Thomas has good reactions; he makes sure his hands are clear and any knives are in known locations (where he can grab them without cutting himself). Yes, that clearly was a dog, though who even knew what was animating the corpse now. (Thomas had a memorable encounter with alkabyiftiris slime decades ago, and is familiar with the idea of parasites that hijack their hosts. Alkabyiftiris slime was pretty bad at long-term plans, being essentially a corpse-eating slime mold, but that didn't mean other organisms couldn't be better.)

On the other hand, this one seems to be the young woman's pet, and he can't tell if that is because she is also infected by whatever this is, it is relatively tame, or that he's a teenager with terrible abilities to judge risk. It could be a combination. What fun.

"Before I do anything, then, how does one treat a bite from... him?" Also, what is it, why is it in the kitchen, and how much food will they need to throw out and surfaces will they need to sterilize?