The proposal had twelve sections, three appendices, and one omission.
Jude titled it:
Senior Dog Adoption Feasibility Plan
Section One listed food costs.
He calculated three monthly estimates because senior dogs did not eat the same amount in every condition. Normal appetite. Reduced appetite. Prescription diet. He included tax, delivery fees, and a local store that carried the brand the shelter had used during intake.
Section Two listed veterinary care.
Annual wellness exam. Senior blood panel. Dental review. Arthritis management. Emergency reserve. He did not know what the dog needed yet, so he calculated high. Underestimating suffering because it was inconvenient seemed like the sort of thing adults called realistic.
Section Three listed walking routes.
One full block. One half block. One route that stopped beneath every tree because the old dog needed to rest and because pretending the pauses were for smelling made them more dignified.
Section Four listed household adjustments.
Non-slip rugs. Mudroom bed. Water bowl location. Grooming schedule. Stair restriction. Gate protocol. Furniture protection. Staff responsibility limited to emergency backup only.
Section Five listed school-day coverage.
Before school: Jude.
After school: Jude.
Evening: Jude.
Travel and competition weeks: approved backup pending.
He used bullet points. Adults liked bullet points. Bullet points made wanting look like compliance.
In Appendix A, he included shelter policies for senior adoption.
In Appendix B, he included three emergency clinics and drive times from the Mercer property.
In Appendix C, he included photographs printed from the county listing.
The dog had a gray muzzle, long hair the color of dust and old cream, cloudy eyes, and a flattened ring around its neck where a collar had recently been removed. The shelter had taken the photographs against a concrete wall. In the first, the dog looked past the camera. In the second, its head had turned slightly, one ear lifted as if it had heard a familiar gate.
Jude knew that dog.
So would Callie.
That was the omission.
Her name did not appear anywhere in the binder.
Not once.
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