and wagging his tail. “He looks even happier.”

May drove them home to settle in. There wasn’t a moment when Jo thought it would be a mistake to adopt him. It just felt perfect. When she laid down that night to sleep, Maverick jumped up on the foot of her bed and heaved a sigh. This was his home, and truthfully, it was the best night of sleep Jo had had in a long time.