We took the dogs for a nice long walk and then returned to the shelter. I noticed Zoe’s mom, Mrs. Quinlan, getting out of her car in the parking lot.

That’s weird, I thought, because my mom was supposed to be the one picking us up. But before I could think about it further, a woman and a man rushed up to me. The woman had a bright pink streak in her hair and a shirt with a rainbow on it, and the man’s T-shirt read IT TAKES A BIG MAN TO WALK A SMALL DOG.

“There she is! There’s Honey!” the woman cried.

Honey started yipping like crazy when she saw them. The woman knelt down and started petting Honey. “Do you remember us?” she asked the dog.

“You know Honey?” I asked.

“We met her yesterday,” the woman said. She stood up and held out her hand. “I’m Katie, and this is my husband, Gary. We came to see Honey yesterday and fell in love with her. We put in our adoption application and just got the call that she’s ours.”

“Wow, really?” I said. They both seemed really nice. “That’s awesome.”

“Our dog died a few months ago,” Gary said. “We miss her a lot. And Honey reminds us of her.”

“So much energy!” Katie said. She knelt down again. “You’re going to like it at our house, Honey. We’ve got a nice fenced-in yard. Plenty of room to run and play.”

Lynn walked up and took the leash from my hand. “Thanks for walking her,” she told me. Then she looked at Honey. “I’m going to miss you, girl!”

She gave the leash to Katie, and she and Gary took Honey over to the shelter’s main office. I was so glad she’d be getting a new home today. That’s when I noticed that Zoe was outside with her mom—and cradling a tiny black kitten.

Curious, I jogged over to Zoe while the other girls brought the dogs back inside.

“Hi, Mrs. Quinlan,” I said to Zoe’s mom.

“Hi, Devin,” she replied.

“Um, I thought my mom was picking us up?” I asked.

“She still is,” Mrs. Quinlan replied. “I’m only here because Zoe texted me a picture of this little cutie.” She patted the little black kitten on its head.

“Isn’t she precious?” Zoe asked. “Listen—she’s purring!”

“She’s awfully cute,” I agreed.

Zoe looked at her mom. “What do you think? Can we adopt her?” she asked, her blue eyes wide.

“I wouldn’t have come down here if I wasn’t thinking about it,” her mom replied. “Does she have all of her shots?”

Zoe nodded. “She’s healthy. She just needs to be spayed.”

“And does she get along with other cats?” her mom asked. “Butterball is a sweetheart, but she’s used to being the only cat in the house.”