The World According to Vince - Jane Harvey-Berrick Page 0,14
in a rush to get over to the animal shelter.
Rick was going back to the gym (what a surprise) and I headed through the busy streets, but as I neared the shelter, the road was partially blocked by news crews and crowds of people. Police were frantically trying to keep the traffic moving, and losing the battle.
As I neared the shelter, the crowd was thicker and then I heard someone yelling.
“There he is! The Canine Crusader!”
I glanced over my shoulder to see who they were talking about, but suddenly a reporter with a microphone the size of a koala was in my face.
“Vincent Azzo! You’re back at the scene of the crime!”
“Uh, well…”
“How does it feel to know that every single dog at this shelter has been adopted because of you?”
A broad grin swept across my face. “Really? Every single one? Even the old fella with the torn ear? They’ve all been adopted?”
“Yes! You didn’t know? Would you like to give us a quote, Mr. Azzo?”
“It’s fookin’ fab! I’m really happy that all the dogs have gone to good homes.”
“Every dog shelter in the state of New York is reporting the same phenomenon, and dogs are being adopted all over the city. They’re calling you the Canine Crusader!”
“Wow! I got a superhero name! That’s cool! Do I get a cape?”
“Ha, I don’t know. But you’re certainly a hero to these dogs.”
“I’m right happy about that.”
“I believe that you’ve been charged with burglarizing this shelter, is that correct?”
“Yeah, I had to go to court this morning, but it weren’t too bad. The judge let me out on bail.”
“Would you break the law again to save a furry friend?”
I answered seriously. “If a dog is on a kill list, then yes I would. No dog deserves to be on death row just because he hasn’t got a home. What kind of people let that happen? It’s wrong!”
The reporter turned back to the camera.
“And there you have it. The Canine Crusader would break the law again to save the life of another dog. And they say we don’t have real heroes anymore.”
I winked at the camera because I didn’t know what else to say, then pushed my way towards the entrance to the shelter.
A harassed woman with a clipboard didn’t want to let me through, but when she recognized me, I was allowed in. I found myself face-to-face with a stiff in a suit who was the shelter’s director.
“Do you know what you’ve done here?” he hissed at me. “We’ve been under siege all day. I’ve personally been threatened with violence!”
I stare at him, puzzled. “But I thought all the dogs had been adopted. What’s the problem?”
He turned purple and spittle flew from his mouth.
“The problem is that people are calling me a dog killer!”
My gaze hardened.
“Five dogs were on your kill list. Five dogs who now have a home. If you’d been doing your fookin’ job right in the first place, this wouldn’t have had to happen.”
“How dare you!” he screeched, pointing a trembling finger at me. “You have no idea of the pressures we’re under! Costs go up year on year but our budget doesn’t. We’ve lost another part-time member of staff, and now we’ve got a broken door to pay for, no thanks to you!”
I felt a bit guilty about that. “I’ll pay for your door.”
“You most certainly will!” he snapped. “I’ll make sure of it.” He took a breath, his piggy little eyes narrowing. “You know, nothing about this is easy—we have shelters in five boroughs for the whole city and take in 30,000 animals every year. One in five have to be euthanized because we have no space! We know which animals we can help and the ones no one wants. Even if we had the room—which we don’t—is it better for an animal to be in here for three, four, five years with no hope of being rehomed?”
He had me there. I had no idea that homeless dogs were such a huge problem in the city. And I had to consider the idea of a kill list against a beastie being kept in prison for years instead. Neither was something I wanted on my conscience.
“You need more money, mate,” I said. “And better publicity. And seeing as I seem to be flavor of the month for the next 15 minutes, why don’t I use it to try and get the donations flowing in?”
He gave me a skeptical look and answered stiffly. “All donations will be gratefully received.”