The Kaulitz Twins
one
"So you're saying I shouldn't buy my puppy a sweater?" some preteen asked me as she cornered me in the Petco store.
"No, you can buy one if you want to make your dog look ridiculous." I replied.
For hundreds of years animals have survived without wearing sweaters or bandanas. They don't need those booties that make them walk weird, or hats, or even sunglasses. All dogs need is a collar and a leash. Not the latest trending fashion as well. It's just something you think you need and waste your money on.
All I wanted was to go to Petco, pick up a few chew toys and a new dog bed. And yet some girl asking me about animal clothes, an older man calling my family animal hoarders, and a middle aged woman telling me my family does a good thing for abandoned animals have distracted me.
Maybe I should introduce myself...
My name is Blake Listing. I'm 16 years old and I'm a junior in high school. My family owns and runs an animal rescue and even though we temporarily house all kinds of animals, mostly we have dogs and cats.
Most people in town think we're doing a good thing, but some people think we're just hoarding animals. The people who think of us negatively annoy me the most because they never quit about it.
After I picked out what I wanted, I walked up to the cash register to pay. Behind the counter was some guy I have seen around school and as he rang stuff up he said, "Are you sure this is all you need? I'm sure four chew toys aren't enough for five hundred dogs."
I gave him a look that said 'Are-you-serious?' before I said, "Okay, first off we don't have five hundred dogs; we have about seventy-five. Second, these chew toys are for my special boy. It's his birthday today."
The guy's attitude seemed to make a one-eighty as he asked, "Oh, how old is he?"
"He's three and he's one of our special needs dogs." I replied.
"Special needs?" the guy questioned.
I nodded, "He has only three legs. He lost one in a hit-and-run accident about a year ago. His owners didn't want him after the leg was amputated so they gave him to us." I explained.
"That's sad...What's his name?" the guy asked, actually sounding interested.
"Well his original owners called him Spot, but I renamed him Truck." I replied.
He raised an eyebrow at me, "Why'd you name him that?"
"Because even without the leg he likes to barrel down the hall and moves like a speeding semi truck." I said, "It's as though even though he lost it, he's not letting that stop him from living his life and having fun."
The guy smiled at me, "He sounds like a good dog."
I nodded, "He really is."
He packed up all the chew toys in a grocery bag before he handed me the bag and the bed as well. "See you at school?" he questioned.
"Yeah, totally." I answered as I smiled before I took my purchases and walked out of the store. Once in the parking lot I climbed into the passenger seat of a white Ford Explorer.
"Took you long enough." my older sister said from her spot in the driver's seat.
"Sorry Stacy." I said as I sighed, "You know how people in this town can be."
Stacy rolled her eyes and started the engine, "Don't I know it. What did you run into this time?" she asked as we started the twenty minute drive home.
I shrugged, "A woman who supports us, a man who thinks we're hoarding, some girl who wants to put her dog in a tutu, and some guy from school." I replied.
"Which guy from school?" Stacy asked, completely ignoring everything else I said.
"I don't know. He didn't say and I didn't look at his nametag."
"Blake, why didn't you get his name? Now I don't know if he's hott or not." Stacy whined.
"He was good looking-" I started.
"Maybe it was Trent!" Stacy said brightly, interrupting me.
"But he wasn't one of our supporters." I finished.
"It wasn't Trent." Stacy said, crestfallen.
"Then I told him about Truck and now he supports us." I added.
"Maybe he knows Trent." she said thoughtfully.
"Who is Trent?!" I questioned.
"He just broke up with Tiffany." Stacy replied.
"Who is Tiffany?!" I asked again, feeling like being told Trent was the guy who broke up with Tiffany was not the best description of the guy I was looking for.
"She's the most popular girl in my grade."
"Which means Trent is also popular and if you get close to him it will make you popular by default." I deducted.
Stacy smiled, "You catch on quick Blakie."
I groaned, "What did I tell you about that nickname?" I questioned.
"But it's so cute!" Stacy squealed, "Plus it makes you blush every time I say it."
"Yeah, out of embarrassment." I said quietly, "...Alright, every time you call me that I'll call you Staters like Dad used to AND I'll make sure to call you that name in front of Trent." I threatened.
"You wouldn't!" Stacy gasped.
"Oh I sooo would." I replied.
"Damn. I know you would." Stacy muttered, "Okay, okay, fine. No more embarrassing nickname."
"So you admit it is embarrassing?" I questioned.
"No. I was just recognizing that you think it's embarrassing." she said as she smiled.
I groaned and rolled my eyes as we pulled into the driveway, "You're so annoying.
We walked into the kitchen after entering the house and found Mom cleaning out some of the dog bowls in the sink.
"Mom, it's easier to wash those outside with the hose." Stacy said.
Mom turned around, spotted Stacy and me, and smiled in relief, "Oh good, there you two are. Stacy, I need you to go to the store because we're out of milk and eggs."
"Sorry mom I can't. I've got homework. Send Blakie." she said as she grinned evilly at me and walked to her room.
"Thanks a lot Staters." I muttered and could hear her loudly groan from upstairs and it made me smile a little.
My mom gave me a pleading look, "Could you please go for me Blake?" she questioned.
"But Mom, it's a forty minute round trip and I just got home!" I gasped.
"Blake, if you don't get those things we're not going to have dinner tonight or breakfast tomorrow. So I guess the choice is up to you. Do you want to eat tonight?" Mom questioned.
I rolled my eyes for probably the twentieth time today and said, "Fine, I'll be back in like an hour." as I grabbed a set of car keys from a key rack and started to leave the house.
"Thank you Blake!" Mom called, "Oh! And take your brother with you!"
"What's the point of my going if I have to take my older brother with me?" I muttered to myself before I called back, "Okay!"
I doubled back into the house and jogged up the stairs to drop Truck's gifts in my room before I went to my brother's room and found him sitting on his bed quietly strumming his bass guitar.
"Hey." I said and he looked up at me, "Mom wants me to go to the store."
"...Okay. So?" he questioned.
"She wants you to come with." I replied.
He groaned, got up, and put his guitar back on it's stand, "Seriously?" he questioned, "I haven't even fed my dogs yet."
"Neither have I and I just got home five minutes ago. Let's just go so we can get this over with." I said as I retreated out of his room and back downstairs. He followed after me and we both walked outside and got back into the SUV Stacy and I drove home in except this time I was in the driver's seat. I backed out of the driveway and started to drive back into town.
"No, you can buy one if you want to make your dog look ridiculous." I replied.
For hundreds of years animals have survived without wearing sweaters or bandanas. They don't need those booties that make them walk weird, or hats, or even sunglasses. All dogs need is a collar and a leash. Not the latest trending fashion as well. It's just something you think you need and waste your money on.
All I wanted was to go to Petco, pick up a few chew toys and a new dog bed. And yet some girl asking me about animal clothes, an older man calling my family animal hoarders, and a middle aged woman telling me my family does a good thing for abandoned animals have distracted me.
Maybe I should introduce myself...
My name is Blake Listing. I'm 16 years old and I'm a junior in high school. My family owns and runs an animal rescue and even though we temporarily house all kinds of animals, mostly we have dogs and cats.
Most people in town think we're doing a good thing, but some people think we're just hoarding animals. The people who think of us negatively annoy me the most because they never quit about it.
After I picked out what I wanted, I walked up to the cash register to pay. Behind the counter was some guy I have seen around school and as he rang stuff up he said, "Are you sure this is all you need? I'm sure four chew toys aren't enough for five hundred dogs."
I gave him a look that said 'Are-you-serious?' before I said, "Okay, first off we don't have five hundred dogs; we have about seventy-five. Second, these chew toys are for my special boy. It's his birthday today."
The guy's attitude seemed to make a one-eighty as he asked, "Oh, how old is he?"
"He's three and he's one of our special needs dogs." I replied.
"Special needs?" the guy questioned.
I nodded, "He has only three legs. He lost one in a hit-and-run accident about a year ago. His owners didn't want him after the leg was amputated so they gave him to us." I explained.
"That's sad...What's his name?" the guy asked, actually sounding interested.
"Well his original owners called him Spot, but I renamed him Truck." I replied.
He raised an eyebrow at me, "Why'd you name him that?"
"Because even without the leg he likes to barrel down the hall and moves like a speeding semi truck." I said, "It's as though even though he lost it, he's not letting that stop him from living his life and having fun."
The guy smiled at me, "He sounds like a good dog."
I nodded, "He really is."
He packed up all the chew toys in a grocery bag before he handed me the bag and the bed as well. "See you at school?" he questioned.
"Yeah, totally." I answered as I smiled before I took my purchases and walked out of the store. Once in the parking lot I climbed into the passenger seat of a white Ford Explorer.
"Took you long enough." my older sister said from her spot in the driver's seat.
"Sorry Stacy." I said as I sighed, "You know how people in this town can be."
Stacy rolled her eyes and started the engine, "Don't I know it. What did you run into this time?" she asked as we started the twenty minute drive home.
I shrugged, "A woman who supports us, a man who thinks we're hoarding, some girl who wants to put her dog in a tutu, and some guy from school." I replied.
"Which guy from school?" Stacy asked, completely ignoring everything else I said.
"I don't know. He didn't say and I didn't look at his nametag."
"Blake, why didn't you get his name? Now I don't know if he's hott or not." Stacy whined.
"He was good looking-" I started.
"Maybe it was Trent!" Stacy said brightly, interrupting me.
"But he wasn't one of our supporters." I finished.
"It wasn't Trent." Stacy said, crestfallen.
"Then I told him about Truck and now he supports us." I added.
"Maybe he knows Trent." she said thoughtfully.
"Who is Trent?!" I questioned.
"He just broke up with Tiffany." Stacy replied.
"Who is Tiffany?!" I asked again, feeling like being told Trent was the guy who broke up with Tiffany was not the best description of the guy I was looking for.
"She's the most popular girl in my grade."
"Which means Trent is also popular and if you get close to him it will make you popular by default." I deducted.
Stacy smiled, "You catch on quick Blakie."
I groaned, "What did I tell you about that nickname?" I questioned.
"But it's so cute!" Stacy squealed, "Plus it makes you blush every time I say it."
"Yeah, out of embarrassment." I said quietly, "...Alright, every time you call me that I'll call you Staters like Dad used to AND I'll make sure to call you that name in front of Trent." I threatened.
"You wouldn't!" Stacy gasped.
"Oh I sooo would." I replied.
"Damn. I know you would." Stacy muttered, "Okay, okay, fine. No more embarrassing nickname."
"So you admit it is embarrassing?" I questioned.
"No. I was just recognizing that you think it's embarrassing." she said as she smiled.
I groaned and rolled my eyes as we pulled into the driveway, "You're so annoying.
We walked into the kitchen after entering the house and found Mom cleaning out some of the dog bowls in the sink.
"Mom, it's easier to wash those outside with the hose." Stacy said.
Mom turned around, spotted Stacy and me, and smiled in relief, "Oh good, there you two are. Stacy, I need you to go to the store because we're out of milk and eggs."
"Sorry mom I can't. I've got homework. Send Blakie." she said as she grinned evilly at me and walked to her room.
"Thanks a lot Staters." I muttered and could hear her loudly groan from upstairs and it made me smile a little.
My mom gave me a pleading look, "Could you please go for me Blake?" she questioned.
"But Mom, it's a forty minute round trip and I just got home!" I gasped.
"Blake, if you don't get those things we're not going to have dinner tonight or breakfast tomorrow. So I guess the choice is up to you. Do you want to eat tonight?" Mom questioned.
I rolled my eyes for probably the twentieth time today and said, "Fine, I'll be back in like an hour." as I grabbed a set of car keys from a key rack and started to leave the house.
"Thank you Blake!" Mom called, "Oh! And take your brother with you!"
"What's the point of my going if I have to take my older brother with me?" I muttered to myself before I called back, "Okay!"
I doubled back into the house and jogged up the stairs to drop Truck's gifts in my room before I went to my brother's room and found him sitting on his bed quietly strumming his bass guitar.
"Hey." I said and he looked up at me, "Mom wants me to go to the store."
"...Okay. So?" he questioned.
"She wants you to come with." I replied.
He groaned, got up, and put his guitar back on it's stand, "Seriously?" he questioned, "I haven't even fed my dogs yet."
"Neither have I and I just got home five minutes ago. Let's just go so we can get this over with." I said as I retreated out of his room and back downstairs. He followed after me and we both walked outside and got back into the SUV Stacy and I drove home in except this time I was in the driver's seat. I backed out of the driveway and started to drive back into town.