The Last Dog on Earth by Daniel Ehrenhaft Read Free Book Online Page B

said.
    Nobody answered.
    Logan smiled.
    “What is it?” Mom asked.
    “Nothing.” Logan glanced up at Ms. Dougherty. “So. How long before we can take her home?”
    Ms. Dougherty blinked. “You want this dog?”
    “Logan, please,” Mom said. “This isn't a good idea at all. She's completely wild. We should go to the breeder, okay? Coming here was a bad idea. I'm sorry. It was my fault.”
    “But this dog needs help,” Logan said. “And I'm willing to help her. Robert wants to teach me the value of discipline, right? What better way to learn discipline than to tame a wild dog? Besides, if there was ever a dog that needed rescuing, she's it.”
    Mom sighed.
    “Well, you'll have to wait until she's had all her shots,” Ms. Dougherty said. “And you'll have to fill out some paperwork, too, of course. Just some forms and waivers and things like that, so we can be sure that you're serious about owning a dog.”
    “I'm serious,” Logan said.
    “Logan,” Mom said. “Please.”
    “I am,” Logan insisted. “She'll be
my
dog. I'll take responsibility for her. I'll buy all the food and her leash and water dish and everything. And if you're worried about Robert, I'll tell you what. I'll throw him a bone. I'll name her Jack in his honor.”
    Mom frowned. “It's a girl dog, Logan,” she said.
    “I know. But look at it this way. Robert wanted a dog named Jack. Now he'll have one. So we'll all be happy, right?”
    Mom didn't answer. She just gave a weary sigh.
    “Everybody has to make compromises sometimes,” Logan murmured, mostly to himself. He glanced down at the dog. “Right, Jack?”

Article published on page 2 of
The Redmont Daily Standard
    RECENT DOG ATTACKS LINKED TO UNKNOWN DISEASE
    BY SHEILA DAVIS
    REDMONT, OR, June 24—The peculiar rise in the number of local dog attacks can be traced to an unidentified disease, according to Sheriff John Van Wyck of the Redmont Sheriff's Office.
    In the past three weeks six dog attacks have been reported, more than twice the number of all such attacks reported in the area in the last ten years. Local animal health officials are baffled. Veterinarian Claudia Juarez described a typical course of symptoms: At first, the dogs wheeze and foam at the mouth. They develop balance problems and often trip or fall down. After this first stage, they sleep more than usual. The end stage of the disease is marked by intense and continuous aggression, with dogs attacking any living creatures indiscriminately. Eventually the diseased animals die, “basically of exhaustion,” said Dr. Juarez. “As far as I can tell, their systems overload with so much adrenaline that sooner or later their hearts can't take the strain anymore.”
    Rudy Stagg, a home security consultant and dog trainer based in Redmont, has begun to develop a reputation as an unofficial dog vigilante, a role that was thrust upon him because he trained two of the dogs involved in the first attacks. “I wasn't a dog killer before, but that's pretty much what I've become,” he said.
    Stagg warned that any sick dog has the potential to be extremely dangerous. “Even if they look like they're sleeping, they could attack at any time,” he said.
    Sheriff Van Wyck has contacted the Research Center for Infectious Diseases at Portland University and asked for their help in identifying the disease and curing it. “I'm confident the situation will be brought under control in a matter of days,” he said. “In the meantime, watch your pets carefully. If they slobber more than usual or seem listless in any way, please contact the sheriff's office or your local vet immediately. These cases should be handled by the proper authorities.”

C HAPTER
SIX
    The phone was ringing. Westerly could hear the bothersome jangle from the dirt driveway. He shook his head. He wasn't going to let a phone call disturb the final moments of his walk with Jasmine. This was their favorite time of the week: the Wednesday afternoon hike into town for