Shelter • wolfstar au

12 ; santa hat

Chapter Twelve: Santa Hat

2 February, 1982

It took longer than was expected, but by the end of three weeks, Remus brought the German Shepherd home, the fluffy Santa hat, once again, placed on his head.

The family who had wanted to adopt the dog initially didn't need much convincing, but Remus had to buy different dog products and had to make his house more dog friendly. It took ages to do so as his house was the equivalent of a child's playroom - he kept things scattered but never had it in him to clean up. To make matters worse, he was a hoarder, and it took lots of convincing to make himself realise that he did not need to keep the broken pot that used to house a plant when he was five.

However, after his house was cleared of debris and the paperwork done, he heaved a sigh of relief and made his way over to the large cage where the dog lay on his back, staring up at ceiling thoughtfully. The look on his face made Remus laugh, and the dog turned his head to look at him with narrowed eyes.

"Are you ready to go to your new home?" he asked with a smile, to which the dog got on his feet and waited patiently by the door for Remus to let him out. Once he did so, he walked out of the cage and stood straight in front of him, reaching his head forward, asking him to put the harness on, which he did.

Before the dog could realise what was happening, Remus had already put the Santa hat firmly over his head, causing him to bark loudly in protest. He shook his head and raised his paw to push the hat away, but it fit well, so he was unable to accomplish it. Remus waited until the dog gave up, and after fastening the leash, led him out of the shelter, saying goodbyes to the workers who too, were getting ready to leave.

The evening was still quite chilly despite the snow melting in places. Treetops swayed above them with the light breeze as Remus walked lazily, one hand holding onto his leash and the other tucked firmly in his pocket. His house wasn't very far from his workplace, though the walk home gave him plenty of time to talk to his new pet.

"What name shall I give you?" he mused, and the dog, who traipsed along after him, looked up at him before letting out a soft bark. "Too bad you can't talk," he said, looking at his companion who was partially lit by the street lamps ahead of them. "I'm sure you have plenty of names of your choice, am I right?"

The dog cocked his head to the side and continued jogging ahead. He wagged his tail rhythmically, and Remus was hit by sudden inspiration. He grinned and said, "I know. I'm going to call you Mr Waggington."

Immediately, his tail halted and dropped down, causing Remus to laugh. As the dog shot him a nasty look, he said, "I'm guessing you don't like this name."

He looked at the dog, whose black fur shone in the dim light of the street lamps. He had been given a bath the day prior, after which his long fur had turned quite shiny and smooth - a proud factor of any long coat Shepherd. He bit down on his lower lip as his mind raced through different names, and finally it settled on one. "How about Miss Furbulous?"