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\u201cBut no one\u2019s\u2026 taken them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, they\u2019re his dogs,\u201d she said, as if that answered everything.<\/p>\n
I walked away before I said something I couldn\u2019t take back.<\/p>\n
Down the block, near the yellow caution tape, the dogs sat inside makeshift crates. They were muzzled, silent, and watching the house with unblinking eyes.<\/p>\n
They didn\u2019t bark. They didn\u2019t whimper. They just\u2026 waited.<\/p>\n
I stepped up to one of the firefighters. He looked exhausted, soot streaked across his cheek.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can take them,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut do you have experience with dogs this size?\u201d he asked, hesitating.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I lied, my pulse racing.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir names are Balthazar, Ruth, and Comet. Their owner made sure we knew their names,\u201d he said, looking me over and nodding. \u201cThey\u2019ve been relatively calm so far, but they\u2019re shaken, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n