Free Hounded to Death by Laurien Berenson Page A

work?” she wanted to know. “Are you by yourself or in there with others? I assume you must be wearing a bathing suit?”
    â€œI was by myself,” said Bertie. “But people share them all the time. It’s a very convivial thing to do.” She stopped and grinned. “And yes on the bathing suit. In this crowd, I wouldn’t expect to see anyone skinny dipping.”
    â€œToo bad,” Aunt Peg murmured.
    I choked on my milk.
    She shifted her gaze my way. “How about you? I trust you spent the first day of the symposium profitably?”
    Attempting to divert attention away from my mostly full plate, I started to tell her about the lectures I’d attended. Then stopped, as I realized there was something I’d done that my aunt would find interesting. In the furor over Charles’s speech, I’d forgotten all about my encounter in the woods.
    â€œI saw a dog,” I said.
    â€œButton?” asked Bertie. “That Chihuahua seems to be everywhere.”
    â€œNo, not Button. A German Shepherd, a half wild one.”
    â€œHere? At the resort?”
    â€œIn the woods. We met up on the walking path. He looked like a stray.”
    â€œWhat made you think that?” asked Aunt Peg.
    I had her full attention now.
    â€œFor one thing, he looked pretty skinny. For another, he wasn’t wearing a collar and he wouldn’t let me near him. I even tried offering him some food, but he was too afraid of me to come and get it.”
    â€œWhat kind of food?”
    â€œA granola bar.”
    Aunt Peg frowned at my response.
    As often happened where my aunt was concerned, once again I’d been found wanting. But come on , I thought. Did she actually think I should have been out in the woods toting around a pocketful of premium kibble?
    Then I paused and reconsidered. This was my aunt I was talking to. Knowing her, she probably did.
    â€œMaybe he doesn’t like granola bars,” Bertie offered.
    â€œOr maybe he wasn’t as hungry as you thought,” said Peg.
    â€œNo, he was hungry all right. When I threw it to him he grabbed it right up and then ran away.”
    â€œToward the resort or in the other direction?”
    â€œAway, back into the woods.”
    â€œI wonder if there are any houses on that side of the mountain. Just because we can’t see them from here doesn’t mean there might not be people living just down the slope.”
    â€œEven so,” I said, shaking my head, “he definitely didn’t look like someone’s pet. He was very wary, and once he realized I was there, he never took his eyes off me. Not even for an instant. I think he was afraid I might try to leap out and try to grab him or something.”
    â€œMaybe he’s been abused,” said Bertie. “That would explain his attitude.”
    â€œI wonder if he’s been abandoned,” Aunt Peg mused. “Unfortunately people seem to find ways to do plenty of stupid things when it comes to the animals they supposedly care for. Perhaps with winter coming, his owners didn’t want an extra mouth to feed.”
    â€œNobody would be that callous,” I said.
    â€œYes, they would,” Bertie immediately contradicted me. “People dump dogs for all sorts of idiotic reasons. Then they rationalize to themselves that they’re doing the right thing. They imagine that someone else will find their cast-off and give him a good home.”
    â€œAnd instead, of course, the reverse is true.” Aunt Peg took up the cause of educating me when Bertie paused for breath. “If they’re lucky, abandoned dogs will find themselves picked up and taken to the pound, where if they’re cute they might manage to be adopted. The unlucky ones are hit by cars, or killed by coyotes, or else they simply starve to death.”
    The little food I’d eaten turned over in my stomach. I thought of the dog I’d seen earlier with his rough,