Sam was straining on the leash, eager to get walking. Jessi patted him on the head. “Steady now, Sam. We’ll be going soon.” He nuzzled her hand and calmed down.

Honey, though, could not be still. She hopped, she twirled, and she ran circles around my legs so I kept getting tangled in the leash. “Honey, I wish I had your energy on the soccer field!” I told her.

After just a few minutes, we were all gathered outside. Lynn handed each of us two small plastic bags.

“You’ll be walking the dogs down that path,” she said, pointing to a tree-lined path that led away from the shelter. “Let’s walk for at least twenty minutes. Make sure you clean up after the dogs; there’s a garbage can back here where you can put the bags. And while these dogs are friendly, please don’t let them stop and interact with any other dogs. This is about exercising, not socializing.”

“All right, let’s go!” Coach Flores said.

Sam charged ahead, dragging Jessi behind him.

“Jessi, this isn’t a race!” Coach called out.

“Tell that to Sam!” Jessi answered.

Honey continued to do a happy dance, jumping and circling as we walked. Emma and Angel walked beside us. Honey tried to get Angel’s attention, but the little Boston terrier kept her nose to the ground, smelling everything in her path.

“These dogs are so cute!” Emma said. “I can’t believe they ended up in a shelter.”

Coach overheard us. “There are many reasons why animals end up in shelters. Sometimes, their owners simply can’t take care of them anymore. But most times, people get dogs that aren’t suited for them and think they’ve made a mistake. Instead of figuring out how to work with the dog, or get the dog trained, they surrender them.”

I looked down at cute little Honey, and thinking of her being surrendered almost broke my heart.

“I guess a dog like Honey would need a lot of attention,” I said.

“Exactly,” Coach said. “And she probably wouldn’t be happy staying home alone all day.”

“Devin, your mom works from home during the day,” Emma said. “You could take Honey!”

I shook my head. “My dad is allergic to dogs. And a bunch of other stuff.” I frowned. “You know, I never really thought about having a dog before. But now that I’ve met these dogs, I wish I could have one!”

“You could always keep volunteering at the shelter,” Coach Flores suggested. “I know they always need help here.”

“Maybe I could,” I said, but then I frowned. Since I’d started modeling, I hadn’t had much time for anything else except soccer and homework. I wasn’t sure how I’d fit volunteering into that schedule. And I’d hate to let the shelter down if a shoot ran long like the last one.