Free Ghost Dog Secrets by Peg Kehret

front. A few dogs had blankets but most had only the bare concrete floor. I was happy that we’d brought so many blankets. Donation Mountain would help a lot of dogs.
    â€œUsually,” Mr. Buckingham said, “we have only one dog per kennel, but we’ve had to double up in order to accommodate all of the rescued dogs from the puppy mill.” Three or even four dogs shared many of the kennels.
    Most of the kids were oohing and aahing over the rescued puppies, but my eyes were drawn to a row of kennels that held big dogs. Several pit bulls watched me through the wire. Labradors, mixed breeds, and even a Great Dane pressed their noses against the wire gates as if saying, “Here I am! Choose me!”
    When I saw a German shepherd, I approached that kennel. The dog looked so much like Ra that it could have been his twin sister. I read the paperwork that was clipped to the front of the kennel. “Female German shepherd, age two. Stray. Shy, but responds to attention. Spayed.”
    â€œHello, girl,” I said. “You’re a pretty dog.” She wagged her tail. I held my fist to the wire and she sniffed it. Andrew came and stood beside me.
    â€œShe looks like Ra,” he said.
    I nodded. “I’m glad we took Ra when we did,” I said. “If the sheriff ’s department had rescued him, they would have brought him here, and there are already way too many dogs here.”
    Andrew let the German shepherd sniff his hand, too. “She probably doesn’t have much chance of getting chosen with all those cute Westies and miniature schnauzers and dachshunds that are available from the puppy mill rescue,” Andrew said.
    â€œI wish we could take her,” I said. “She’d be good company for Ra. Instead of being alone all day while we’re in school, he’d have a friend.”
    â€œMaybe I could talk my parents into adopting her,” Andrew said. “Then I could walk her over to your house and if anyone saw us with Ra, they’d assume it was this dog.”
    â€œBut if your parents adopt her, she couldn’t live with Ra, so she wouldn’t keep him from being lonely.”
    â€œOh. Right.”
    Gerald Langston came and stood next to us. I saw him read the paperwork on the German shepherd’s cage. Then he leaned down, looking carefully at the dog.
    â€œWhat are you looking for?” Andrew asked.
    â€œI’m checking to be sure it’s a girl dog, like the paper says.”
    â€œIt is,” I said.
    â€œWhy do you care ? ” asked Andrew, but Gerald walked away without answering.
    â€œI hope he doesn’t try to adopt her,” I said.
    Mrs. Webster told us it was time to return to the lobby, where Mr. Buckingham would answer any additional questions.
    Jordan asked, “How old do you have to be to volunteer here?”
    â€œSixteen,” Mr. Buckingham said.
    Hayley said, “How come some of the cats have little blankets and others don’t?”
    â€œVolunteers knit the blankets,” he said. “When a cat gets adopted, its blanket goes along to the cat’s new home, to help it feel secure. We always need people to knit more cat blankets for us.”
    â€œAre there specific instructions?” Mrs. Webster asked.
    â€œI’ll get them for you,” one of the volunteers said, and she headed to an office.
    Somebody wanted to know why the shelter charged a fee to adopt an animal. “Why can’t you give them away, if it’s a good home?”
    â€œAll of our animals are spayed or neutered before they leave,” Mr. Buckingham explained. “They are vaccinated, wormed, microchipped, and given flea treatment. All of that costs money. The amount we charge for an adoption does not cover the cost to us of rescuing an animal. We depend on private donations.”
    By the time we boarded the school bus for the return trip, my head overflowed with information about the needy