So He gets the news, quits job, tidies affairs, loads and leaves. commence road trip. He arrives, meets cousin (and cousin's partner) to take the keys, the cash, the Suburban, etc. Cousin leaves next day. A few beers outside his first night, add shooting star and coyote yipping.
He is quickly on home improvement, which entails the trip to the hardware and lumber stores that introduces him to the animal shelter. Home improvement includes shoring and repair, the beginnings of a deck, and a perimeter fence of throwaway wood, the finding of which introduced him to two men who help him build it.
Another trip to town - maybe for the tool(s) needed to chop the Suburban - gets him into the animal shelter from which he emerges with two dogs, having met Her, who gives him Her card re keeping track of the dogs.
She goes home that evening, we meet her wine and weed routine, and Her Son, who is lit a little by news of the dogs' adoption.