You Can Call Me Clover: A Dog Rescue Story

LOGAN

Logan exited the back door of River Ridge Chicken after completing his eight-hour shift on Saturday.

Any plans tonight? his coworker, Seth, asked.

He wished he could respond with an enthusiastic yes. Fall had arrived in his small New Hampshire town, and the evening would be more enjoyable if he wouldn’t be alone.

Nah, man. Just headed home.

Okay, well, see you tomor—

Oh wow, Logan interrupted, look at that.

Logan pointed over to a medium-sized orange dog with white markings devouring scraps from the trash outside of the Irish pub across the street.

Oh, the dog? Yeah, I saw it earlier when I was out on my break. It doesn’t seem very interested in people, I have to say, but it looks too cute to be a stray. Anyway, I’ve got to go. See you tomorrow, said Seth before getting into his car and driving off.

The coworkers’ conversation didn’t seem to disturb the dog who continued chowing down on her findings.

Logan slowly crossed the road while keeping an eye on the dog. He had to cross the street to get to his car anyway, so he figured he might as well see if he could get closer to the dog at the same time. While Logan had never had a pet during his sixteen years of life, he’d always had a soft spot for animals, especially dogs. His mother used to wear a necklace with a paw print and clover charm every day before she passed away when Logan was only seven.

Hey, buddy… Logan said in a low voice with an outstretched hand. The dog startled and stared but didn’t retreat as Logan continued his approach. I’m not going to hurt you. You’re a hungry fella, huh?

The dog wagged her tail low and took a step back.

You must be thirsty after eating all of those scraps, huh, bud? Let me get you some water.

The dog’s ears perked up upon hearing the word water.

Logan opened the passenger door of his car and grabbed a bottle of water. To his surprise, the dog was right behind him when he turned back around, wagging her tail expectantly. "Okay, so you are thirsty. Let’s try this…" Logan cupped his left hand and used it as a makeshift bowl for the thirsty pup.

The dog drank all of the water from Logan’s hand. Then drank it all again. After three more refills, she sat and stared up at Logan.

All right, so what should we do now? Logan said aloud as he scratched behind the dog’s ears and looked around to see if anyone happened to be around who might have an answer.

He decided to take out his phone and call Drew, his friend from school. Drew always had an answer for everything. It just seemed to come naturally to him. Just as he’d anticipated, Drew came up with a plan for Logan and the stray dog. Logan would take her to the nearby canine rescue.

Okay, bud, it’s time for us to go, Logan said as he looked down at the dog and then opened the back door of his car.

The dog cocked her head in question.

We’ve got to take you to a rescue. Get you taken care of.

Logan motioned to the backseat, but the dog didn’t move.

Come on, it’s okay, Logan said in a lighter tone.

Nothing happened.

It’s okay, he continued. Look, I’ll show you.

Logan crawled into the backseat. The dog hopped in right behind him and wagged her tail.

Aw, hi bud, Logan said as the dog rubbed her face against his arm. I guess you didn’t need too much convincing after all, huh?

The dog wiggled and pressed her body weight against Logan like they were long-lost friends.

You’re big on the cuddles, huh? Logan asked as he laughed and continued petting the dog. And a cute cuddler at that. How’d you get out here, anyway?

CLOVER

I was riding in a car! I was riding in a car! I loved riding in cars. Scents swirl by at such a rapid pace in cars. It’s like eating ten meals a second.

And this car did not disappoint. Not only were there massive amounts of appealing scents outside, but there were also intriguing scents inside. The car actually smelled a little bit like… chicken! It smelled like chicken. I used to chase chickens morning, noon, and night. Oh, how I missed the scent of chicken. Even the boy driving the car smelled like chicken! I never wanted to leave.

I hadn’t trusted many people since I’d left home, but this boy was different. He looked at me with love in his eyes, he was calm, and he genuinely seemed kind. Plus, he smelled fantastic. I don’t know where he’d come from to have such an intoxicating chicken scent attached to him, but I hoped that’s where we were going.

Hi, this is Logan Greenfield. I, uh… I found a stray dog and I was wondering if… The boy paused. Yes, okay, great. We’ll be there in about… five minutes.

He paused again. I wondered who he was talking to. Was it me? I sat up to listen closer to his words.

Yes, sounds good. See you soon.

The boy set his phone down, turned his head slightly toward me, and said, All right, buddy, we’re going to Kiwi Canine Rescue. The owner’s expecting us in a few minutes.

I didn’t understand what he was trying to tell me, but he spoke without any alarm in his voice. I sat tall and panted in agreement.

When the car stopped, the boy turned to me and uttered some more words, one of which was stay. It had never been my favorite word, and if I didn’t sense any immediate danger, I usually opted to ignore it.

As the boy exited the car, I sprang into the front seat and snuck out his door to stand next to him. He jumped a little, but didn’t yell, so I figured I’d made the right choice. He must not have meant it when he’d said stay, after all.

I followed the boy to the building, my nose actively working to take in any more of the chicken scent to no avail as we walked across the parking lot. Once inside, my nose was overcome with the scent of other dogs. I could hear them in the distance but couldn’t see any.

The boy looked toward a woman sitting at a desk, so I did, too.

Hi, uh, I called earlier about the stray?

My attention snapped back to the boy. Did he just say stay again?

Oh yes, you must be Logan? the woman asked with a broad smile as she stepped out behind her desk to shake the boy’s hand. Hi. I’m Miranda. Owner and operator of Kiwi Canine Rescue, she continued before looking over at me. Oh, well, hi there, aren’t you just beautiful.

The woman’s words were full of excitement. Were we going to play a game? I looked around for a ball or toy.

He’s a cute dog, the boy said as he scratched the top of my head. And pretty funny, too. He didn’t seem too sure about me at first, but he did jump right into my car and even followed me in here without a leash.

Ah, I see. I think you’ve got a special one on your hands, the woman said as she looked me over.

Then she rubbed behind my ears. I loved when people did that.

And, she continued, I think I should probably let you know, she’s actually a girl, the woman said as she chuckled and bent down to look me in the eye. But, anyway, I’m so glad you called. Where did you say you found her again? the woman asked as she looked up at the boy and continued scratching behind my left ear.

She’d found a good spot. My leg started to thump while I forgot about tennis balls and games.

Oh, it was right outside McCorley’s Pub, down on River Ave. I saw her eating from their trash can in the alley and figured she must be a stray.

Yes, it certainly sounds that way, she said to the boy before turning back to me. But oh, you’re such a pretty girl. And so lucky that this young man found you.

I closed my eyes and continued to soak in the affection. Even though the chicken scent wasn’t in this building, it wasn’t a complete letdown.

LOGAN

So, what happens now? Logan asked Miranda.

Well, first, I’ll take her back to see if she has a microchip. If she does, it should tell me who she belongs to. If she doesn’t, then I’ll keep her here until she has a new home.

Okay, great. Well, thank you for taking her, Logan said as he turned toward the door and started walking away. The dog started to follow.

I see you made a quick friend. You’re welcome to stay while I check on her microchip if you’d like.

Oh, I should probably get going.

Okay, it’s up to you, but it will only take a minute. Let me go grab a leash. I’ll be right back.

Logan leaned down to pet the dog.

It looks like you’re in good hands, bud.

The dog wagged her tail as Logan’s hand repeatedly swept over the top of her head.

All right. Let’s see how you do with this, girl, Miranda said as she approached the dog with the leash.

The dog backed away and shrunk behind Logan.

Okay, I wasn’t sure how that was going to go, said Miranda, but this isn’t surprising behavior for a stray. It’s hard to know how much interaction they’ve had with others when they get here. So, change of plans. Let’s see if she’ll follow you. We just have to head to that room right there behind my desk if you don’t mind walking toward it.

Logan obliged while the dog followed behind.

Impressive, said Miranda. You sure you just met this dog?

Logan laughed as Miranda checked for the dog’s microchip.

Well, it looks like this cutie might be staying here for a while, said Miranda. I’m not seeing anything. She set her scanner down. So, she said while looking at Logan, any ideas for a name?

Oh, hmm. Logan paused. Well, considering I found her enjoying an Irish restaurant’s leftovers… maybe… Clover?

Ah, I love it! exclaimed Miranda. Very fitting for this lucky girl, she said as she ruffled the fur on Clover’s head.

Logan stood straighter. He’d never named anything beyond his childhood toys before. He thought back to the paw print and clover charms on his mother’s necklace and smiled.

Hi, Clover, Logan said as he bent down to give her another scratch behind the ears. I’m Logan.

CLOVER

The boy and the woman kept petting me while saying the word clover. I’d never heard that word before, but if it meant being showered in affection, it could easily become a new favorite.

The boy’s repetitive touch was soft and caring. I enjoyed sitting by his side.

I lost some of my excitement when the boy left. The woman placed a smooth, thin rope around my neck that tightened when I tried to pull, and she led me to another room. The room where the dog noises had been coming from.

There was a long hallway, and the floor was cold on my paws. The smell of all of the dogs together filled my nostrils as the woman showed me into what seemed to be a super clean closet with a barred door. The sides of the strange closet were solid and had a slight sheen that matched the floor.

Okay, Clover, the woman said as she reached her hand through the barred door she’d just exited. Welcome to your temporary home.

Home? I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back home. Is she going to take me there? I didn’t really want to go. I barked.

Okay, then! You approve, said Miranda. I’ll come by later to check on you. Okay, Clover? I just have to finish up some paperwork, but then we’ll get you outside before dinner.

Dinner! Now she was speaking my language. There wasn’t much I loved more than dinner. Except maybe breakfast.

When the woman left, I immediately jumped up onto the cot in the corner to get off the cold floor. While the room and the closet were fairly bright, it wasn’t from the sun like I was used to.

I was used to spending most of my time outside. Back at home on the farm, I would run with the chickens when the sun rose; devour a savory breakfast, which usually consisted of kibble covered by a few meat scraps from the house; nap next to my favorite tree by the cows; explore in the woods; then nap in the sun on the house’s front steps until the farmer returned and fed me dinner. Dinner was similar to breakfast, except it usually included some crunchy, bland ingredients from the garden. They weren’t always my favorite, but I appreciated the variety and effort.

I wondered if dinner would be the same here. It’d been several days since I’d had a dinner like the one I used to have on the farm. My stomach growled while I shivered and curled into as tight of a ball as I could on the cot. I decided to take a nap, hoping to dream about my next meal.

LOGAN

Logan sat outside at Lou’s Pizza in downtown River Ridge on Sunday afternoon, waiting for Drew to meet him for lunch before his next shift at work.

Hey, man, Drew said, almost out of breath, as he approached Logan at his table. Sorry I’m late.

All good, Logan replied as he stood to greet his friend with a quick handshake and a half hug. How’s it going?

Good. Just got hung up with my parents. I pretty much went through a full-blown interrogation just to have lunch with you, Drew said as he rolled his eyes and plopped into his seat.

Ha, man, sounds rough, Logan feigned before sitting back down.

It was. You’re so lucky you can just do whatever you want, Drew said with a sigh.

Yeah, true, Logan replied, but he didn’t really agree. Drew doesn’t know how fortunate he is to have two parents who care about his whereabouts, Logan thought.

The boys picked up their menus, even though they already knew what they were going to get.

So, Drew said as he flipped the menu over, I didn’t hear back from you after you came across that stray dog yesterday. How’d that go?

Oh yeah, it went great, actually. Clover hopped into my backseat and followed me into the rescue and everything.

Clover, huh? Was that the name on the collar?

Oh, no. I gave her the name while I was at the rescue. Considering I found her outside McCorley’s.

Ah, right. Nice. Glad things went okay.

Yeah, I was actually thinking about stopping by there this morning to see how she’s doing but didn’t think I should.

Oh, you should go, Drew said. They probably need some extra help anyway. My parents said they’re always looking for volunteers. Actually, did you hear who’s going to start volunteering there?

A waitress stopped at the boys’ table before Logan could take a guess.

Hi there, what can I get for you? the waitress asked as she took out a pad of paper and a pen.

We’ll get a large pizza—half chicken, half supreme, please, said Drew without even a glance at Logan.

Actually, Logan said to Drew, can we get half meatball instead of the chicken? I’m kind of chickened out lately from work.

Yeah, of course, replied the waitress. Not a problem. Anything to drink?

I’ll just have water, said Logan.

I’ll take a lemonade, please, said Drew. He looked toward Logan. You sure you don’t want anything? I’ll pay.

I’m good, thanks, said Logan through gritted teeth as he forced a smile before handing the menus to the waitress.

Okay, I’ll have the drinks out soon, the waitress said before walking back inside.

So, Logan said, who’s going to be volunteering at the rescue?

Oh, Drew said before clearing his throat, right. Kylie Stephens.

A lump grew in Logan’s throat as he tried to hide his simultaneous anxiety and excitement upon hearing Kylie’s name.

It’s all she’s talked about before choir practice, Drew said. I’m surprised you hadn’t heard already.

No, uh, that’s news to me, Logan replied. I’m sure she’ll enjoy it.

Oh, don’t try to play it cool, Drew said. We all know how hard you’re crushing on her.

I don’t know what— Logan started.

"Oh, come on. You get to school at what? 7:30? When your first class is a study hall, so you don’t even actually have to show up until 8:50. And why? Why would you possibly do that?" Drew asked with an eye roll.

I wake up early. So what? That’s no reason to think—

Oh, I know what it could be, Drew said with his voice rising. "Maybe, maybe it’s because 7:30 is when Kylie arrives for her morning meetings, and you might just have a shot at walking in with her."

Man, okay, keep it down, Logan replied with wide eyes as he glanced at his surroundings. I didn’t realize you were a professional private investigator, jeez. Who hired you anyway?

Her parents.

Logan’s face lost some color.

"Dude, I’m just kidding. I mean, her parents and my parents are tight and all, but I’m pretty sure her parents don’t even know you exist. Actually, I’m pretty sure Kylie barely knows you exist."

It could be true, Logan thought. He’d only moved to River Ridge a little over a year ago and hadn’t grown up with all the kids in their class like Drew had.

The waitress came back to the table with the boys’ drinks.

Here you go, she said as she placed the drinks in front of them. One water and one lemonade. Is there anything else I can get you two for now? she asked as she wiped her damp hands together.

Actually, Drew started, we could use your opinion.

Logan shrunk back into his seat as Drew continued.

Say a guy has a crush on you…

The waitress raised her eyebrows and took the slightest step back.

Would you rather he makes it clear and asks you out, or would you rather he be super subtle and never tell you?

Dude, stop, Logan interjected as he sunk down farther in his chair.

What? I just thought it would be nice to get a female’s perspective on this, you know? said Drew.

Logan shut his eyes, shielded his face with his hand, and prayed for the conversation to end.

Oh, I would prefer if he told me, said the waitress definitively. I am taken, though. Just to be clear, she said a bit slower.

Oh, Drew replied with a reassuring smile. "Of course. No, it’s nothing like that. I’m just trying to convince Logan over here to