To say that Animalia was upset about the election would be an understatement. It was bad enough when the hatemonger was elected not long after the establishment of Animalia. Animalians had faced a fair amount of discrimination under that administration, as well as people pushing conversion as a 'cure for homosexuality'. But after his first term had ended, they had assumed no one was stupid enough to reelect him. But now he was going to be in office again, supported by people who should know better. The fact that his separate victories were over female candidates did not speak well of America's supposed view of gender equality. And to add insult to injury, it doesn't look like Animalia's votes will keep Nevada from favoring him.
If Animalians were a little less peaceful, there may be some rioting or demonstration. However, Mayor Clara had addressed her fellow Animalians, urging them to accept this defeat as graciously as the soon-to-be former president and the losing candidate. She reminded them that they've been through this before and Animalia has thrive, flourished, and spread in spite of the opinions of the dominant party of the government. And several politicians who were opposing Animalians have been voted out of office, so it wasn't going to be so bad. The important was for them to stand together, focus on their own lives, and hope that the 45/47th president will be just a background nuisance.
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Dallas and Dot Fleck weren't too satisfied with the political situation, but Mayor Clara was correct that they had their own lives to focus on. Not long after Travis was double-dosed by Sarah, the two of them had a serious discussion about whether to have more puppies or not. Thomas and Julia didn't seem hesitant about having Bell and Bash not long after their conversion. However, there were some important differences between the Wesleys and the Flecks.
First off, both Thomas and Julia were human and already had experience with raising kids. For uplifted dogs like Dallas and Dot, their previous experience with puppies mostly boiled down to feeding them and playing with them. Animalian kids require as much planning and raising as human kids. Secondly, the Wesleys are a bit more financially-secure, especially with two daughters getting paid a scholarship for working on Animalia Ambassadoria. Not that firefighters didn't get good payment, but they aren't always high in demand. That's why Travis moved to Reno with Sarah after their wedding. And thirdly, Dallas and Dot wanted to give Travis their undivided attention. Even if Travis found a bondmate and double-dosed early on, there was still a lot he had to go through before he could finally marry Sarah. It was much easier to give Travis support without other pups to divide their attention.
But now Travis has truly grown up, moved out, and living with his wife. Dallas and Dot were soon discussing whether they ought to have more pups. After all, Martin and Josephine had a new filly, though Josephine had Ava later than she had intended. Of course, Travis and Sarah were going to have pups of their own eventually and there was a question if they wanted to have more pups before they had grandpups. That discussion was still on the table when a new arrangement gave them a taste of what it would like to have a daughter.
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Unlike working dogs Dallas and Dot, Vela was a show dog and was rather proud of that. It also made her prime breeding material and she had quite a few puppies over the years. And she had been treated like a princess until she became to old for entering dog shows or having puppies. Then her owner gave the premium retirement package: rejuvenation and uplifting as an Animalian. Vela would have come back to live with her former owner, but first she needed to learn how to function as an Animalian. Which was why she was being fostered by a Dalmatian couple for a while. Though Vela didn't think it would be too much of a hassle. But she had retained a lot of her spoiled princess attitude.
Vela arrived at the Fleck house wearing a fashionable jogging suit. She was rather impressed with how Dallas looked. Vela had initially assumed that the two of them would be breeding later to produce some fine puppies. But Dot had calmly but sternly informed Vela that their relationship wasn't that open. Dallas wasn't just her mate, she was her husband. And married couples have a more permanent relationship than the simple breeding Vela had known.
Dallas led Vela into the guest room that was formerly Travis's room. Travis took quite a lot of his stuff with him when he moved to Reno. "And this is where you will be staying while you're adjusting to Animalia," said Dallas, "I'm sure it won't take you long to earn your GED."
Vela sniffed the room and said, "It smells like another male's lived in here."
"Yes, that would be my son," said Dallas.
"Oh, is he much like you?" asked Vela, her tail wagging a little with interest.
"Yes, he's currently living with his wife in Reno," said Dallas.
Vela's tail stopped wagging. "Oh, well, I'm sure she's probably a good match for him," she said.
"Indeed she is," said Dallas, showing Vela a picture of Travis and Sarah.
Vela looked at the picture with confusion, "He's married to a husky?"
"And she's a lovely young woman that we've known for years," said Dallas.
"But their puppies will be-" started Vela.
"A mix of Dalmatian and husky. We're not sure how their fur patterns will come out, but I think they'll be very cute," said Dallas.
Vela frowned and said, "Cute doesn't win dog shows. They'd never be accepted for being mixed-breeds."
"You'll find that a lot of Animalians don't care about breeds," said Dallas, "The only thing that matters if they're completely separate species. After all, Sarah's sister married a wolf."
"A wolf?! That's even-" started Vela only for Dallas to give a warning growl. "Cuter combination, I'm sure," finished Vela before looking at the picture again, "Why does Sarah have that longer fur on her head?"
"Because she was originally human before she converted," said Dallas.
"So it's not just animals who can become Animalians?" asked Vela.
"I would have thought they would have explained that to you. Or were you not listening?" asked Dallas.
"I might have been a little distracted with my reflection," said Vela.
Dallas sighed and said, "Well, you can unpack for now. I'll let you know when dinner's ready."
"Is it a gourmet meal?" asked Vela.
"Firehouse chili," said Dallas, "You'll learn to love it."
With that, Dallas left the room. Dot was waiting for him in their bedroom. "She's a piece of work, isn't she?" asked Dot.
"She's only been sapient for a few hours," said Dallas, "Give her a little slack."
"I think her owner gave her plenty of slack," said Dot.
"Almost makes you glad that Travis didn't have any sisters," said Dallas.
"Any daughter of ours will be more well-behaved and less entitled," said Dot, "The nerve her thinking she could breed with you or Travis."
"Well, it would increase the chances of having pups," said Dallas.
"That had better be a joke," said Dot.
"It is, it is, I know better than think you'd be open to the idea," said Dallas hurriedly.
Dot snorted and said, "We're not lions. She's going to have to find her own mate like everyone else."