Chapter 1: The Bite Buster 1 The Bite Buster
Luna growls the moment she sees the white coat.

She squints her round green eyes, pushes back her ears, and whips her tail from side to side. Then she lets out a long hiss.

“It’s a vet! It’s a vet!” Gus barks at the person who has entered Whiskers Down the Lane Animal Shelter. “Everyone, take cover!”

“I’m way ahead of you,” Buttons whispers, already hidden under his blanket.

“Hello, Dr. Vet!” Mitzy says, welcoming the stranger. She balances on her rear legs, and paws at the bars of her cage. “Are you here to see me? Most vets come for me.”

“You must be Ms. Dinkle.” Ted greets the woman. “I’m Ted, the manager here. We spoke on the phone.”

“Ah yes.” She shakes Ted’s hand. “I’m Frances Dinkle, but you can call me the Bite Buster.”



Ted laughs at her nickname. “That’s exactly what we need. Let me introduce you to your clients.”

“Clients?” Buttons asks. “I thought you said she was a vet.”

“She looks like a vet,” Gus insists. He lifts his snout and howls at the ceiling.

“We might as well start with Gus,” Ted says. “As you’ve heard, Gus loves to bark.”

“I am a guard dog!” Gus yaps.

“He’s a great dog, and he would make a wonderful pet,” Ted explains. “But the constant barking is a real deal breaker for people.”

“I understand why,” the Bite Buster comments. She reaches into the pocket of her coat and removes a squirt bottle.

“Yeeeeeeeep!” Gus yelps.

The Bite Buster zaps a thin spray of water at his nose.

Ted’s eyes widen. “We usually try to use a more positive approach with the pets in order to—”



The Bite Buster cuts Ted off. “Gus quieted down, didn’t he?” She returns the bottle and moves over to Buttons’s cage. Then she unlatches the lock and pulls the blanket off Buttons’s trembling body. “Who is this fraidy-cat?” She lifts Buttons by the scruff of his neck and holds him in front of her.

“That’s Buttons,” Ted says. “He’s only a few months old. The rest of his litter was adopted right away, but Buttons is shy. He hides around those he doesn’t know well.”

“One easy way to change that,” the Bite Buster says as she lowers Buttons back inside. She closes him in and hands the blanket to Ted. “Get rid of this.”

“Err, r-really?” Ted stammers. “But it seems to make Buttons feel safe and—”

“Next!” The Bite Buster crosses the lobby toward Mitzy, who leaps up and down happily. “Look at this bundle of energy!”

“Mitzy! I am Mitzy!” She grips her squeaky purple ball and throws it against the grate. “Do you have any treats?”

“To be honest, Mitzy isn’t a major challenge on her own,” Ted begins. “She’s very lovable and playful, even though she’s one of our older pets.”

“Then why is she still here?” the Bite Buster asks.

“Because of this one.” Ted taps Luna’s door, and Luna glares at him. “Mitzy and Luna were brought to the shelter together. They’re very attached to each other.”

The Bite Buster peers at Luna curiously. Luna’s mouth remains closed at first, until a moan sounds from deep within her throat. She flattens her whiskers against her cheeks and crouches like she’s ready to pounce. Then she shows the Bite Buster her fangs.

“Luna has some… anger issues,” Ted explains. “She lashes out when she feels uncomfortable. Hissing, swiping, even biting—anything she can do to scare people.”



The Bite Buster folds her arms over her chest. “You think you’re tough, huh?” she addresses Luna.

“Try me,” Luna yowls.

“Egh, she’s nothing,” the Bite Buster declares. “I can fix her.”