FENWAY THE PUP · Chapter 1

The shelter called him “Number 14.” He was the color of a wet paper bag, with one ear up and one ear down, and he shook the whole ride from the shelter to Dorchester.

Maya named him Fenway before they reached the Pike. “Because you’re going to be loud and green and everybody’s going to love you,” she told him. Fenway, who was neither loud nor green, crammed himself into the footwell and stayed there.

For three days he lived behind the couch. Maya’s grandfather, Sal, who had owned dogs for sixty years, told her to leave him be. “He’s reading the house,” Sal said. “Let him finish the chapter.”

On the fourth morning, Fenway came out, sniffed Sal’s slipper, sighed like an old man, and lay down across both of Sal’s feet. That was that.

The real tips: a rescue dog’s first week

• Give them room to decompress. Many rescue dogs need days or weeks to settle. Keep things quiet, keep the routine predictable, and hold off on big visits.
• Set up a safe spot. A crate with the door open, or a bed in a quiet corner, gives a nervous dog somewhere to retreat to.
• Book a vet visit early. A wellness check in the first week or two sets a baseline and catches anything the shelter missed.
• ID before anything else. A collar with a tag that has your phone number, and a registered microchip in your name. (Chapter 2 shows why.)
• Go slow with other pets. Introduce them on neutral ground, on leash, in short sessions.

FENWAY THE PUP is a serialized story from the Boston Made Pets family. Fenway is fictional. The care tips are real, and general: your veterinarian knows your dog best. Next: Ch. 2, The Great Escape.

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