Adoption Drive 2015 [Open to all]

[Gunnar Frey]

The few months after Christmas were always the worst, for pet shops and rescue centres alike. Not only did sales and adoptions always slow down dramatically after the holiday period, but also they were always flooded with animals that had been unwanted gifts. Kittens that had eaten beloved goldfish, dogs that had been too boisterous around the new baby and rabbits that were simply ignored all came in with truly heartbreaking frequency, and it was a huge part of the reason why Gunnar was always so careful when making sales around Christmas. He could afford to lose a sale if it meant the animal did not go to a home where it would be neglected for a few months before ending up back on his doorstep.

It was a large part of the reason why Gunnar never sold dogs or cats at the Ark. There were enough poor homeless beasts in the shelters as it was without him indirectly adding to their number. He did however sell feed, toys, beds and other care items though, and had large bins near the exit of the store so people could donate spare items they had bought should they so wish.

Today, however, he was working with one of the local rescues to try something a bit different. It was the first time the Ark had ever hosted an adoption drive, and Gunnar and his team had been working hard to get the store ready for it. Shelving racks had been rearranged to create a large space in the middle of the store, which was now filled with cages housing various dogs and cats that were looking for their forever home. Workers from the rescue were promoting the animals and their responsible ownership, with the Ark offering a 50% discount on all store purchases for the day to anyone who officially adopted an animal. For those who couldn’t adopt, the Ark was promising to match any donations of food, bedding or toys made by the public. The royalties Gunnar was making from sales of the anniversary edition of his first album might as well go towards a good cause, after all.

Gunnar walked past one of the cages, eyeing the Italian Greyhound inside. He knelt down and reached through the bars, lightly scratching the animal on its head and giving a fairly rare genuine smile. No, he didn’t need a dog, he had enough animals as it was already. Still, it was hard not to be charmed by the little dog as it wagged its tail and nuzzled against his fingers.

[Daniel Taylor]

Cat food. Only cat food. Daniel keep repeating to himself as he opened the door to the Ark. The day Daniel needed to get more canned food for Pookie was the day the Ark was having an adoption drive. Sure, he had thought of the pros and cons of having a second cat. He wasn't here for another cat, he was here for cat food. But seeing the cages, it would be impossible not to at least look at the animals. Daniel resisted the strong temptation of peering into the cages. He would go get the cat food and then he could have his heart melt from the cuteness of the animals. He walked the aisles to where the canned cat food was. He scanned the shelves until he spotted the brand he gets. With the box of canned food under his arm Daniel b-lined it to the cages in the middle of the store.

He peered into one cage to see a calico cat curled up in a ball in to the cage of the cage. In the cage next to calico kitty was a Russian blue cat. The Russian blue was much more interested in Daniel than the calico. The Russian blue let out a meow when it saw Daniel. Daniel smiled. He placed his fingers against the bars. The cat sniffed Daniel's fingers. Daniel chuckled at the little breath on his fingers. He poked one finger through the bars to scratch the cat on the bridge of its nose. "Hi kitty. You're a pretty kitty."

Daniel took his hand away from the cage. The Russian blue cat had worked its magic. The 'I came just for cat food' was on its way out without Daniel. Daniel had fallen in love with the cat. How could anyone resist those green eyes? He knew he couldn't just go home with a cat. How would Pookie react? No, if Daniel was going to bring home another cat he would want Pookie and the new kitty to meet first. Daniel could bring Pookie over, right? Or maybe he could bring the kitty home for a day or something and see how the two get along. If the two didn't get along Daniel would be totally heart broken to bring second kitty back. He looked around for someone to ask what his options were. He spotted a gentleman. Daniel went over to ask with his box of canned cat food under his arm. "Excuse me."

[Gunnar Frey]

Gunnar did not need a dog; he had convinced himself of that a long time ago. He already had a menagerie of snakes, lizards, rodents, not to mention the rabbit and palm cockatoo, so he really did not need a dog to add to the mix. Besides, he tended to work really long hours and it wouldn’t be fair to leave it alone in his house when he was at the store all day. It was true that he didn’t live far away and he could always just pop home on his lunch break to walk it, and if it was only a small dog like this one…

No! No dogs!

Thankfully, other people had seemed to be far more flexible in their ‘no dogs’ policy than he was, and the shelter had been able to officially announce several adoptions already today. It was an excellent feeling for Gunnar just as much as it was for them, especially when he saw that the bins to collect food, toys and bedding were filling up fairly quickly too. The Ark would have one hell of a donation to match, but they could cover it without a problem. To Gunnar, the more the merrier, as far as that was concerned.

A voice creating soft orange waves across his vision pulled the Brit out of his scattered thoughts, and he gave the Italian Greyhound one last quick scritch on the nose before standing upright again and turning to face the younger man that was addressing him. He managed to put on a polite smile as he answered. “Hi. I’m Gunnar, I own the store. Is there something I can help you with?”

[Lilly Love]

Work had been exhausting. It seemed like everyone in Pilot Ridge and their mother had come through the mini-mart today. She couldn't believe how many people had to buy multiple gallons of milk. She wasn't a weak person but she didn't exactly have guns of steel either, and after five hours scanning and bagging her arms felt like noodles.

Typically Live just used her power to get home; one, because it was faster than walking and two, to avoid the sun. However, she was so tired she didn't feel like using the extra energy and it was fairly cloudy out so she didn't have to worry about the sun. She was just beginning her walk home when she noticed something out of the ordinary. It looked like The Ark was having some sort of special adoption day. She had passed the store many times before, but had never bothered to check it out because it didn't have the only animal she like; cats. However, as she got closer and could see inside, she saw that today was different.

Live had never been a people person. In fact, she basically hated everyone. However, she liked cats because of their 'I'm the baddest bitch' personality; they didn't care if you liked them or not. She could respect something that indifferent. Plus, cats were absolutely adorable and SO soft. She had never had one of her own though. She had taken care of a stray for a couple days once but it had gotten mauled to death by her neighbors dog.

She didn't really have any intentions of getting a cat of her own, but looking wouldn't hurt, right? She entered the shop, looking like a disheveled mess in her mini-mart uniform, and started walking towards the cats. She scanned over them slowly, not really finding any that particularly interesting, until her eyes landed on the most precious thing she had ever seen; a little black kitten with one white ear. She bent down to look at it and couldn't help but smile, "Hey there little guy!" She said, though she wasn't sure of the cats gender.