Chapter One

Hope you enjoy reading the begining of Brownie’s search a home, a loving home.

On a stormy August afternoon, Veterinarian Dr. Robert Johnson announced, “That’s the last one. Boy is she little!”

The veterinarian delivered the message to owners Tim and Martha Smith between lightning strikes and thunder claps from the storm raging outside. Fluffy’s seven puppies arrived in the clean and bright birthing room of the Smith’s breeding barn, while outside, heavy rain, hail, and a howling wind pelted the building.

Tim and Martha Smith’s Australian Shepherds breeding barn sat in a sea of lush green corn stalks standing ten-feet tall. The greenery hid itself in the driving rain and hail.

Every delivery Dr. Johnson assisted before this day brought him joy. Each one displayed the unique characteristics which filled his heart with wonder at God’s creative genius.

These dogs were unlike any he had ever delivered, though. All but the runt, weighed about a pound each. They came in a variety of colors, black with a brown undercoat, red with a white undercoat, light brown with a white under coat, or a mixture of these colors. Each had unique markings.

However, their bodies were somewhat longer than that of a normal Australian Shepherd puppy. Their legs were shorter too, like those of a dachshund, but they had Australian Shepherd like faces. One of their most distinctive features was their ears. They pointed up, but the top half flopped back down toward each side of the face.

The runt weighed only about eight ounces and had a black top coat with a brown undercoat. Proudly displayed on her chest was a large white star. White fur edged each paw. She yawned for a moment, but sensed a screaming man hovering high above her attentive mom and the rest of her brothers and sisters. Shocked by the inside storm above her, she and the rest of her siblings buried their little heads in their mom’s fur. Unfortunately Tim’s tantrum was only getting started.

 “Will this nightmare ever end?” he shouted in a voice loud enough to compete with the thunder outside.

“What’s the matter?” Dr. Johnson barked.

“You just delivered a litter of mutts!” Tim bellowed. “A stupid dachshund invaded this place and impregnated Fluffy, our best doggy mom. Thanks to him, we can’t breed her again. If we do that and buyers find out she was the mother of a litter of mutts, they’ll avoid purchasing any of our puppies, destroying our business.”

Martha assured her husband, “Don’t worry, Tim. The puppies will be out of here as soon as they’re weaned. Ricky will have them. They’ll be his problem. We have other dogs we can breed. All’s not lost.”

Fluffy, scared by Tim’s screaming, scooted closer to her puppies to protect them from the chaos erupting all around her.

 Tim’s outbursts unnerved even the vet. Dr. Johnson quickly cleaned up the puppies, moved the entire group out of the whelping box to a clean blanket on a dog bed nestled against the back wall, and packed up his gear. Sunshine returned to the western sky as the storm departed, projecting a double rainbow on the dark sky to the east as he finished.

“I have to go, other appointments you know. Call my office if you have any problems,” Dr. Johnson said.

He wrote out a bill for his services. Once Martha paid it, Dr. Johnson fled the building. Martha heard the car door slam, the roar of the engine, followed by the screeching of tires as the anxious vet tore out of the driveway on to the highway.

She looked down at the seven puppies snuggled against Fluffy, all comfy on their bed. Would this be the end of the storm?