Eventually, they made it. It took a long time, but finally the Pet Rescue Club reached Lolli’s long gravel driveway. The kids had taken turns leading Lola, and it was Janey’s turn right then. She kept the pony in the middle of the drive so she wouldn’t be tempted to try to eat the grass growing alongside it. Lola looked from side to side as she walked. Janey guessed that the pony was checking out the orchard of fruit trees on one side of her and the big fenced-in pasture on the other side.
Lolli’s parents were waiting halfway up the driveway, with Roscoe sitting beside them. The family’s sheep and two goats were right on the other side of the fence nearby, staring curiously at the new arrivals.
When Roscoe spotted the pony, he jumped up and barked. His tail wagged, and he tried to run forward. But Lolli’s father had him on a leash, and held him back.
“We were just getting worried,” Lolli’s mother called. “Oh, that pony is adorable!”
“I know, right?” Lolli said. “She doesn’t like walking on a leash, though.”
“Yeah,” Zach said. “She definitely needs a few training sessions with Adam.”
“Never mind that.” Now that they had arrived, Janey couldn’t wait to get into a nice, air-conditioned house and have a snack. “Let’s put her in the pasture and then go take a rest.”
“Not so fast,” Dr. Goldman said. “You can’t just toss her in a pasture.”
“Why not?” Zach said. “Isn’t that where horses live?”
“Yes, but Lola has been in that small, weedy pen for a few months now,” Dr. Goldman reminded the kids. “She’s not used to eating lots of nice, rich grass. In vet school, we learned that horses’ stomachs are surprisingly delicate. Eating too much really nice grass right now could make Lola very sick.”
Janey was surprised. She’d never heard about anything like that. But she trusted Dr. Goldman.
“Besides, there could also be some weeds out there that she shouldn’t eat,” Lolli’s mother said.
Adam glanced at the sheep and goats. “But those guys eat out there all the time.”
“Yes, but sheep and goats have very different digestive systems from ponies,” Dr. Goldman said. “They can eat a lot of weeds and plants that would poison Lola.”
Janey’s heart sank. “So what can we do to keep Lola safe?” she asked. “I don’t want her to eat something poisonous!”
“We have some extra fencing stuff in the barn,” Lolli’s father spoke up. “You kids could build her a little pen inside the pasture.”
“That’s a great idea.” Dr. Goldman smiled at him. “If you build it in a spot where the grass is a little sparser, Lola can graze safely without being able to eat too much rich stuff. And you can make it small enough to check for any possibly dangerous weeds and remove any you find.”
“And feed them to the goats,” Zach added, scratching one of the goats over the fence.
Janey sighed, glancing at the house. Her stomach rumbled.
But Janey wanted to help Lola, and that meant her empty stomach would have to wait. “Okay,” she said, squaring her shoulders. “Let’s build a pen.”
Lolli’s father helped the kids fetch some step-in fence posts and a couple of rolls of woven wire. “This stuff might not hold a full-sized horse,” he said, scratching his head uncertainly. “But it should be good enough for a pony like Lola.”
Lolli’s mother put Roscoe in the house. Then she returned and held Lola’s lead rope, letting the pony nibble on the short grass beside the driveway while her husband, Dr. Goldman, and the kids got to work on the fence. Before long Janey was sweating more than ever. Building fences was hard work!
But every time she wanted to quit, she just looked over at Lola. That made her work even harder.
It took a long time, but finally the pen was ready. They’d built it along one side of the barn, where there was a deep overhang that Lola could use for shelter if the sun got too strong.
“Perfect!” Lolli’s father declared at last. “Want to check it out, Lola?”
Dr. Goldman led the pony into the pen. She took off the lead rope and left Lola to explore.
Lola sniffed at the gate as Lolli shut it. Then she turned and looked around the pen. The goats and sheep were standing in their pasture on the other side of Lola’s new fence, looking in. Lola whinnied at them, then trotted over to say hello through the wire. After that, she started to graze on her side of the fence, while the other animals nibbled the grass on their side.
Dr. Goldman smiled. “Ponies and horses are herd animals. Lola is probably happy to have company after being by herself for a couple of months.”
“Maybe we can find her a home with other ponies,” Adam said.
“Yeah.” Janey glanced at Lolli’s house. “Since Lola is having a snack, maybe it’s time for us to have one, too?”
“Soon,” Lolli’s mother said. “You still need to set up a tub with water. And there’s not much grass in the pen—won’t we need hay?”
“The Valentines are bringing the supplies they have.” Dr. Goldman shaded her hand against the late afternoon sun and peered down the driveway. “A-ha! Here they are, right on cue!”
A moment later, an SUV pulled to a stop nearby. Tom hopped out of the driver’s seat. “Oh, look at that!” he exclaimed as he saw Lola. “She’s found some friends.”
The back of the SUV was crammed with hay bales, and there was a big, black tub for water in the backseat. “Come on, kids,” Dr. Goldman said. “Let’s get this stuff unloaded.”
Half an hour later, Janey was so exhausted she wanted to lie down on the grass and take a nap. She and her friends had hauled the heavy bales of hay into the barn. They’d dragged the water tub into the pen, then hooked up the hose to fill it. They’d opened one of the hay bales and carried part of it out for Lola to eat. They’d found a spare shelf in the barn to store the grooming tools, a spare halter, and a few other items Tom had brought.
Meanwhile, Dr. Goldman had left with Tom, promising to return with her car to drive them all home. Janey couldn’t wait!
But when she looked at Lola and saw her nibbling hay or grass, or sipping water, Janey felt happy and satisfied. “Lola is so cute,” she told Lolli as they watched the pony. “I’m sure it won’t take long to find her the perfect new home.”
Lolli nodded, looking just as tired as Janey felt. “I’m glad she’s here, even if she’s a lot of work.”
Janey giggled. “After this, taking care of Roscoe will seem super easy! Oh, and your new bunny, too, if you get him.”
“Yeah.” Lolli shot a look at her parents, who were helping the boys put away the hose. “Still, I think I’ll wait and ask if I can get the bunny until after Lola goes to her new home.”
