Zone

Zack knew that Hardy was the dog for him when they both turned their heads towards a corner of the ceiling at the meet and greet in a kind of synchronized motion and stared at Leroy (who was just sort of hovering and waving); both ears perked right up, but Hardy stayed relaxed and did not growl, looking away (and back to Zack) when Leroy'd gone. "Let's go home, boy," Zack had whispered, and they'd leaned into each other like they were home already. In the truck, Hardy was excited, but settled right down and allowed himself to be seatbelted in for safety. "First stop, a big welcome ice cream cone," Zack explained warmly, reaching over to give him a pat, "then on home to meet the rest of the family - alive and not so much." Grandma was gonna love this dog, Zack felt sure of it, and would probably try to feed him cookies from her haunt zone between the fridge, the sink, and the oven.