Chapter 42: “Getting a Dog”….
“By the way, someone’s bringing a dog over to my place today.
Do you want to come see it?” Mitsuko said.
“Today? I’m already prepared, so that’s fine,
but if I’m taking it home I’ll need to call the vet.”
“That’s right. And, well, the president said he’ll take one too,
so he’s coming along to see them.”
“Is Rose okay with that?”
Ruri mentioned the name of Taichi’s husky.
“Rose is getting old. It’s a good time to have another dog,
so if they meet and seem to get along, that’s the plan.”
“I see.”
Ruri nodded.
“But Rose gets along with my dog,
so I think it’ll be fine.”
At Mitsuko’s house
was Cape, an adorable American Cocker Spaniel.
“The rescue dogs aren’t wild dogs, just strays.
It seems the mother dog had been getting food from people,
so luckily she isn’t afraid of humans.
The puppies should be fine too.”
“It’s rare to see stray dogs these days.”
“Right. Both the mother and the puppies were examined,
no illnesses, and they’ve had their vaccinations.
The remaining shots can be done at the vet.”
“Understood.”
“As for the breed, they’re large mixed-breeds,
so they’ll probably grow big.
Their mother is around thirty kilos.
She was friendly, so they thought she might be lost—
they contacted everyone they could,
but no one responded.
So she doesn’t have a microchip or anything.”
“I see.”
“Lately some people can’t keep their dogs
and abandon them in the mountains
or just leave them somewhere,
so finding the owners is difficult.
But you’ve had large dogs before,
so you’re used to them, right?”
“Oh, yes.
My first dog was a Newfoundland,
and the second was a Bernese.
Walking them was tough.”
Ruri said nostalgically.
The Newfoundland had been with her since she was born,
and she remembered playing with it often.
After it passed away, she dealt with mild pet loss,
and when she became an elementary school student,
a Bernese came into her life.
That dog passed away when she was in high school,
and since then she hadn’t been able to keep a dog again.
Her parents passed away too,
and though she moved into a pet-friendly apartment,
it was still too painful to get another pet.
“It’s been what, twenty years since I last had a puppy?
I’ve forgotten how to raise one.
I’ll have to remember little by little.”
When Ruri laughed, Haruki and Midori walked in saying, “Good morning!”
“You’re late,” Mitsuko said.
“We got caught by the chairman of the shopping district.
The president’s with him now too.
The festival’s coming up, right?
Ruri, your workshop is already over the registration limit,
so he asked if you could also do the next day.”
“I don’t mind. But I’ll need your help, Midori, and Mitsuko.”
“Sure,” the two said as Haruki brought over a tray of coffee.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
After everyone took a cup, Haruki asked:
“How many people are allowed in the workshop?”
“Ten in the morning and ten in the afternoon, so twenty.
Since that’s already full,
the next day will probably be another twenty?
I guess people without reservations will come too…”
Ruri thought for a moment.
“I’ll need more resin and parts.”
She said as she sipped her coffee.
“Oh, that box—are the resin pieces done?”
Haruki approached the clear case on the desk.
“I made extras in case some fail.
The rest is up to your skills.”
Ruri laughed.
