Chapter 10: Rescue and Recovery – A German Shepherd’s Second Chance

“Lie down for a bit. I’m a professional when it comes to bath massages.”

When animals are sick, they are at their most vulnerable.

Because of her job, Wen You Ning often dealt with injured animals, many of whom were covered in dirt.

In these cases, she always preferred to wash them herself.

She hadn’t received formal training, but practice made perfect.

Wen You Ning rubbed her hands together, creating a rich lather, then gathered the foam and placed it on the German Shepherd’s head.

“Let’s put on a little shower cap first.”

The Shepherd lifted its head to nuzzle her hand.

Its nose touched one of the floating bubbles, which popped with a soft poof.

The dog blinked and used its paws to rub its nose.

“Whimper…?”

The pet store’s shampoos were made with natural extracts and were very safe.

They also had a mild scent, which wasn’t overpowering.

Haha! That foam makes the Shepherd’s head look so tall.

Both the dog and the streamer are adorable.

I don’t know why, but watching this stream just makes me smile.

Wen You Ning gathered the remaining foam and lathered it into the Shepherd’s thick neck fur.

The bathtub was slightly slanted, with a raised edge on the left side, which made the perfect pillow for the Shepherd.

She just had to be careful while scrubbing, or the dog might slide down due to the sloped surface.

Since much of the dirty fur had already been trimmed off, washing became much easier.

Otherwise, given the size of the Shepherd, it could take nearly half an hour just to get its outer coat soaked enough to reach the inner layers.

Many pet stores didn’t accept large dogs.

Sometimes, the cost of washing a big dog barely covered the water bill.

“There are still a few wounds here.”

Wen You Ning parted the fur with her fingertips.

“They’ve already healed, though.”

This meant the Shepherd had been lost for quite some time at least half a month.

The wounds had already grown soft pink skin.

Thankfully, the Shepherd had a strong self-healing ability.

Otherwise, in that environment, it wouldn’t have survived.

That vendor probably didn’t even give it a sip of water, let alone proper care.

All he cared about was making quick money and getting rid of the dog as soon as possible.

“Alright, time to flip over.”

Wen You Ning wore a short-sleeved shirt, but she rolled it up even further before dipping her hands into the water to help the Shepherd turn over.

With the buoyancy of the water, flipping the dog over was effortless.

The Shepherd cooperated, letting her maneuver it without resistance.

However, its eyes never stopped searching for her.

Even as its body turned, it craned its neck backward, desperately trying to keep her in view.

She reached out and held its head steady.

“Oops, your shower cap fell into the water.”

“Woof!”

The Shepherd lifted its paws, trying to scoop it up.

It pawed at the air like it was holding its head in frustration, but since the foam dissolved instantly upon contact with water, all that remained was a little bit of residue.

Wen You Ning scooped up more bubbles.

“It’s okay, I’ll make you a new one.”

“Ta-da!”

She adjusted the camera angle and moved to face the Shepherd.

“A double-layered shower cap!

Handmade, not waterproof, not absorbent, purely decorative!”

“Whimper!”

Decorative!

“Haha.”

She laughed as she splashed water on the Shepherd and started scrubbing its other side.

While bathing it, she also massaged its muscles.

Both massage and acupuncture were effective methods to aid in the Shepherd’s recovery.

The dog visibly relaxed, enjoying the sensation.

Now that its fur was wet, it looked even more emaciated practically skin and bones.

As the bathwater turned murky, Wen You Ning mentally noted that she should buy more meat on the way home to help the Shepherd regain its strength.

Once the tub was drained, she wiped the bottom clean of accumulated dirt and dog hair before refilling it.

Now that its fur was trimmed, the Shepherd looked a bit patchy.

Some areas were darker, while others were missing fur altogether.

If you didn’t know better, you’d think this Shepherd had been playing with landmines—looks like it got blown up.

Doesn’t matter.

The Shepherd is still handsome, even with this ridiculous haircut.

As she rinsed off the remaining soap with the showerhead, she reassured the viewers,

“It’ll grow back soon.

Once we dry it, it won’t look so obvious.”

“Woof!”

The Shepherd rested its head against her hand.

While the chat debated her grooming skills, the subject of discussion remained unfazed.

The Shepherd lay there docilely, showing no signs of irritation.

After two rounds of soaking and rinsing, the bath was finally complete.

Every last bit of soap was washed away even its ears were cleaned.

Only then did Wen You Ning lift it out of the tub.

The pet store had a drying machine, but it was too small.

She figured it would be uncomfortable for the Shepherd.

Instead, she opted for a handheld blow dryer.

She started with the lowest setting.

As the machine hummed to life, she gently rubbed the Shepherd’s ears to check its reaction.

Seeing that the dog wasn’t startled by the sound, she gradually increased the airflow.

All the blow dryers were mounted on adjustable stands.

She set them up at the right angles and temperatures, using a handheld one to dry different areas.

Otherwise, if she used just one dryer, it would take an eternity to finish.

The warm breeze made the German Shepherd squint its eyes.

Since it couldn’t stand and could only lie on its side, the rise and fall of its abdomen gradually became more even.

Wen You Ning spread her fingers like a comb, brushing through the fur while drying it.

After a while, the Shepherd had completely fallen asleep.

Perhaps being with Wen You Ning made it feel safe.

Trapped in that filthy, cramped cage, it probably hadn’t had a good sleep in a long time.

Once the fur was almost dry, Wen You Ning turned off the blow dryers, removed the waterproof apron, and carefully picked up the Shepherd.

“Bathing a large dog is such a tedious and exhausting task.”

She flexed her sore arms.

Carrying the Shepherd back and forth hadn’t been as tiring as giving it a full bath.

The Shepherd let out a small whimper in its sleep as she stroked its fur.

Now that it was clean, its fur was soft and fluffy, carrying a faint pleasant scent.

Sleeping, it looked especially gentle.

Wen You Ning carried the Shepherd downstairs.

Xiao Lu, who was organizing the shelves, approached and lowered her voice.

“Is it asleep?”

“Yeah.”

Wen You Ning nodded and pulled out the shopping list she had prepared the night before.

“I need one of each of these, plus two packs of pee pads and a leash.”

Xiao Lu took a picture of the list and went to prepare the items.

“You have a lot of things.

Will you be able to carry them all?”

She added, “We offer free delivery for purchases over 300 yuan.

Your total qualifies.”

“Then please have them delivered.”

Wen You Ning had been wondering how to transport everything back home.

Initially, she planned to take a cab and carry everything herself.

Now that she had a German Shepherd in her arms, carrying additional bags was out of the question.

Xiao Lu smiled.

“Alright.

Let’s add each other as friends.

Send me your address, and we’ll deliver it between 3 and 5 p.m.

Does that work for you?”

“That works.”

Wen You Ning scanned Xiao Lu’s friend code.

As soon as they connected, she transferred the payment.

Seeing this, Xiao Lu offered, “I noticed you left some things next door at the pet hospital.

Want me to deliver those along with your order?

It seems like you’d have trouble carrying them too.”

“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for you?”

Xiao Lu waved a hand dismissively.

Their pet store was in a remote location, so most of their revenue came from online sales.

A customer who made a big in-store purchase without hesitation?

She’d happily go the extra mile.

“It’s no trouble.

We drive anyway.

A few extra boxes won’t take up much space.

Just leave them there I’ll handle the rest.”

“Then I’ll take you up on that offer.”

Wen You Ning sent her another red envelope.

“Also, pack some cat treats wet food, freeze-dried chicken, and some cat strips.

I’ll take those with me now.”

“Got it!”

These were for the little orange cat and the calico mother cat.

She also bought two small plates to make feeding easier.

Since the newborn kittens could only drink milk for now, she didn’t buy anything for them yet.

At the pet hospital, the Shepherd’s medical report was ready.

With one hand, Wen You Ning flipped through the pages, scanning each line.

“Not bad.

Just some malnutrition and…”

She looked up.

“Get me a box of anti-inflammatory meds.”

Typically, when reports were ready, the vet would go over them with the pet owner.

But after seeing Wen You Ning’s skills earlier, the vet had no intention of showing off in front of an expert.

Instead, they simply handed over the printed report, saying nothing and not even prescribing medication.

It was only after Wen You Ning requested the anti-inflammatory meds that the vet retrieved a box.

By now, the Shepherd had woken up.

It seemed well-rested from its nap and rubbed its chin against her shoulder.

“Would Boan Tifen work?”

The vet handed over a small box.

“This is the most effective one, with almost no side effects.

But it’s a bit tricky to administer.

You’ll need to hide it in meat so the dog swallows it whole.”

Raising my hand as a dog owner my vet also prescribed this last month.

They said not to crush or split the pill.

I had to battle my dog every time to get it down.

Hiding it in food doesn’t work.

My cat eats the food and spits out the pill.

No problem.

The Shepherd is still recovering and can’t run away.

Just use a pill dispenser.

That’s a terrible idea.

Stop bullying the disabled floof!

The vet seemed to consider that option too.

“Do you need a pill dispenser?”

She pulled one out from a drawer.

This tool let owners drop the pill directly into the dog’s throat, then hold its mouth shut and tilt its head back until it swallowed.

“I’ll try feeding it first.”

Wen You Ning didn’t know how resistant the Shepherd would be to medication.

Judging by the comments, this particular pill had a bad reputation when it came to administering it.

Forcing medication down wasn’t the best approach.

She preferred to negotiate with the Shepherd first.

She wiped her hands with an alcohol pad, opened the pill box, and placed one in her palm.

“Be good.

Look at this pill”

Before she could finish speaking, the Shepherd lowered its head and flicked its tongue.

The small white pill disappeared from her hand.

The vet: “???”

Was this dog starving?!

Absolutely starving!

My dog just told me not to watch this stream.

It’s ruining its act.

Wait, that’s it?!

Then what were all those wrestling matches I had with my dog last month?!

You just have strong arms.