Read Online A Home for Shimmer by Cathy Hopkins - Free Book Online Page B

dog, with a white coat with brown patches all over it. He was a bit quiet when we first brought him home but when he’d been fed and realised he was safe, his real nature came out and he was soon running about happily wagging his tail. Luckily Mrs Watson said she’d foster him until we’re up and running. She’s a funny old bat but obviously has a kind heart.
    On the first Saturday in the Easter holidays, we set off on our road trip. Destination: the rescue home for dogs and cats. Mum looked very smart in a navy trouser suit and her hair tied back, and I could see that Dad had made an effort too because, for once, he wasn’t wearing odd socks, and Shimmer was wearing a new red collar specially purchased for the trip. And Mum and Dad said Caitlin could come too, which would make it double fun.
    On the journey, we made up a list of questions to ask when we got to the centre.
    ‘Ask how much it costs them a year to run the place,’ said Mum.
    ‘Megabucks, I bet,’ said Caitlin.
    ‘Where would you find that?’ Josh asked.
    ‘Exactly,’ said Dad. ‘Put that as question number one. How do you find the money to run a rescue centre?’
    ‘It says on their website that people are asked to make a donation when they adopt an animal,’ I said. ‘That gives some money. We’d have to have a similar site so people can read about the animals, how much it would cost, how to donate. You should take a look, Josh.’
    ‘Already have, dingbat. I could do one for us, easy peasy. We could also use all the social media like Twitter and Facebook. I could update a Facebook page with photos and stories about the centre and animals.’
    ‘Whoa. Slow down, J-boy. First we have to get the funding,’ said Dad.
    When did he turn into Mr Grumpbucket?
    We turned down a narrow lane lined with trees, right into a car park and there it was – a glass-fronted chalet-style building with a patio in front of it. ‘Coooool,’ said Josh.
    ‘Yeah,’ said Caitlin, but she was looking at Josh not the building. As always, he was oblivious to her crush on him. As soon as we got out of the car, we could hear dogs barking in the background.
    ‘You stay here,’ I said to Shimmer, who thought she was getting out with the rest of us. She looked most put out when I closed the door on her, but we wouldn’t be leaving her for long, and it wasn’t a hot day. I looked around at fields surrounding the centre.
Nice location
, I thought as we made our way to the front and into the airy reception area. It had a counter on the right for people to check in, a pet shop to the left and at the back was a closed glass door that led to the kennels. A friendly-looking man came out and introduced himself as Mazhar.
    ‘Thanks so much for agreeing to meet with us,’ said Dad.
    ‘You’re welcome,’ Mazhar said and indicated that we should sit down at a round table to the front of the reception. Josh, Caitlin and I were dying to get through the doors and see the animals, but we stayed and listened as Mum and Dad began their questions.
    I was so busy dreaming of all the animals we’d soon be looking after as hundreds of people came from all over the country to visit our famous tea shop, that I zoned out when Mazhar told Mum and Dad how much the centre cost to run – though I think I heard the word ‘millions’. An odd strangled sound came from Dad’s side of the table.
    ‘And how do you find that money?’ asked Mum.
    ‘Mainly through fundraising,’ replied Mazhar. ‘We have a whole team of people working on it. We also rely on donations from the public. We’re a registered charity so sometimes we’re gifted amounts in people’s wills and other times a wealthy individual makes a large donation. We are a nation of animal lovers and people do leave their money – especially those who’ve been and seen the place, but we have to work hard to raise money for times when there aren’t donations.’
    That’s it
, I thought.
It’s never going to happen
. I