salute [h.s]

the one with the dogs

"Guys, this is Baxter," Piper introduced as she patted whichever dog pressed against her. Most of them had already started sniffing at Baxter who was stiller than she'd ever seen him as all these bigger dogs sniffed at him. "He's going to be staying with us for a while."

"No." Piper glanced up, sighing when she saw that Harry was standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, a fierce scowl on his face. Piper gave Harry the best puppy dog eyes she could manage, pouting her lip out gently. Harry looked like he was going to give in for a second, unable to say no to the infamous Stone pout (the one all three of their kids had mastered by now), but he shook his head firmly instead. "No, Piper. We can't bring in another dog."

"But he's just a little one," Piper argued, plucking Baxter out of the puppy pile he'd been buried under and holding him up so his adorable little doggy face was pressed against her pouty face. "He's so cute, Harry."

"This is the fifth dog you've brought home this week!" Harry blew out a breath to calm himself and ran his hand through his hair. "This can't continue, Piper. We've got more dogs than people now."

There were seven altogether now – the Styles family dogs, Bertie and their Husky mix, Attie; plus the five dogs Piper had brought home from the shelter this week. Piper had to admit, it was a lot to handle. The cost of food alone was going to be exorbitant. She could understand why Harry was frustrated.

But he didn't get it. He wasn't at that shelter every day, watching these dogs being tossed aside because they weren't the right breed to fight, being killed off because they wouldn't make money. Piper couldn't let that happen.

"Harry, please," Piper said as she put Baxter back down, looking up at Harry pleadingly. "I know it's a lot but it's just until we can get them adopted. I just – I can't just leave them there to die."

Harry's expression softened and he let out a gentle sigh, walking down the hall toward her. A couple of the dogs broke off to run around his feet and Harry reached down to pluck Attie off the ground and tuck the puppy under his arm as he knelt down in front of Piper. A reluctant smile slipped onto his face as he was surrounded by their dogs who all sniffed and licked at him lovingly. Underneath that burly exterior he sometimes tried to perpetuate he was a big marshmallow and he loved all of these dogs just as much as she did.

"I'm sorry," he said to Piper. Her brow furrowed as she looked up, trying to figure out why. Harry's mouth pressed into a tight line and he shook his head. "I know this mission has been really tough on you. I should be a little more sympathetic."

It had started out as a simple favour she was doing for some friends at MI5 – they'd gotten wind of a dog fighting ring operating out of a shelter just outside of the city. Dogs that were rescued or donated were being selected for their fighting abilities and the discarded dogs were being euthanized, a gross violation of a number of protective laws. They needed someone who was really good with dogs to go undercover within the organization to collect evidence for the charges and Piper, having two well trained dogs of her own, was asked to step in.

She'd been fine at first, making the right connections within the shelter to get the information she needed, but on her fourth day, she'd finally been shown the basement. It was dark and dank, and smelled horrible, packed with tiny cages that held the dogs that weren't selected for fighting. It had broken Piper's heart, seeing all those poor dogs who had nothing wrong with them except the wrong temperament for fighting, or the wrong build. She couldn't stand by and let them be killed for that so she'd started sneaking them home.

She was probably going to blow her cover soon, once they noticed dogs were going missing, but she didn't care. She couldn't live with herself if she didn't try to do something.