The noise was piercing now, pain and panic rolled into one. Then the puppy did something none of them expected. It went silent. Completely still. Just for a second. Then—crack!—it slammed its body against the cage door with all its weight. The latch popped.
Before anyone could react, it bolted. It streaked past the officer, darted under the safety railing, and hit the gravel running. “Hey! Stop that dog!” someone yelled. But the puppy was gone. A blur of brown and white fur, leaping straight onto the rails again.