Ultimate Courage (True Heroes #2)(13)
Somehow, she couldn’t take her gaze away from the dog’s. She should, though. Alex had told her to look at him. But the trainer hadn’t reiterated the instructions. She decided to compromise. “Is he a full-grown adult? Is that why he’s safe?”
Souze’s nostrils flared again. This time his sniffing was audible, and he began to stretch his neck as he approached the back of her hand again.
“Not quite.” Alex didn’t seem to mind the current progression of things. “In terms of physical growth, he’s about as tall as he’ll get, but he’ll fill out significantly over the next year or so.”
“So he’s going to be a hefty dog.” Maybe it wasn’t the right way to put it, but to her, Souze was already a big dog. Now that Alex mentioned filling out, she could see how Souze’s legs seemed slightly long and awkward for the rest of his frame and his paws seemed disproportionately big.
For his part, Souze continued his approach millimeter by millimeter.
“Mmm, I wouldn’t describe it as hefty.” Alex paused for a moment, considering. “He’ll be heavier through the shoulders and chest, but his overall lines will still be sleek, and he’ll be trim through the waist and hips. The Belgian Malinois might be smaller, but they’re boxier through the frame.”
“I think I’d have to see a side-by-side comparison to get what you’re saying there.” Her patience was rewarded as Souze’s cool nose touched the back of her hand again. Elated, she smiled as she looked back up at Alex.
Alex returned her smile. “A comparison can be arranged. You think you can get comfortable with the dogs here?”
Souze was still sniffing her hand, but he didn’t shove his head under her palm the way some dogs did when she’d met them in the past. She didn’t think it’d be a good idea to try petting yet.
“Is this about as friendly as any of the dogs get?” The lack of jumping and slightly uncomfortable tongue baths could be a relief.
Alex shrugged. “Depends on the dog. Some of them are more open to petting and play. Souze here has some history, though.”
Instantly, her heart cracked open. “Was he abused?”
Alex gave a slight shake of his head. “Not technically, no. He and other GSDs were acquired for a specific purpose—to guard. Their owners invested a lot of money into obedience training and as much Schutzhund as the dogs could absorb. But they were intended to be outdoor security, so they were never socialized with humans on any sort of friendly level. They worked with their trainers and chased people off private property. That’s it. No affection, no friendships, no human pack. When the owners got divorced and liquidated their property, they ditched all of the guard dogs into the shelter and didn’t spare a thought for what would happen next.”
Souze had moved forward to sit between them, his head turned away from her but his shoulders right next to her hand. She took the hint and gently ran her fingertips through the thick fur of his shoulder. The big dog acted as if he wasn’t aware of her touch at all.
Alex regarded her with a raised eyebrow.
She bit her lip and tried not to smile even wider than earlier. “How did he come to you?”
“I wish I could say it’s a standard practice for the shelter to call us when they have a dog with as much potential as him.” Alex frowned. “But it was dumb luck. One of the volunteers working that week called us. Souze and two other dogs had been taken in and determined unadoptable. The shelter just didn’t have the resources to rehabilitate dogs like them. If it hadn’t been for that volunteer knowing us, and having a fairly good idea of what we could retrain, the dogs might have had no future.”
Elisa ached in response to the genuine sadness in Alex’s voice. The man truly cared.
“There’s a lot of hard realities out there.” She withdrew her hand from Souze and let it fall to her side. “As many people as there are trying to help, there are some things volunteers and shelters just can’t handle.”
People had tried to help her. And they had, in small ways. It’d taken a long time and a hundred tiny gestures before she’d gathered the courage and resources to leave. A dog like Souze didn’t even have that option.
No wonder he was slow to open up to meeting new people.
“This place is made for second chances.” Alex was looking out over the grounds. “Forte and me, we met overseas. He was an Air Force handler with a military working dog attached to my SEAL team. We stayed in touch over multiple deployments and I was out there a lot, too much probably. Relationships are hard with that kind of life. He was there through my marriage and my divorce. When I came back from deployment for the last time, I needed a place to raise Boom and get back into civilian life again. He invited us here.”
She didn’t know what to say, but she looked around her with new perspective. This place, these people, there were stories here. And not just what had happened, but what they were creating for themselves moving forward. It was…tempting.
“Thank you for the introduction.” Whether she was talking to Souze or Alex, she wasn’t even sure herself, but she left it to both of them. “But I should be going now. It’s getting into evening.”
Maybe this wasn’t the right place for her after all. She could see herself caring too much about the people and animals here. Becoming too attached. She’d promised herself she would be self-sufficient, and more importantly, ready to move on at a moment’s notice.