Domestic Beasts

By Dan Muhlstock

In the mid-2010s, Detroit experienced an urban flight the likes of which the United States had never seen before. At its worst, in some neighborhoods, over eighty percent of the buildings lay vacant, the only inhabitants being thousands upon thousands of stray dogs. Without humans, these abandoned house pets were left to fight and scrape and hunt and fend for themselves in the apocalyptic urban hellscape that is post-blight Detroit.

Scout, a loyal and loving pet dog, is abandoned when his family flees foreclosure. For the first time in his life finding himself unable to rely on humans, Scout is forced to venture into the wilds. He quickly learns that self-reliance is far more challenging, freeing, terrifying, and dangerous than he ever could have imagined. Exposure, uninviting humans, rival dog packs, and wild animals make every day a battle to shed his domesticity and find the will to survive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Sep 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798886938463

Dan Muhlstock

Dan Muhlstock is originally from New Jersey. He studied in Washington, D.C. and currently lives in New York City with his wife.

Book preview

About the Author

Dan Muhlstock is originally from New Jersey. He studied in Washington, D.C. and currently lives in New York City with his wife.

Dedication

For Cyrus. I never stopped missing you. You’re

a good boy.

Copyright Information ©

Dan Muhlstock 2023

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Ordering Information

Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Muhlstock, Dan

Domestic Beasts

ISBN 9798886938456 (Paperback)

ISBN 9798886938463 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023910817

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street, 33rd Floor, Suite 3302

New York, NY 10005

USA

[e-mail]

[phone]

20231128

Acknowledgment

I would like to thank my wife, Georgia, for always encouraging me to keep going and for telling me that she loved a little story about Indian food. While it’s possible that I could have done it without you, I would never want to even try. I can’t say enough to thank my sister, Rae Muhlstock, for aiding me chapter by chapter to keep things clear and tight, and for all her guidance in writing, thinking, and life. A special thank you to Lore from My Design Corner (@mydesigncorner) for your contribution to the cover art. I want to thank my first editor, Jeffery Morgan, for suffering through the early versions of my work and helping me make it stronger. All of my first draft readers for giving me your time and your feedback. And finally, Austin Macauley Publishers for taking a chance on a tale about dogs, abandonment, family, and love.

Chapter 1

2013; Detroit, Michigan

It’s over, Big sighs as he slides his cell phone into the pocket of his jeans.

There has to be something else that we can do. Someone else that we can call. This can’t be happening. You said we’d be ok, Little pleads with Big. Tears welling in her eyes, fear trembling in her voice.

Martin thought he could. He thought we would qualify for another loan. But we don’t. They aren’t giving loans to people like us. Not here at least.

Big turns to gaze out the kitchen window taking in the overgrown lawn of the empty house across the street. One of dozens of overgrown and empty houses on this street. In this neighborhood. In this city.

It didn’t used to be like this. He thinks to himself. This city was once a major, important, glimmering testament to progress and industry. The world leader in automotive design and manufacturing. It was incredible. Until it wasn’t. The thing about progress is that it must remain progressive. Otherwise, it becomes stagnant. Established. Stale. Old. Overtaken by mechanization of the process. Someone else figures out how to do it better. Faster. Cheaper. What was once progressive becomes obsolete. Processes. Businesses. People. The American Auto Industry. Detroit.

So that’s it? What do we do? The tears roll down Little’s face as she loses composure.

We pack up what we can, and we leave. By this time tomorrow, the Marshals will be here to put us out on the street and padlock the doors. Go upstairs and pack a bag. Just one bag. Clothes. All we can take with us is clothes, Big doesn’t cry as he says it.

Scout lays curled into a ball, his paws firmly grasping a strip of raw hide as he works on a frayed corner. He grips the frayed chunk in his incisors pulling with all of his might trying to dislodge the edge. His reward for hours of chewing and focus. He hears Big and Little talking. They sound unhappy. He doesn’t think it’s his fault. He doesn’t recall doing anything to make them unhappy, but their reactions don’t always make sense to Scout. He wants to make them happy, and maybe he could right now. They like it when he sits. When he shakes. They love it when he rolls over. Especially Tiny.

Tiny laughs and laughs as Scout rolls around, a big smile on his face, happy to please. But right now, this edge is just too close to dislodging. Scout has to stay focused. It’s almost off.

Oh my God. Little buries her face in her hands and sobs. At the sound of his mother’s tears, Tiny begins to wail from his bassinet in the corner. Little moves toward the crying toddler but is stopped by Big’s words.

No. I’ll get him. You go pack, Big goes to Tiny and lifts the small child in his thick arms. He bounces Tiny whispering to him not to worry.

The edge of the rawhide comes loose, and Scout triumphantly swallows it, pleased with his victory. He looks around the room to see if anybody noticed his triumph. Now he sees Big hugging the wailing child. Scout climbs to his feet stepping out of his round pillowed bed, the rawhide abandoned and forgotten. He walks cautiously to Big and looks up at him, eyes wide, forehead wrinkled, ears pushed forward, flopping over.

It’s a look that Scout had perfected over his almost four years. It didn’t take him long to learn this look either. From puppyhood, he realized that Big would soften to this look every time. But Big doesn’t acknowledge Scout just now. He just continues to bounce Tiny, as Tiny cries into Big’s chest desperately trying to remember why he’d started crying in the first place.

It’s Tiny that notices Scout at Big’s feet, gazing up, bushy tail slowly swaying side to side. Doggie, Tiny chirps pointing down at Scout.

Big looks at Scout standing at his feet, and finally, tears begin to escape his eyes. He pats Scout’s head letting his fingers lightly stroke his right ear, gently tugging it before letting go.

Good boy, Scout. You’re a good boy. Scout smiles at being called a Good Boy, but he can tell something is wrong.

Heavy thumping draws Scout’s attention in the direction of the unseen stairway to the house’s second level. He sees Little come into view pulling a large suitcase on wheels. Scout’s eyes go wide in crushing fear. He knows what the suitcase means. It means his family is leaving. When they bring the large suitcase, it usually means they aren’t bringing him.

Is this what’s wrong with Big? He feels bad that they aren’t bringing Scout? They could just bring him. Wherever they’re going, they could just bring him.

Ok, let’s go then, Big opens a closet door and pulls out a collapsible baby stroller. Tiny sill in one arm, Big begins wheeling the stroller toward the front door. Scout follows. No. Scout. Sit. Scout stops and sits down on his haunches, watching Big in anticipation. Stay Scout. You stay.

Why? He isn’t coming with us? Little asks.

Jordan’s daughter is allergic to dogs. Scout can’t come into the house. He can’t come with us.

What? We can’t leave Scout here.

We have to. We’re out of options. We’re lucky that Jordan is going to let us stay with him for even as long as he is. Otherwise, we’d be sleeping in the car.

Then we’re sleeping in the car. We can’t leave Scout.

We have to. But just for now, Big glances at Scout, his eyes heavy with sorrow. I’ll come back for him once we figure out our next move. But right now, we have to go, and he can’t come with us.

You promise you’ll come back for him?

Big swallows deeply, I promise, he lies.

Doggie. Tiny squirms in Big’s arms reaching both hands out for Scout sitting on the floor several yards from his family. Big lowers Tiny to the floor and Tiny half walks half stumbles forward, arms outreached until he’s hugging Scout tightly around the neck.

Scout doesn’t move. He was told to stay. He licks his lips in discomfort. The hug is troubling. Of all the family members, its Tiny who confuses Scout the most.