themselves awake with mugs of coffee.
The new arrivals were a middle-aged couple called Phyllis and Ken, a student called Jay who was Adelaidet boyfriend, and an elderly man whose leather bag made him instantly recognisable as a medic, in this case a vet.
Ahh, here she is,?Miranda said.
That did I miss??Lauren asked anxiously. Tou didn't let me sleep through anything did you??
Don't worry,?Miranda smiled. Lou made a call about half an hour ago. Security was featherweight; they managed to get in and out of the kennels without any trouble. They should be here in ten to fifteen minutes. The only thing is, were got seventy-three beagle pups to deal with.?
Now many were we expecting??Lauren asked.
Thirty or forty,?Miranda replied. Ttt a good job you came. We're really going to have our work cut out getting that number of dogs cleaned up and shipped off to the sanctuaries by sun-up.?
Lout wife and sister are coming over to lend a hand,?Adelaide added. But they won't get here for at least another hour.?
20. DOGS
All hell broke loose when the two vehicles arrived ?Ryan and Anna in a seven-ton truck and Lou in the Vauxhall Astra. It was pitch black, so Lou pointed his car towards the truck and left the headlamps burning so that they had light to work in.
Lauren and the others donned breathing masks and thick rubber gloves, as Anna pushed up the steel shutter at the rear of the truck. The wave of putrid air was beyond anything Lauren imagined possible. She ripped off her mask and staggered forwards to vomit at the edge of the driveway. Phyllis had exactly the same reaction, and several others were gagging.
Are you OK??Miranda asked gently, as she rubbed Laurent back. Do you want me to get you some water??
Nelp the dogs,?Lauren gasped as she staggered towards the house. TEl be OK.?
She ran into the kitchen and quickly swished her mouth out with water. She felt queasy, but was determined to get back out there and show that she could be of some use.
The puppies had been placed on the floor of the truck in cardboard pet carriers. Each was designed for one small dog, but the haul of pups had been beyond expectations and the rescuers had resorted to putting two dogs into some of them.
Braving the appalling smell, Lauren grabbed two boxes that Anna handed down from inside the truck. As she ran around to the stables behind the house, one box was alive with the sound of two frightened pups scratching at their enclosure, while a single pup cowered at the rear of the other.
Each stable had a tap rigged up with its own supply of cold water. The only source of hot ran down a long hose from the kitchen and Adelaide had asked everyone to use it sparingly because the tank wouldn't last for ever.
Lauren walked into an empty stable. She put the two dog carriers on the stone floor and flipped on the light, revealing a trestle table with three bowls on it. Sher been concerned about the quiet pup and wanted to deal with it first, but as soon as she put the boxes down a riot broke out between the other two and Lauren could see the dogs scrapping through the air holes.
She wasn't used to dealing with animals, so her heart raced as she popped the cardboard box open and ?taking pains not to inhale the smell in case it made her sick again ?pulled out a skinny, wriggling object no bigger than a guinea pig. The little dog twisted and yapped as her gloves tightened around its waist.
Lauren wanted to cry when she saw the state of the little thing. Its eyes were bright, but its brown and white coat was stained yellow and its fur was matted with dried out smears of excrement.
Boor baby,?Lauren choked, but then she almost dropped the frightened dog as it blasted a warm jet of pee down her arm. She hurried forwards and plonked it in the first empty bowl, as Phyllis came into the room holding the hot-water hose.
Do you need a squirt??
T guess I do,?Lauren said, smiling uneasily.
Phyllis had vomited at the same time as Lauren, but apparently didn't possess the same determination to get over it and still looked green. She held her breath as she ran warm water into the second and third bowls.
Meanwhile, Lauren grabbed the cold hose off the floor and turned on the tap. She felt really mean as she began dribbling the