Leo and Charlie talked today about Charlie's visit to another structure. She went to a facility built to shelter many animals, called the Humane Society. Charlie said, "I went there to visit and pass out some affection."

Leo asked, "Meet anybody to take home?"

Charlie looked surprised. She hesitated, "There was one pup -- they list him as full-grown but I'll bet he's about a year old. He's a border collie mix named Jack. He's very shy. He acts like he has been hurt a lot, beaten or something."

"Why don't you go get him? You could go early to pick up the kids from school and get the dog."

"I uh..." Charlie sat down. "I really went just to visit. But, he is a sweet dog. I would intend to bring him here to the shop every day, if we got him..."

(That's me, I found out: "The Shop.")

I tuned out the generator humming next door and listened more carefully. Would I get to contain a dog? A shop dog? Neither of them spoke. I waited to see if they would decide, but they didn't say anymore. So, I guess I don't get to see a dog from my insides after all.

Later, Charlie brought it up again. "I think I'd like to visit Jack again and then sleep on it."

"How long does it take to adopt him?" Leo asked.

"Since he's already neutered, we could take him home today."

"You could get him when you pick up the boys..."

"Is the High School before or after the shelter on the highway?"

"Before. What does he look like?"

"He's like the cattle-working dogs in the movies, smallish, long silky black hair with white spots on his back feet and a white blaze on his chest."

"Sounds good."

And then, again, they said nothing more about it! I wished that they would decide. And I was unsure of what I wanted them to decide. I've heard that dogs can sometimes stink up a building. I don't want to be stunk up.