Free Fifty Shades of Greyhound (The Pampered Pets Mystery Series) by Sparkle Abbey Page B

shivered a bit and then began to sniff around. The farther she got from our spot on the bench, the braver she became, straightening her stance and pouncing on blades of grass. The Maltese breed is generally playful and was once considered a sort of royal dog. “Ye ancient Dogge of Malta” as they were once called, originated in Malta, as you might expect from the name, but then Crusaders returning home from the Mediterranean brought them to England. The breed has been an aristocrat of the canine world for over twenty-eight centuries and recognized by the AKC since 1888.
    Generally, a pretty easy breed. At the moment, there didn’t seem to be any problem at all. At least, not one that was apparent. I wondered if there was something different in the environment when there’d been an issue.
    Matt tensed as a group of three teen girls approached, their pocket puppies trailing behind. I recognized one of the girls, Erikka, with her long-haired Chihuahua named Livi Tyler. I didn’t know the other two girls.
    Matt reached down to pick up Chachi as the group got closer, but I stopped him with a touch. “Let’s see how she does.”
    The dogs picked up speed and raced around the girls to greet Chachi. Livi, Erikka’s girl, sniffed first, and then the other dog, a miniature Pinscher, bounded forward.
    Pinschers have a distinctive gait, sort of a bounce. He also sniffed at Chachi without any reaction. Then the biggest, if you can use the word “big” in the context of these mini-pooches, raced up. A Yorkie-Poo, and though bigger than the other two—still probably no more than four pounds—she ran up, sniffed like the other two, and then barked right in Chachi’s face.
    Chachi’s expression was haughty outrage, but she didn’t back up. A low growl started in her throat and grew louder as the little Yorkie-Poo circled and barked once more.
    Again, Matt moved to scoop her up and out of harm’s way. As he did, she was distracted by his movement, and the other dogs looked his way as well. In zero seconds flat, Chachi was between Matt and the other dogs, and her short warning barks said, “Back off, girls, you’re scaring my human.”
    Or at least that’s how I interpreted it. It was clear to me the interaction was not so much about Chachi and the dogs, as it was about Matt. By being overprotective of Chachi, he’d actually made the situation unstable. Then, because he was worried and unsettled, the little dog reacted.
    “Matt, let’s try this. Lean back and let them sort it out,” I said in a low voice.
    I looked up at the girls. “Ladies, if you don’t mind, can we leave the dogs a bit?” I kept my voice low.
    The girls nodded.
    “Erikka, I know Livi. What are the other pups’ names?” Again, I kept my voice level.
    “Freddie’s my dog,” The tall blond pointed to the miniature Pinscher.
    “And Nina is mine.” The dark-haired girl snapped her fingers, and Nina looked up.
    “Hi, Nina. Hello, Freddie.” The dogs tipped their heads and looked at me as they recognized their names.
    “This little girl is Chachi.” I made the introductions. “I’m Caro and this is my friend, Matt. We’re working with Chachi on playing nice with friends.”
    “She’s adorable.” Erikka smiled.
    “Thanks.” Matt was still tense and barely looked up to acknowledge the girls. But he had leaned back, as I’d asked him to, and Chachi seemed a touch more stable.
    It’s often the case that the behavior is in some way related to the pet parent, and in this case, I thought Matt’s worry about Chachi’s safety had translated to her that it was an unsafe environment. Once he learned to chill out, she would, too.
    I had a few small toys in my bag and pulled out some bright-colored balls. They were smaller than tennis balls and just the right size for the little dogs. The girls threw them, and the four pooches scampered off in chase. Soon, Chachi was joining in the play like one of the crowd.
    The girls—I’m afraid I still