CHAPTER TEN

     Inside the old shed, Wiley, Buster and the other dogs
were starting to relax and catch their breath. Duke sighed,

“Boy, this was a lucky break.”

     Flopped out on the old wood floor and looking

exhausted, Gibraltar moaned, “I don’t think I could have

gone any further.”

     Buster approached Wiley and said in a thankful voice,

“Maggie and Kate saved our bacon.”

    At that moment, Kate came into the storage shed with

a small wheel barrel full of dog food and large bowls for

the food. Maggie stayed at the door and watched as Kate

began to fill the bowls and called out to the dogs, “I bet

you're really hungry.” The dogs immediately surrounded

her and the wheel barrel. Kate filled the bowls as fast as she

could while the dogs devoured every bite.

     When Kate bent over to refill a bowl, Wiley noticed a
locket on a necklace she was wearing with a dog's picture

in it and realized it was a picture of Maggie. He turned his

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head and looked at Maggie, who had a big smile on her

face. “There is plenty to eat. You're safe now. Good night,”

said Kate with a smile as she turned the lights out and

returned to the big house with Maggie following behind.

     Moonlight shone through the many cracks and holes
in the old storage shed, illuminating all the dogs collapsed

into a pile of fur. Within a few minutes, all were asleep,

except Wiley and Buster. Wiley was looking at the sleeping

dogs. “Don't you sleep?” questioned Buster.

     “I was just remembering something from a long time  

ago. The last time I slept with this many dogs was with my
family,” recounted Wiley. His thoughts traveled back in

time.

     The first rays of light touched an old abandoned

     bungalow with peeling paint and neglected yard in

     a rundown neighborhood. It was dawn on a chilly

     spring morning. Underneath the bungalow in a dark

     corner, light showed through some open vents on a

     gray, white and black female Cattle Dog, Blue

     Healer mix named Whiskey. She was lying in a dirt
     bed near her young brood of eight puppies. They

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     had all snuggled together to keep warm, except one

     pup, who was the smallest. He was standing by his

    brothers and sisters and appeared to be asleep on

     his feet or waiting to feed first. Whiskey noticed

     him and said in a soft voice, “Come here, little

     one.”

     Wiley came over and quickly began nursing. He

     was the only one of the dogs who looked just like

     his mother. Whiskey had a very worried look on her

     face as she softly spoke. “I just don't know what to

     do. Jeb left us with little food. I guess he was

     evicted again. Only this time, he left us behind.”

     Whiskey looked over at the pile of sleeping pups

     and down at her smallest, confessing to Wiley, “My

     milk is almost gone. I need some one to adopt you

     and your brothers and sisters.”

     At that moment, the other pups woke up and saw
     what was going on. They quickly piled on Whiskey

     and pushed Wiley away from his mother. Whiskey

     noticed and gave her smallest pup advice, “You

     must be brave to survive and never give up, my
     son."

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