"Sawyer," I began. It was enough to get him to stop, but he didn't turn around. "The dog," I said quietly. "A lot of military dogs are trained using a different language."
I wanted him to look back at me. I wanted to see that softness I'd seen this morning before the dog had arrived. Before I'd screwed everything up.
But he didn't look back. I heard a mumbled, "Thank you," and then he was gone and I was alone.
Again.
CHAPTER NINE
SAWYER
"You can fix him, right, Uncle Sawyer?"
I turned away from the kennel where I'd been watching the dog pace back and forth between bouts of aggressive growling and barking to see Newt standing behind me. His shadow, Loki, was standing slightly in front of the little boy. I recognized it as a protective move, probably because Loki sensed the danger the strange dog presented to the little boy. I was well aware of it myself, which was one reason I'd told Dallas that we needed to move the animal to a more secure enclosure.
"I hope so, buddy," I said because it was the best I could do. The truth was that after four days, I hadn't made any kind of progress with the dog. If anything, as the animal physically healed, he became more aggressive, not less. The behavior still seemed fear driven, but I'd expected as his body improved, the animal would naturally feel less afraid. Sadly, the dog’s only goal appeared to be escape because when he wasn’t confined to the interior run, he walked circles around the outer habitat attached to the run. Looking for a way out. Always looking for a way out. His paws had even begun to bleed from the overuse.
With no background on the animal, I was at a loss. Dallas and I had both tried multiple times to connect with the dog, but it had avoided every effort we'd made to befriend it. We also hadn’t been able to make sense of the animal’s injuries after we’d sedated him. As expected, he had recent and old fractures alike which suggested his previous owner had been abusing him, but the dog’s coat was glossy and he was almost a healthy weight. He had clearly been getting high quality food, something an abuser probably wouldn’t give two shits about. Just like he wouldn’t think to clip the dog’s nails or keep his teeth clean. Wherever the dog had come from, it seemed he was loved by someone and hated by another.
I turned back to the dog. He’d finally stopped pacing and was huddled in the corner of the inside run. I'd been trying for the better part of an hour to just sit quietly outside his kennel, but the animal hadn’t responded in any kind of meaningful way. I reached up to pull the cord that would open the small door giving the dog access to the outdoor habitat that had been designed for large cats.
The dog immediately ducked out the door.
I went to Newt and patted his back as I led him from the secure building. Due to the dog's behavior, we were keeping him in the area of the center where the most dangerous predators were housed. As much as we would've liked to put the dog in with the other dogs, we couldn't risk him hurting one of them.
"Isaac says if anybody can make him better, you and Uncle Dallas can," Newt announced with confidence. God, how I hoped he was right. The dog was a beautiful animal and if what Jett had said was true about him being a military dog, he deserved every shot at a normal life.
As Newt and I left the building and rounded the enclosure, I caught sight of Jett sitting just outside of the dog's pen. I'd hoped since my last encounter with the man that my brain would finally accept that he wasn't an option for me, but my body wasn't getting the message. There was no way to avoid Jett as we left, so I prepared myself for another awkward interaction. But Jett didn't look up as we approached him. His eyes were on the dog who was exhibiting the same behavior in the outdoor run that he had in the indoor one.
"Uncle Sawyer, uh, I gotta go," Newt suddenly said, his eyes darting back and forth between me and Jett. Then he was off and running, Loki at his side. His abrupt departure surprised me.
"I suppose I didn't really get off on the right foot with him either," Jett murmured as his eyes moved from the dog to where the little boy was disappearing around the corner. He was following the path that led to the center's office, so I took out my phone and sent a quick text to Isaac to let him know. As long as Loki was with him, Newt pretty much had the run of the place. All of us had made sure that there was no way the child could get into any enclosure or building that housed the more dangerous wildlife. Despite his affinity for animals, Newt was smart enough to know which ones posed a threat. I supposed that particular quality wasn't limited to just animals as I looked at Jett.