"Poor little mite is filthy." Rhian poked her finger through the wires and stroked it down the dirty fur. "Are you going to give him to Tam?"
"I think so, she'll love it. We've never had a pet of our own. It just wasn't possible with my work." She rubbed her hand over the back of her neck, something digging at her. "If everyone knows about the puppy farm, how come he's never been turned in and closed down?"
"Typical reasons. Nobody wants to get involved, you know. He's a mongrel really and needs to end up in front of the courts for the way he treats animals." Rhian walked into the kitchen and filled the kettle before turning it on. "You could ring the RSPCA since you've had cause to do business with him."
"I might do that. Any idea where he lives? I could call in and let him know what I found with the x-rays and check out his place."
"Do you think that would be a good idea? I mean, he is kind of crazy. People who know him tend to give him a wide berth. I would hate him to do anything." Rhian poured water into two mugs and stirred them before handing one to Rooney.
"I'll be fine. I can talk my way around most things given a chance."
The rest of the day passed fairly slowly for Rooney. There was one more new customer looking for vaccinations for her cats and a couple of phone calls from the advertisement she’d placed in the local paper to set up appointments for the following day. When she closed up that afternoon, she headed to Mr Stubbs’s place to check out his animals.
Rooney found the farm easily enough. When she glanced over the rickety fences, it was a hive of neglect and she wavered about driving into a place with so much rubbish and ramshackle buildings. A bad feeling crept down her back but she ignored it and turned the car into the rutted driveway. Scrawny chickens scratched in the dirt bordering the paddocks, home to under-nourished cows.
Rooney pulled up beside a barn and got out of her car. "Hello. Anybody here?" When there was no answer, she walked in front of the barn, peering inside for any sign of life. An old tractor covered in sacks sat forlornly amongst bales of hay. She heard the sounds of barking and walked briskly to locate the dogs. Another long shed was on the far side of the barn. She hurried to the door, looking over her shoulder to see if anyone was following her.
It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the dim interior of the ramshackle building. Row upon row of cages held an assortment of dogs. Most of them had puppies and all were in terrible condition. Tears welled in her eyes from the stench and filth they lived in. Rooney crouched down and put her hand out to a timid terrier inquisitive enough to come close to the wire.
"Oh pet, look at you." Anger built up in her heart. She wanted to rip open the cages and release the animals locked in this desolate place, but things didn't work that way. Determined to do this by the book, she swung around to leave and slammed into the chest of Mr Stubbs.
"Oof, damn." She took a step back and plastered a bright smile on her face. "Sorry Mr Stubbs, I did call out to you when I arrived."
"What are you doing here?" His mouth was set in a grim line and in the darkness of the building he looked terrifying.
Rooney's heart thumped a wild beat and she took a deep breath, doing her best to settle herself down and get out of this without confrontation. "I thought I’d pop in on my way home and let you know how the pup fared." She swallowed and tucked a hair behind her ear. "Just as well I did that x-ray, he had a small fracture. But I've managed to set it and sew up the tear and I think he will be fine with a bit of rest and time to recuperate."
"Out." He pushed her toward the door.
Fear snaked down her throat and Rhian's words came back to taunt her. He's a mongrel. She stopped outside and turned to face him. "Did you want me to check on any of the other animals while I'm here?"
"If I wanted you here, I would have called you. Don't go for people snooping around my place." He wiped the spit from the corner of his mouth with the dirty sleeve of his shirt.
"Sorry you feel that way. I only wanted to let you know what I found with the pup. If you need anything, give me a call." Rooney hightailed it to her car, holding her breath until she had the vehicle started and her door locked.
"Filthy dirty mongrel bastard." She flew out of the driveway onto the main road, leaving a trail of gravel flying in her wake. On the way home, a plan began to form in her mind. She had to do something to save those poor animals, there was no way Rooney could turn her back on that kind of abuse.
She parked her car and headed for the house. As she pushed open the back door, the sound of her daughter doing her spelling words reached her ears.
"Sticks, s-t-i-c-k-s, sticks."
"Brilliant, Squirt. I told you it wasn't that hard." Cade ruffled her hair and looked up when Rooney let the door bang behind her.
* * *
"I didn't think it was your style to do homework, Cade." She put her keys on the hook on the wall and turned to him, smiling.
"Yeah well, the squirt and me are great buddies. It's not like I have a heap of things I can do, so why not do this for her?"
"Thanks, that's sweet of you. How did you go with the hospital
