Goldielocks and the Two Bears
by Donna and Toni

Sal stirred in his sleep, trying to ignore the soft whines coming from the door of his bedroom. But seeing him move, the dog upped the volume of his plaintive cries. Sighing, Sal turned over and opened one sleepy eye. "What do you want?" he growled. "I let you out just before we went to bed."

At the magic word *out*, Bernardo gave a happy little whuff and started beating the open door with his tail.

"Sal, the dog needs out," Toni mumbled, only half awake. Sal sighed again, then reluctantly got up and made his way downstairs to the front door, grumbling under his breath in Italian.

The moment his master opened the door, the retriever raced off, but it was in the direction of the barn, not the trees. As something told the man to keep watching, his dog ran toward the barn, then back toward him, doing this a few times and barking in what was a clear direction to follow him!

"Damn," Sal grumbled again, reaching for his coat to slip on over his pajama pants. He shoved his feet into his boots and headed outside, wondering if something had gotten into the barn and was after the sheep.

Once he saw he had his owner's attention, Bernardo ran off to the barn. Sal entered cautiously a few minutes later, but what he saw laying in one of the stalls made his eyes widen. It wasn't a predator, but another golden retriever, a female this time, and she was whimpering as the other dog tried to comfort her. There was a good reason for the whimpering - something
had happened to one of her rear legs, and there was blood matted on the fur!

"What the..," sighed Sal as he lit a lantern and then grabbed the first aid kit he kept in the barn in case a horse or other animal hurt itself. Kneeling on the straw, he reached out and stroked the new dog's head. She licked his hand, her tail thumping up and down as if delighted to see him. Taking some water, Sal gently cleansed the wound. The dog whimpered a few times, and
even yelped once when he moved the leg, but she made no effort to bite him. 

From what he could see, it looked like she had been shot, much like he had been on the day that he had arrived on Edan. Shaking his head, he bandaged the wound as best as he could, and then went inside to tell Toni he was going to have to make a trip into town to take an animal to the vet. He didn't want to tell her that it was another dog though, knowing she would want to keep it too!

As he went into the bedroom, his wife sleepily asked, "Is Bernardo all 
right? I heard barking." 

"He was just letting me know that something was up. I'll be back before feeding time," he said as he kissed her on the head. Toni rolled over and went back to sleep. Now in her early stages of pregnancy, she needed as much rest as she could get. 

Sal took his clothing to the living room, and dressed by the fire so he wouldn't disturb Toni. He then went out to the barn to hitch up the cart. Bernardo was curled up in the hay with the injured dog, his head laying across her back. "Alright, mutt," he told Bernardo when it was time to pick up the injured animal so he could take her to the vet in town. "Take care of the place while I'm gone." Then, very carefully, he scooped the large dog up and placed her on a blanket in the back of the cart. Again, even though the movement was painful, she didn't struggle or try to bite.

The ride into town wasn't too long, even with the fact that Sal was trying his best not to jar the injured animal. When he finally reached Dr. Kirby's home, he let his passenger rest while he went and knocked on the door. Even though it was still dark, there was a light on in the house. Wyoming's baby girl, Namid, was an early riser, so Wy was up with her. Hearing the
knock, and knowing what that meant, she called out to Tom and went to answer the door.  

She was only slightly surprised to find Sal waiting, looking a little anxious. After inquiring as to whether there was a problem with any of the animals on the farm, Sal told her about the latest dog to grace his property.

"Tom is getting up," she told him. "Bring her into the surgery." Sal nodded and went back to the cart, checking to see if the bandage was still doing its job before gently picking her up again. Wyoming had the clinic door open and ready for him.  

As he laid the dog on the exam table, the vet showed up. "What a nice dog," he said as he ruffled the thick fur on the dog's neck, letting her get to know him before poking at her wound. "Is she yours?" 

"Si and no," the other man explained. "I found her in my barn, but we really don't need another dog; we have more than enough with Bernardo. Would you know of anyone that might need a good dog? She's very gentle; she hasn't tried to bite me once, even with all the handling of her in that condition." He looked at them hopefully.

"Your neighbor doesn't have a dog," Wyoming chuckled. "Marty always stops and admires my Chena." Hearing her name, the large wolf-dog mix wandered into the room. She stopped and gave the injured retriever a sniff and
an encouraging lick, then went to find a place out of the way to sit and watch the proceedings. 

"My neighbor...you mean Luc?" It had never dawned on him to offer them this dog! But the more he considered it, the more he liked the idea.

Tom looked up from his examination and grinned. "He would love a good dog like this, I'm sure. I'm going to have to operate to get the bullet out, but she
should be fine. You can come back for her in a couple of days." 

Sal nodded and thanked him. He gave the dog a goodbye pat and told her he'd see her soon, and then started back home. On the way, he stopped at Luc and Marty's farm, and hoped they weren't too busy for an unscheduled visit.

Luc was out in the barn, feeding the animals when Sal got there. "I need a favor, my friend," he said. 

Of course, Luc said he would do anything for him! Putting on his saddest look, Sal explained about the dog; how he'd found her in his barn (actually, how Bernardo had found her), shot in the leg, and her disposition even wounded. He finished up by asking if they could use such a dog as that, reminding him how good Bernardo was with his son Tony and that this dog
was of the same breed.

Luc looked at Sal. "You are joking, yes?" But before he could refuse, Marty joined the two of them in the barn. She had overheard most of the story.

"She sounds lovely, Sal. Of course we will take her. Right, Luc?" she said cheerfully, ignoring Luc’s stream of complaints. “You did say you would do
anything for Sal!” 

There was no way he could object now - not that he wanted to, anyway - and with a handshake between the two men, the deal was made. The new dog in the neighborhood would have a home waiting for her as soon as she was able to come to it!