It was one of the last cold days of the year, which was the only reason Min could bear to leave her apartment. Between her boots, matching sweats, thick gloves, a face mask and her ex-boyfriend’s hoodie, she was wrapped up in a cocoon thick enough to offer just enough protection to merit going out at all.

It still took her almost ten minutes just to transition from staring at her townhouse’s front door to finally walking out of it. The outside world was a filthy, disgusting place full of germs and people carrying germs around, but her therapist was adamant: this outing was all part of the healing process. After her boyfriend Jeremy left her, Min had wallowed in various states of depression for almost two whole years; going on this outing was supposed to do her good. After all, she’d turned twenty last week, so this was her birthday present to herself. Min just hoped her trip wasn’t going to be a gigantic waste of time.

Her little lime-green car was waiting in her driveway. After Min had scrubbed down most of the surfaces she could reach with cleaning wipes, she sat in the seat, started the engine, wrapped her mitten-y hands around the wheel, and blew out a muffled breath.

“I can do this,” she said, staring at herself in the rearview mirror; the mask on her face was already stifling and overheated, but that was just more reason to get moving and to hurry home again.

After getting out of the parking lot, Min’s car rumbled down the street. Her GPS told her she had precisely twelve minutes until she reached her destination, so she had plenty of time to get there.

There would never be enough time to settle the butterflies in her stomach, however.

The Optimum Animal Shelter was a long, white building with shiny glass doors, chain-link fencing all around and a small parking lot. The early-spring air was cool and brisk as she breathed it in; after swapping her mask in the car, she almost felt refreshed. She stared at those swinging doors for another minute or so before she eventually made her way inside.

Mind over matter, her therapist always said. Min hoped she was right.

The lobby of the animal shelter was impressively clean with shiny floors and fake paw prints leading back to another door past the front desk. There were several other offices with closed doors, and she was the only person waiting in the lobby.

An older woman in medical scrubs looked up from behind the desk. “Can I help you, Miss?”

“Yes, I have an appointment,” Min said. “About an adoption?”

“Of course.” The woman smiled. “I’ll need to set your ID, please. And the shelter doesn’t require masking.”

“No, it’s for me. That’s okay, right?”

“Mm-hm.” After checking her ID and handing it back, the old woman stood up and led the way to the next door. She had a name tag on with the word “Nancy.” “Follow me, please.”

On the other side of the door was a long hallway lined with glass walls on both sides. Past them were rows of large metal cages containing dogs for adoption. All of them had signs with their names, and some had other signs saying things like “Good with kids,” “House trained,” “Aggressive” or “Very Sweet.”

A strong, acrid smell hit Min full in the face as they walked in; the mask did little to dampen it and she coughed hard into her sleeve. “Oh my god!”

“Sorry—we keep the pens as clean as we can, but…” Nancy shrugged. “You get used to it.”

“Are the dogs clean?”

“Oh! Oh yes, Miss, absolutely.” Nancy almost sounded insulted. “Every dog up for adoption is checked, vaccinated, bathed, treated for ticks, everything. It’s shelter policy.”

The dogs were all sizes from big to small, all sorts of breeds with all kinds of attitudes—some perked up at the sight of her, some barked, some lay curled at the back of their cages and didn’t react at all. Min was interested in getting a small dog, something that might cuddle in her lap or curl around her ankles for protection. She slowly walked down the hall, looking back and forth between the rows and waiting for any of them to grab her attention, but…none of them did.

“See anything that you’d like?” Nancy asked.

“The ones that say ‘Aggressive’—does that mean they’ll bite?”

“No, we don’t put dogs up for adoption that would attack humans. It means dog aggressive, so we don’t recommend adopting one if you already have another dog at home.” As Nancy went on for an unnecessary explanation of all the signs put up, Min had reached the end of the hall. On one side, she passed three or four empty cages until she saw one that was occupied. The dog inside was long and lean with thick, dark fur. It was curled up and facing away from the glass, like the creature was sleeping; when Min stopped on the other side of the glass it seemed to be aware of her presence, and she saw the beast raise its head to turn and look at her.

The dog had sharp, pointed ears and an angled head. The nose was dark, with nostrils flaring as they looked into each other’s eyes. The fluorescent lighting overhead flickered, and for a second the animal’s eyes were a deep, shining copper. A sign on the cage had the name “Rusty” on it.

When her eyes met the dog’s, Min knew she didn’t want a dog quite so large as that one…but then something clicked in her head, telling Min that this was the animal she was looking for. She wasn’t sure why she felt that way, but that didn’t seem important. “What about that one?”

“Oh, he’s new,” Nancy said, squinting at the tag through the glass. “He’s so pretty, too. Not sure what breed he is, though. Give me a minute, please.” She walked through another door at the end of the hall, then moments later she was in front of Rusty’s cage, pulling out a metal clipboard and reading the paperwork on it.

All that time, Rusty kept his eyes locked onto Min and never looked away. He did slowly push to his feet and turn around; the dog had very long legs and his back brushed the very top of the cage so that his front shoulders were hunched, giving him a lean, menacing energy. Min almost took a step back as her eyes widened, but, once again, something kept her rooted to the floor. She was panting. The dog’s eyes shone so bright that she felt naked in front of him, stripped of everything, every protective layer that she wore. It was a surreal, frightening moment that should’ve been enough to make her run for the exit, but she couldn’t move a muscle.

The sound of the door opening broke Min out of her spell as Nancy reappeared. “He’s the one you want, Miss? We don’t usually adopt out new dogs so quickly, but if you have your heart set on him—”

“Y-yes,” Min said. Her heart was pounding, but she felt committed by that point. The thought of backing out now made her cheeks burn with embarrassment. “I think… N-no, he’s the one, d-definitely.” Rusty was still staring at her, and the weight of his eyes wanted to drag her down.

“Have you got a leash?”

Min nodded. “And a collar, too.”

“If you’ll give those to me, I’ll get an attendant to bring Rusty out while we handle the paperwork.”

In just a few minutes, Min found herself back at the front desk, having signed every form in front of her and paying the adoption fee. When Nancy came out leading Rusty, Min felt her heart fill up the back of her throat in anticipation. He tried to stay calm but the beast looked like a coiled spring, ready to leap into motion at any second.

“Here he is!” Nancy said, handing the leash over. “Congratulations! Would you like to pose for a picture?”

“Oh, n-no, thank you.” Min’s cheeks went hot again, but Rusty was already pulling her towards the door.

“Good luck!”

The cool air smelled fresh and clean, and Min felt better after exiting the shelter. Rusty walked with her to her car and jumped over to the passenger seat as soon as she opened her door. She sat down beside him and closed the door, pulling off her mask. The dog’s scent was very faint and not overpowering at all. All of her earlier worrying and uncertainty about him was suddenly gone, as though she always knew he’d been the perfect choice.

She turned the key. The car rumbled to life. It felt strange, sitting beside an animal of that size, taking him home. She’d never been a pet owner before, never cared about animals in the first place. But Rusty was special, she was sure of it.

Rusty pulled at the leash across the entire parking lot, all the way to her front door. After Min let them in she closed and locked both deadbolts, sealing them inside. A solitary nightlight sat opposite the front door—it always glowed steadily in the dark when she departed, awaiting her return. Now it shut off as Min turned the light on.

The house was still warm from the heater; the curtains were drawn, leaving the inside dark and comfortable, just the way she liked it. It wasn’t quite a hermetically sealed house, but it was closed off and isolated from the outside as best as she could manage.

So why had she brought home a dog? Rusty both looked and smelled clean, and she had reassurances that he’d been given a bath by the shelter, but Min wasn’t sure if following her therapist’s advice was worth the extra germs. “You’re getting another bath later, Mister,” she said, pointing at Rusty. He sat on his haunches, watching her with those intense, shining copper eyes.

After sliding out of her boots, Min began to shed her garments, one by one, dropping them all into a plastic laundry bag by the front door: first the hoodie, then her top sweats, bottom sweats, socks and panties last of all. As her bare skin soaked in the warm air, she carried her things through the small foyer and living room into her kitchen, and to the laundry room behind it. Rusty followed behind her, sniffing along the floor as they went. She dumped all of her clothes into the washing machine, tossed in a cleaning pod and shut it tight. After pressing the button to start the cycle, she heard the contented hum of the machine.

“There we go,” she said. When she caught Rusty staring, Min saw her own reflection in a nearby mirror and eyed herself for a moment with a sigh: dark hair, pale skin, pretty face, nice ass, smooth cunt… She ran both hands along her curves, looking the dog in the eyes through the reflection. “Can you believe Jeremy had all of this to himself and gave it up?” She sighed. “Too bad you can’t enjoy any of it.”

Rusty sniffed the air and stepped closer, his eyes bright and curious. Something on his face and in his eyes gave her pause, so much so that they stared back at each other for a long moment. He looked even larger than she remember at the shelter, and now that she was naked Min very felt exposed, like his stare was burning right through her.

Min gave her head a hard shake. “Here, let me give you the tour.” She walked him back into the kitchen. “First floor is living room and the kitchen. There’s a half-bath too, but you’re too big to care about that.” He was right on her heels as she ascended to the second floor, toes curling in the soft carpet as they reached the next level. “Up here is my office, and the master bedroom and bath.” Her office was a spacious place with a wide desk and computer set under a bay window. The bedroom was almost as large as the living room with a wide bed and a siting nook, while the bathroom was done in white and black tile with a large whirlpool tub.

Rusty looked up at her in the bathroom mirror. “Nice place, huh?” she said to him. He really was a large dog, sleek and muscled, with dark fur that matched her brunette hair. Standing nude beside him reminded her of when they first locked eyes and how his overpowering presence shone right through the glass, leaving her locked in place. That something in her head was back, a presence too strong to be ignored: her chest felt tight and her breaths were soft, quick whispers through flared nostrils. She felt his eyes on her, the weight of his dark stare that left her entire body tingling, like ants creeping across her skin.

“Stand up straighter.” Min was the one who spoke, but the words weren’t hers—it felt like being a puppet, as someone moved her mouth for her. “Spread your legs.” As she spoke, Min’s body moved as her voice commanded, arching her back and widening her stance while also thrusting her ass back. Rusty’s eyes burned right through her, and Min suddenly felt very, very afraid.

“Wh… What is this?!” she said as tears burned at the corner of her eyes. “What’s going on?!”

“I intend to inspect you.” The words were being forced out of her mouth by some mind or will greater than her own. “Now remain still.” Rusty broke their gaze to jump up behind her, resting his paw on her bare shoulders while he sniffed her hair and neck. He met her eyes again, and the force of his stare was so strong, so dominant and so very male that she started to shake. For an eternal moment she drowned in those shining, coppery depths. The intelligence in those eyes was terrifying to behold, something so far beyond her own understanding that she wanted to shrink back.

“Oh my god!” Min whispered, trembling at the feel of his heavy body against hers. “This isn’t happening!”

“Rest assured that it is.” Rusty was speaking through her mouth, but her tone changed when he did it, becoming deeper, stronger, more forceful to the point her throat buzzed from the timber of it. “You rescued me from that prison. Now, you shall be rewarded.” The dog hopped back down and began sniffing up her leg, brushing his cold nose along her thigh. The feel of his hot breath caressing her warm flesh, of his cool nose sliding across her asshole and pussy made Min’s fingers tighten on the counter’s edge.

Min’s breathing began to quicken as her breasts tightened; her nipples ached, longing to be touched. “W-what’re you doing?! Stop!”

“Why?” Rusty sounded amused as he pressed his nose hard against the pucker of her ass, sniffing her deep. “I don’t wish to stop.”

“D-d-don’t smell me!” she said, horrified and aroused at the same time. “H-how are you doing this? Let me—!”

“Wait.” Rusty stuck his nose against the moist split of her pussy next and took an even deeper sniff. “This. I want this.”

Min grit her teeth and whimpered even louder as his sniffing grew stronger, making her shudder from the sensation. “No, no, no, no, no!” she whispered, frozen stiff by the force of the dog’s will. When his tongue slid from her clit down across her tender snatch, Min cried out in shock, denial and—to her chagrin—full-throated pleasure. She tried to beg him to stop, but that turned into a whine of delight as his licking soon increased in speed and force until his tongue was slipping up inside her pussy, skipping and sliding across her wet flesh.

“No!” she gasped, even while her hips and ass were pushing back against his opened jaws. “Y-you can’t! I—!” Min threw her head back and opened her mouth wide, groaning with pleasure that she might not want…but it was already impossible to resist it.

“Give in,” Rusty said. His tongue bathed her clit with fast, rough caresses, pulling and scraping the little bud again and again. Her juices and his spittle were dripping onto the floor at her feet, like she was melting under his tongue. Her shaved pussy was swollen and red from his oral assault; her smooth lips clung to his tongue, clenching and tightening from his hot caresses.