His thoughts quickly returned to the poor dog. Jeremy returned to the shed, his breath fogging in the bitter cold. The dog lay slumped on the floor, eyes half-closed and body still, its earlier resolve now replaced with utter exhaustion.
Jeremy’s pulse quickened; the dog had clearly given everything it had to protect the owlets, and now it lay on the brink of collapse. He knelt beside the dog, his hands trembling as he gently checked for signs of life. The dog’s breathing was shallow, its body weak and unresponsive.