He wasn’t pacing. He wasn’t even lying down. He was simply… sitting. Still. Calm. Watching them. His gaze was steady, almost startlingly so — not frantic, not pleading, just aware. His ears pricked forward as they approached, and for the first time since walking into the shelter, the noise seemed to fade. Emily stopped without realizing it.
“Whoa,” David murmured. “He’s quiet.” The name on the tag read: Ranger — German Shepherd, 4 years old. No long description. No backstory. Just a name. Emily shifted Lily to her hip and stepped closer. Ranger’s eyes followed them with a careful, respectful curiosity — not the overstimulation she’d seen in the other kennels. He didn’t bark once.