Dog Days of Autumn

[Matthew Moreau]

"These guys are serious," Matthew said under his breath when he and Rhys caught up with Dare and Michael. There had been question after question and signatures and addresses. It was a good Rhys was a muggle and they were both used to working around muggles as well as magical folk. "We got a list of some dogs that might be good matches."

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

"Awesome," Dare said. "We were starting to think you weren't coming back." They'd gotten pretty familiar with the place in the meantime, and Dare already had favorites from the dogs they'd seen. Elouai has the twins to play with, he'd said more than once.

[Rhys Moreau]

"Matthew got distracted by a dalmatian a couple turns ago," Rhys said. "He had hip problems, though, so having him with the stairs wouldn't be a good idea." He slid his finger's from Matthew's and went over to one of the spacious cages. "Have you guys seen any promising ones?"

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare chuckled. "More than a few," he said. He wasn't letting himself impulse-rescue a dog, though. Elouai fit perfectly into their sometimes-hectic lives, but he couldn't see where throwing another dog into the mix would help, and Michael wasn't interested enough to try talking him into one.

"They have a lot of greyhounds," he went on. "A lot are retired racing dogs, but a few are younger. Apparently they're great in apartments. There's this awesome mastiff, but he'd be lazy compared to Elouai."

[Matthew Moreau]

"I've got to be able to wrestle with him," Matthew mused. One of the stipulations when narrowing their search had been a larger breed. Sure, they lived in an apartment that was relatively small, but they were both home the majority of the time because of the shop and there would be plenty of opportunity to play with the dog.

[Rhys Moreau]

"He's going to be getting all his energy out with a dog," Rhys teased. "He won't have any left for me." It would be a change in lifestyle, that much they both knew, but they had already talked about it and considered the different consequences and issues that could come from the addition.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Teaching a dog to wrestle probably wasn't a good idea, their guide said, especially if it was going to have contact with children. Dare looked to Matthew at that. It probably wouldn't matter to them if their dog was rough, but it mattered to him, and would matter to Michael. "That'd kill group visits," he said. For all Elouai's energy, he got it out with toys, not with wrestling, and she was gentle with the twins.

[Matthew Moreau]

Matthew gave an exaggerated sigh, but nodded. As long as he could be a little rough he supposed he would survive. "Okay, I'll keep it toned down, I promise," he said. Rhys had moved on to a different cage, one with a tall, spindly dog with long red hair inside. Matthew slipped up to him and shook his head, pulling him away. "Come on, could you really see me with that?"

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Their guide went on with talk about safe types of play for smaller homes, and Dare pitched in by pointing out the sheer number and variety of toys that Elouai had. A sturdy tug toy like the rope they'd bought the two would go a long way, considering how enthusiastic dogs could be over them. It was a full-body workout every time.

"What's this one?" Dare asked, stopping at a kennel. Elouai peered in at a large dog with short fur and a deep chest. A boxer/dane mix, the woman said. It had the coloring of a boxer and quite a bit of boxer in the face, but was larger, and less stocky.

[Rhys Moreau]

"Hey, Matt, it looks like you," Rhys teased when he went over to stand by Elouai and Dare. He was still smiling when he shifted his gaze to read the card. "Likes playing...but he'll cuddle and be lazy and stuff, too," he summarized as he looked over the listed information.

[Matthew Moreau]

"Must be a handsome dog, then," Matthew said in response to Rhys' tease, then came forward to join them. He squatted by the door and reached what he could of a hand through the thin bars. The dog's tail started swinging madly and he came to the door to sniff at Matthew's fingers.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

"He's got Elouai's approval," Dare said. She'd taken the opportunity to poke her nose at him through the bars. Would you like to visit with him? the guide asked. Dare pulled Elouai back and made her sit, though the motion of her tail said quite clearly that she'd rather be closer to the other dog. You have a very well-trained dog, the guide remarked, earning Elouai a congratulatory rub of the ears.

[Matthew Moreau]

Matthew looked up at the woman, then, after a glance up at Rhys, he nodded. Once inside, the dog sat, though it was obvious he was anxious to be touched and get attention. "Hey, buddy," he said, squatting to look the dog in the eye. "What's his name?" Magnum It was stereotypical, but it got a bark of laughter from Matthew, and he nodded in appreciation. He'd been afraid for a second it would be fluffy or something.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare had laughed from his place in the corridor, and was still chuckling as he leaned close to murmur in Michael's ear. There were, of course, many things which were also called Magnum, but he and Matthew had apparently thought of the same large-sized Muggle product.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael had been playing the role of the quiet observer for the most part. He was enjoying seeing the wide variety of dogs and the somewhat unusual experience of being around people. The name hadn't rung a bell for him, though when Dare whispered a short explanation he smiled. "So that's something we would know a lot about if we were muggles, then," he commented.