you can see.”
Shay laughed and knelt to hug a retriever mix they called Bundy. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Look at you!” Carol cried explosively. Shay and Liza looked up in surprise, soon realizing Carol was talking to one of the dogs. “You’ve rubbed a bare spot on your ear.” She was chiding a young Jack Russell terrier. “Now we’ve got to go treat it.”
She scooped the dog into her arms and hurried away. “I’ll see you ladies later. Let me know if you need anything!”
“Whirlwind,” Shay commented dryly.
“Yes,” Liza agreed with a sigh.
Shay cooed to her circle of dogs, scratching behind every ear presented while Liza led a second gang a short distance away for a game of fetch. Hours passed as the two worked the dogs. Eventually the entire group reclined on the grassy expanse, sweating and panting, pleasantly exhausted.
“Well, that was fun,” Shay said, holding her heavy hair off her neck. “It sure gets hot here in crazy Alabama.”
Liza smiled, surprised that Shay recalled their conversation at Dooley’s.
“Yep. I like the heat, though. There’s something so much more alive here than in colder places.”
Shay leaned back and rested her weight on bent elbows. “How do you mean?”
“Things don’t die out. Bugs, plants. You know. I like that. Plants grow all year in the South.”
Shay swatted at a fly and laughed. “Yeah, and we mustn’t forget the bugs.”
Liza joined in the merriment. The sound caused one of the dogs to rise and meander over to lick at Liza’s nose.
“C’mon, Scarlet. It’s too hot to be carryin’ on that way.” Liza nevertheless scratched the dog between the ears. Scarlet closed her eyes and leaned into Liza’s hand. “I think border collies are some of the friendliest dogs, don’t you?”
Shay squinted at Liza. “Yeah, I do. But you know she’s an Aussie cattle dog, right?”
“No way,” Liza replied immediately. “She’s a border mix.”
Shay sat up and scrubbed dried grass off her arms. “No, seriously Liza, I know. She’s a cattle girl.”
“I disagree. Look at the markings. If she were a cattle dog, she’d have less of a blaze, not the linear markings like Scarlet has. They’re border collie markings. I know the size is the same and they’re close, but I really think this is border.”
Shay eyed Liza evenly. “How familiar are you with Australian cattle dogs? I know an awful lot about them. Have you even looked at her muzzle, her ears? This is definitely a cattle dog mix.”
Liza studied Scarlet and then shook her head, eyes closed. “You’re wrong. What would a cattle dog be doing in southern Alabama anyway?”
Shay bristled and clamped her small teeth together as if to help forestall losing her temper. “Liza, this is not a border collie, and I’d really appreciate it if you’d let it go. I know what I’m talking about.”
“Shay, I’m not doubting your knowledge. I just know you’re dead wrong on this one.” Liza was trying to be reasonable. She remembered keenly Shay’s Irish temper.
Shay was getting angrier by the minute and her voice had risen. “ How do you know? Who told you? I should say, what idiot told you this was a border collie?”
Scarlet, not understanding the altercation, stared from woman to woman, moving back in alarm as Liza leapt to her feet, followed quickly by Shay.
“What do you mean, idiot? I checked this dog in myself. I’ve been doing it for years and was taught to identify the dogs by Paul, Carol’s husband. He runs the shelter and knows more about dogs than the two of us put together.”
Shay had crossed her arms across her chest and was watching Liza with a challenging stare. “Oh, really. So maybe Paul’s the one I need to talk to, not his apprentice dog whisperer.”
There was a definite sneer in her voice, and Liza’s eyes widened in indignation. “What the hell do you mean by that?!”
“Just what I said.” Shay lowered her arms, her hands balled into fists
Shay laughed and knelt to hug a retriever mix they called Bundy. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Look at you!” Carol cried explosively. Shay and Liza looked up in surprise, soon realizing Carol was talking to one of the dogs. “You’ve rubbed a bare spot on your ear.” She was chiding a young Jack Russell terrier. “Now we’ve got to go treat it.”
She scooped the dog into her arms and hurried away. “I’ll see you ladies later. Let me know if you need anything!”
“Whirlwind,” Shay commented dryly.
“Yes,” Liza agreed with a sigh.
Shay cooed to her circle of dogs, scratching behind every ear presented while Liza led a second gang a short distance away for a game of fetch. Hours passed as the two worked the dogs. Eventually the entire group reclined on the grassy expanse, sweating and panting, pleasantly exhausted.
“Well, that was fun,” Shay said, holding her heavy hair off her neck. “It sure gets hot here in crazy Alabama.”
Liza smiled, surprised that Shay recalled their conversation at Dooley’s.
“Yep. I like the heat, though. There’s something so much more alive here than in colder places.”
Shay leaned back and rested her weight on bent elbows. “How do you mean?”
“Things don’t die out. Bugs, plants. You know. I like that. Plants grow all year in the South.”
Shay swatted at a fly and laughed. “Yeah, and we mustn’t forget the bugs.”
Liza joined in the merriment. The sound caused one of the dogs to rise and meander over to lick at Liza’s nose.
“C’mon, Scarlet. It’s too hot to be carryin’ on that way.” Liza nevertheless scratched the dog between the ears. Scarlet closed her eyes and leaned into Liza’s hand. “I think border collies are some of the friendliest dogs, don’t you?”
Shay squinted at Liza. “Yeah, I do. But you know she’s an Aussie cattle dog, right?”
“No way,” Liza replied immediately. “She’s a border mix.”
Shay sat up and scrubbed dried grass off her arms. “No, seriously Liza, I know. She’s a cattle girl.”
“I disagree. Look at the markings. If she were a cattle dog, she’d have less of a blaze, not the linear markings like Scarlet has. They’re border collie markings. I know the size is the same and they’re close, but I really think this is border.”
Shay eyed Liza evenly. “How familiar are you with Australian cattle dogs? I know an awful lot about them. Have you even looked at her muzzle, her ears? This is definitely a cattle dog mix.”
Liza studied Scarlet and then shook her head, eyes closed. “You’re wrong. What would a cattle dog be doing in southern Alabama anyway?”
Shay bristled and clamped her small teeth together as if to help forestall losing her temper. “Liza, this is not a border collie, and I’d really appreciate it if you’d let it go. I know what I’m talking about.”
“Shay, I’m not doubting your knowledge. I just know you’re dead wrong on this one.” Liza was trying to be reasonable. She remembered keenly Shay’s Irish temper.
Shay was getting angrier by the minute and her voice had risen. “ How do you know? Who told you? I should say, what idiot told you this was a border collie?”
Scarlet, not understanding the altercation, stared from woman to woman, moving back in alarm as Liza leapt to her feet, followed quickly by Shay.
“What do you mean, idiot? I checked this dog in myself. I’ve been doing it for years and was taught to identify the dogs by Paul, Carol’s husband. He runs the shelter and knows more about dogs than the two of us put together.”
Shay had crossed her arms across her chest and was watching Liza with a challenging stare. “Oh, really. So maybe Paul’s the one I need to talk to, not his apprentice dog whisperer.”
There was a definite sneer in her voice, and Liza’s eyes widened in indignation. “What the hell do you mean by that?!”
“Just what I said.” Shay lowered her arms, her hands balled into fists
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