[ WP ] During the last hour of a dogs life , they develop the ability to talk

My job is shit. Sometimes it's alright, when they let me play with the babies and stuff. When I get to wash them. When they'll let me muzzle the ones we euthanize. There was a big fuss about that a few months back, actually. About whether or not kill shelters should be considered death row, and whether or not euthanasia should be considered a death penalty, now that they talk. Because they do talk. And despite the first few deaths since this... Recent development, they're not speaking strings of garbled nonsense. 
 
 My hands were shaking as I pulled him from the small, cramped cage. It would n't be long, now. Through the bath he whined but complied. Through the drying process, too. It scares me when they're still quiet, through all of that. Makes me wonder if something's going to go wrong. When I asked him to he laid right down, looking up at me with doleful brown eyes. 
 
 `` I did n't want to do it,'' he finally confided. My eyes squeezed shut, unwilling to watch the unnatural movements of a canine mouth as they framed human syllables. His voice was soft and plaintive. `` I understand why you're doing this, but I want you to know... She had a cigarette, and it was headed for my eye. Not on accident. You understand, right? She's not a nice lady.'' 
 
 `` I understand.'' *Three... Two... One... Breathe. * I opened my eyes, looking down to see his face. He was a handsome dog, nicely defined eyebrow ridges and soft ears. I gently reached up to stroke one - they never said I had to be cruel executioner, after all. `` We'll look into it.'' Surely I could talk them into that, right? They recorded these sessions, after all. He licked my wrist gently, lips parting into what looked like a doggy smile. `` I'll make sure we look into it.'' 
 
 `` Thank you.'' He whined as I slipped the catheter into the vein of his foreleg. His eyes closed. I could feel my own dampening. This would be peaceful, at least. As the fluid began to flow from the bag on the IV pole I petted his side, feeling it heave with each shallowing breath. `` Thank you,'' he wheezed after a while. `` Could I ask you a favor?'' 
 
 `` Of course.'' I slipped my free hand into my pocket, around a bag of treats. We were n't supposed to feed them, so close to the end... But for someone this sweet I was tempted to make an exception. 
 
 `` She sold most of my pups to other humans like her... But she did n't sell Lucy. If you really can make sure they look into it, make sure you take care of Lucy.'' 
 
 `` I will,'' I managed to choke out past the cracking in my voice. 
 
 I tried not to think of the next name on the euthanasia roster as I stroked my fingers over the softness of his ears and listened to him breathing his last. 
 
 edit: typos
