The Doggone Dog Read online

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1: Dog-Park Disaster

  Chapter 2: Rex Finds a Friend

  Chapter 3: Scruffy Gets a Break

  Chapter 4: Nobody's Dog

  Chapter 5: Too Much Trouble

  Chapter 6: Pound or Found?

  Chapter 7: An Old Man's Story

  Chapter 8: Worry Won't Solve Anything

  Chapter 9: The Scruffy Solution

  Chapter 10: The Great Idea

  Dog-Park Disaster

  As he did most afternoons after school, Kyle Blake headed to the neighborhood dog park with his best friend and next-door neighbor, Mia Perez, and Rex, his yellow Labrador retriever.

  The dog park was the perfect place to play fetch with Rex. The yellow Lab needed plenty of exercise, or else he tended to get into trouble around the house.

  Mia sat on a bench nearby, watching as Kyle played with his dog. The park was crowded today, especially since a dog obedience class was taking place there.

  Kyle held up a stick. “Ready, boy?” he called.

  Rex barked, then jumped and turned in excited circles as he waited for Kyle to throw the stick.

  Mia looked over from her spot on the bench and watched Rex spin around. “You’d better throw it before he gets dizzy and falls over!” she called.

  Kyle tossed the stick across the park. “Get it, boy!” he hollered.

  Rex didn’t have to be told twice. He took off running across the park. But Kyle’s aim wasn’t as good as he’d thought. The stick sailed through the air and headed right for the dog obedience class.

  “Look out!” Mia yelled. But the class was too far away to hear her warning. The stick landed smack dab in the middle of the circle.

  Rex leaped over a cocker spaniel and picked up the stick. He stood still for a moment, looking around. It almost seemed like he was waiting for someone to notice what a good job he’d done fetching the stick.

  All the dogs in the obedience class noticed. They immediately started pulling on their leashes and barking at the intruder.

  “Quiet, Percy!” a man scolded his little Chihuahua. The dog bounced on all fours and kept yapping.

  “No, Winston!” one of the women yelled as her German shepherd dragged her across the park.

  The whole time, Rex sat calmly in the middle of the circle, still holding the stick proudly in his mouth.

  The trainer moved from dog to dog, trying to calm them down. It seemed to be working until Rex suddenly took off. He ran between two dogs and leapt back out of the circle. The dogs immediately started barking all over again.

  “Sorry!” Kyle yelled to the instructor.

  Rex trotted over and proudly dropped the stick at Kyle’s feet. The trainer shook his head and scowled at them.

  Kyle scratched Rex behind the ears. It wasn’t like he’d broken the rules — he wasn’t even in the class! “All those dogs should flunk obedience,” he said.

  Rex just panted and thumped his tail on the ground. As long as Kyle was petting him, feeding him, or playing with him, he was good.

  “No more catch today,” Kyle said as he walked toward Mia. “I don’t think the other dogs could take it.”

  Rex flopped on the ground and rested his chin on his paws. He looked up at Kyle with sad, pleading eyes.

  “I think Rex still wants to play some more,” Mia said when Kyle sat down next to her. “He’s not ready for fetch to be over.”

  “He’ll forget about sticks the minute he sees a squirrel,” Kyle said. He laughed when Rex jumped up less than a minute later. “See?”

  Rex chased a speedy squirrel up a tree. He barked when it disappeared in the leaves. Then he sat down to wait for the squirrel to come back.

  “That should keep him busy for a while,” Kyle said. “Did you start working on your project for science class yet?”

  Mia shook her head. “No,” she said. “Do you want to come over after this and work on it together?”

  Kyle nodded. “Sure,” he agreed. “I need help deciding what I’m going to do. Maybe we’ll have better luck coming up with something together.”

  “Good idea,” Mia said. She suddenly glanced around the park. “Hey, where did Rex go?”

  Kyle looked over at the tree, but Rex wasn’t there. He couldn’t believe it. He’d only looked away for a second.

  Kyle looked around the dog park frantically, but didn’t see his dog anywhere. Rex was missing!

  Rex Finds a Friend

  “Oh, no!” Kyle said. He jumped up and scanned the nearby area. “Where could he have gone?”

  “There he is!” Mia said, pointing to the other side of the dog park.

  Kyle sighed with relief when he saw Rex trotting toward him. But the dog wasn’t alone. A small, scruffy-looking brown dog was following along behind him.

  “Who’s your friend, Rex?” Mia asked, scratching the new arrival behind his ears. His ears flopped a little over as Mia petted him.

  Rex sat down. The new dog sat down next to him and wagged his stubby tail.

  “He doesn’t have a collar,” Mia said. “Do you think he’s a stray?”

  “I don’t know,” Kyle said. “Maybe he just slipped out and got away.”

  “Maybe,” Mia said. “Let’s wait here. His owner could be in the dog park.”

  Mia and Kyle played with Rex and his new friend for almost thirty minutes, hoping someone would come looking for a lost dog and see them. But no one did.

  “I bet his owner doesn’t know he’s gone,” Mia said.

  “I bet you’re right,” Kyle said. “We don’t even know where the dog came from. We should look for his owner.”

  “Good idea!” Mia said, standing up.

  Kyle snapped his leash on Rex’s collar, but then he paused. “We don’t have a leash for the other dog,” he said. “What if he runs away from us? ”

  “I don’t think that’s a problem,” Mia said as they started walking with Rex. The little dog trotted quickly to keep up with his new friend. When Kyle and Rex stopped, the little dog stopped, too. Mia smiled. “See what I mean? It seems like he’ll go wherever Rex goes.”

  Most people in the dog park had their dogs with them. But Kyle and Mia spotted an old man sitting on a bench toward the outside of the park, away from the action. He was reading a newspaper.

  “Maybe it’s that man’s dog,” Mia suggested. “And he didn’t notice that it wandered off because he’s reading. I mean, Rex wandered off on us, and we were just talking.”

  “Excuse me, sir,” Kyle said as they walked over. “Is this your dog?”

  The man lowered his newspaper and frowned. “No,” he said. “I don’t like dogs.”

  Mia frowned. “Then why are you at the dog park?” she asked.

  “Everybody is too busy with their dogs to sit down,” the old man said. “There’s always an empty bench. That’s why.”

  With that, the old man put the paper in front of his face again and went back to reading.

  Taking the hint, Kyle and Mia moved on. Just outside the dog park they saw two boys playing catch with a baseball. Kyle didn’t see a dog anywhere near them.

  “Hey!” Kyle called over to them.

  Both boys looked over. “What?” the taller one asked.

  “Is this your dog?” Mia asked, patting the lost dog’s head.

  The boy shook his head and made a face. “Who’d want a scruffy-looking mutt like that?” he asked.

  “Not me!” his friend agreed, shaking his head and laughing.

  Kyle and Mia exchanged a look and kept walking. “I think you’re cute, Scruffy,”
Mia told the lost dog.

  They kept walking, all the way around the entire dog park. As they neared the entrance, they spotted a woman and a little girl. The woman looked upset, and the little girl was crying.

  “I bet the dog belongs to them,” Kyle said. “She’s probably upset she can’t find it.”

  Kyle and Mia walked over, but when they got closer, the little girl pointed at Rex and screamed. Kyle and Mia came to a stop.

  “Sorry, kids,” the woman said. “Callie is afraid of dogs. I thought showing her how much fun people have with them might help, but it clearly didn’t.”

  Kyle and Mia nodded and quickly walked away with the two dogs. There was obviously no point in asking the woman if the scruffy dog belonged to them.

  “We’ve asked every dogless person here,” Mia said. “Now what?”

  “Well, we can’t just leave him here,” Kyle said. “He needs food and water and someplace to sleep. Besides, he has to belong to someone.”

  “I’d bring him home with me, but Misty wouldn’t like it,” Mia said.

  Kyle nodded. Mia’s cat didn’t seem to like anything, especially dogs. Misty had scratched Rex’s nose — twice! Luckily, Kyle’s mom was a vet, so she had quickly cleaned up the little scratch.

  “Then Scruffy will have to go home with me,” Kyle said. “He and Rex obviously get along. Maybe my mom will know what to do.”

  Scruffy Gets A Break

  When Kyle and Mia got to his house, his mom was still working. Luckily, Dr. Blake’s veterinary clinic was right next to Kyle’s house, so they headed next door to talk to her about the dog they’d found.

  Angie, Dr. Blake’s receptionist, was seated at the front desk when they walked in. “Hey, kids, what are you up to?” she greeted them as they walked in.

  Just then, she noticed Scruffy standing by Kyle’s side. “Who’s this?” she asked.

  “We found him in the dog park,” Mia explained.

  “Is my mom around?” Kyle asked. “We need to talk to her for a minute.”

  “Sure, go on back,” Angie said. “She just finished up with her last patient, so she should be in her office.”

  “Thanks, Angie!” Mia said.

  Kyle and Mia headed down a hallway with exam rooms on both sides and turned a corner. Dr. Blake’s office was at the back of the clinic.

  Kyle stuck his head into the office. “Hi, Mom,” he said. “Do you have a second?”

  “Of course,” his mom said. “I always have time for you. What’s up?”

  “Well, I have a problem,” Kyle said. “But it’s just temporary.”

  Mia stepped into the room, holding the little dog in her arms. “He’s lost,” she said. “We found him at the dog park.”

  “Well, technically Rex found him,” Kyle said. “And then he found us. We asked everyone, but Scruffy didn’t belong to anyone in the dog park.”

  Dr. Blake arched an eyebrow. “Scruffy?” she asked.

  “I had to call him something,” Kyle explained.

  “Just until we find out what his real name is,” Mia said. “And where he lives.”

  “We should take him to the humane society,” Dr. Blake said. “That’s the best place to take a lost dog. People who lose pets usually call there first.”

  “But he might get sick there,” Kyle argued.

  “No, he won’t,” Dr. Blake said. “They don’t put healthy animals and sick ones in the same area.”

  “The big dogs might pick on him,” Mia said.

  “Yeah,” Kyle agreed. “Can’t he stay here? Just for a little while. Mia and I want to find his owner.”

  “Please,” Mia pleaded.

  Rex barked, and the little dog put his front paws on Dr. Blake’s arm. He looked at her with sad eyes and whined.

  “All right, I give up!” Dr. Blake said with a laugh. “But just for the weekend.”

  “Thanks, Mom!” Kyle said, grinning happily.

  “I’ll have to give him a quick exam,” Dr. Blake said. “I can’t risk him getting any of the other animals sick.”

  There were lots of other dogs and cats in the clinic. Some were sick, and some were recovering from surgery. Others were just being boarded there while their owners were out of town.

  Before they took Scruffy to a cage, Dr. Blake listened to his heart and checked his ears. Then she checked for worms.

  “I don’t see anything, but I don’t know what shots he’s had. I’ll put him in a cage away from the other animals, just in case,” Dr. Blake said.

  Scruffy didn’t like it when they closed him in a roomy cage. He turned around and around in circles and pawed at the bars. He barked, whined, and howled.

  “Maybe he’ll settle down if we leave,” Dr. Blake suggested.

  They all went back to Dr. Blake’s office, but it was no use. A few minutes later, Scruffy was still barking.

  “Well, he can’t stay in here,” Dr. Blake said. “All that noise will upset the patients that have to stay overnight.”

  “He can stay in my room with Rex,” Kyle offered quickly. “We already know he and Rex get along, and tomorrow is Saturday. Mia and I can spend the whole day trying to find his home.”

  “And Sunday, too,” Mia said.

  Dr. Blake frowned, but then she sighed. “Okay,” she said, “but just until Monday. If we haven’t found his owner by then we’ll have to call the humane society.”

  Nobody’s Dog

  Scruffy calmed down as soon as they moved him into Kyle’s room with Rex. He didn’t bark or act up, and he slept all night. The next morning, he sat quietly while Kyle poured dog food into two separate bowls.

  Rex gobbled his up in seconds, but Scruffy didn’t eat much. Instead, he stretched out on the floor with his head on his paws and stared at his dish.

  “You miss your owner, don’t you, boy?” Kyle asked. Scruffy wagged his stubby tail as if to say yes.

  After he’d finished eating, Rex ran to the back door and waited to be let outside. Kyle grabbed a tennis ball and took both dogs outside to play.

  Mia walked over from her house just as they started playing fetch. Scruffy seemed to like chasing the tennis ball as much as Rex did.

  “How did Scruffy do last night in your room?” Mia asked.

  “He was okay,” Kyle said. “He didn’t bark or cry, so that was good. But he barely ate anything this morning. I think he misses his owner.”

  “Maybe we should look online and see if anyone has posted an ad for a missing dog,” Mia suggested. “I think the newspaper posts lost pet ads for free.”

  “Good idea!” Kyle said.

  He and Mia brought Scruffy and Rex back in the house and headed to Kyle’s room to use the computer. They read through every single missing-dog ad on the newspaper’s website, but nobody was looking for a little dog that looked like Scruffy.

  “Maybe it’s too soon,” Kyle said. “Scruffy’s owner might have waited to see if he came home last night. And then it would have been too late to post an ad.”

  “You could be right,” Mia said. “Let’s take the dogs for a walk. Maybe someone put up flyers for a missing dog.”

  “Great idea!” Kyle said. “If Rex was missing, I’d post flyers everywhere. Even if it took all night.”

  Kyle and Mia grabbed an extra collar and leash for Scruffy from the clinic next door. Kyle’s mom always made sure to have spares around, just in case.

  Scruffy didn’t seem to mind wearing a collar. He didn’t try to pull ahead when they headed down the sidewalk.

  “He’s so well behaved,” Mia said as they walked. “That must mean he has an owner someplace.”

  They walked a few streets over to the dog park where they’d found Scruffy the day before. There were no flyers posted on the bulletin board in the park.

  Then they walked all around the neighb
orhood, but no one had posted a sign for a missing dog.

  Kyle’s mom was drinking coffee in the kitchen when they got home. Her clinic was only open until noon on Saturdays.

  “No luck?” Dr. Blake asked when they walked in.

  Mia shook her head sadly. “Maybe somebody called the humane society, like you said,” she suggested.

  “Can you find out?” Kyle asked. His mom knew everyone in town who had anything to do with animals.

  “Of course,” Dr. Blake said. She dialed the number for the humane society. She spoke to one of the volunteers and described Scruffy.

  But when she hung up, Kyle could tell she didn’t have good news.

  Dr. Blake shook her head. “Sorry, kids,” she said. “Nobody came in looking for a dog matching Scruffy’s description.”

  “Well, I’m not giving up,” Kyle said. He leaned over and picked up Scruffy. “There could be a reason his owner didn’t post an ad or put up flyers. What if they don’t have a computer or a printer?”

  “There has to be something else can we do,” Mia said.

  “Maybe we could put up flyers,” Kyle suggested.

  “Good idea!” Mia agreed. “We can put them up around the neighborhood and in the dog park.”

  Mia and Kyle headed to his room, and got right to work. They took pictures of Scruffy and uploaded them to the computer. Then they put a caption beneath the photo that said, “Small dog found in dog park on Friday afternoon.” They added the phone number for Kyle’s house and printed out several copies.

  “That should do it,” Kyle said, taking the papers out of the printer.

  When he turned around, Kyle gasped. They’d been so busy working on the flyers that they hadn’t been paying much attention to the dogs. Rex was asleep on the floor, but Scruffy was chewing on a T-shirt that Kyle had left out.

  “Oh, no!” Kyle exclaimed. He grabbed the shirt out of Scruffy’s mouth and examined it. There was a big hole right in the middle.

  Mia grimaced. “He probably did it because he’s nervous,” she said. “I bet he just wants to go home.”

  “No matter why he did it, my mom is not going to be happy,” Kyle said. He hid the torn shirt in one of his dresser drawers. “I’ll tell her about it — but not until after we find Scruffy’s owner.”