At school the next day, Lizzie kept thinking about Spirit. She knew he was safe at home. He had food and water, and Buddy to play with if he was feeling lonely, but Lizzie was still worried. The puppy seemed to be having a hard time settling in. Lizzie needed to figure out what kind of home would be best for him.
At lunch, Mariko found Lizzie right away. “Hey, how’s Spirit?” she asked, sitting down across from Lizzie and Maria. “Want some edamame?” she asked, holding out a metal dish of green beans that she ate straight from the pod.
Lizzie took a few beans. She shook her head as she popped them into her mouth. “I’m not sure about Spirit,” she said. “He was so happy playing with Buddy, but then he came inside and just sort of moped around. I couldn’t get him to eat or play with any of Buddy’s toys. He’d sniff them and then look away. It was really sad.”
“What about that new toy?” Maria asked, tucking her shiny dark hair behind her ear. “The orange one that you can put the treats in, and then throw it across the room?” Maria had been with Lizzie when she had used her dog-walking money to buy that toy for Buddy.
“Nothing,” Lizzie answered. “I even put two different flavors of treats in there, just in case Spirit had a favorite. But he barely sniffed it.”
“Maybe he was just tired,” Maria suggested. Maria had a strong instinct for animals. “Sometimes, after a long day of errands and stuff, Simba just needs to sleep.” Simba, a big yellow Lab, was Maria’s mom’s guide dog.
“That makes sense,” Lizzie said. “Simba would be tired after a full day of work.” She peeled an orange, thinking about what Maria said. “Spirit is still a puppy, and yesterday must have been exhausting for him. Maybe he’ll feel better today.”
“I’m going to take Eli’s homework to him after school,” Mariko said. “He did break his leg, and he has a big cast on it. He’ll be home for a while. He can’t use crutches or a wheelchair in all this snow and ice. You guys want to come with me?”
“Sorry, I have a riding lesson,” Maria said. “My show is next week.”
“I can come,” Lizzie said. “I’ll meet you outside your room after the bell.” She was glad that she had asked the other partners in her dog-walking business to cover their customers until she found a home for Spirit. That meant she was free after school. It would be fun to walk home with Mariko, and it would also give Lizzie one more chance to talk to the Leckners. Even if they didn’t want Spirit, they might know someone who would. Maybe they had a waiting list for their puppies.
It seemed like a lot had happened since the last time Lizzie had stepped foot on the Leckners’ porch. This time, when Mrs. Leckner answered, she looked much more relaxed. “Thanks so much for bringing Eli’s homework,” she said, taking the cloth bag from Mariko. “I really appreciate it.” She paused for a moment and looked over her shoulder. “Hey, Eli!” she called. “You’ll be happy to know that Mariko brought your homework, so you won’t have to play video games all afternoon!”
Lizzie thought she heard a groan from deep inside the house.
Mrs. Leckner turned back to the girls. “I have a big project for work that is due this week. It’s my last one before the baby, and I’m having a hard time getting it done with Eli always asking for a snack or for something off his shelf.” She smiled. “Poor guy. He’s pretty bored. Hopefully this homework will keep him busy.”
Just then, a beautiful white German shepherd nosed her way out the door and onto the porch with Lizzie and Mariko. Lizzie knew right away that she must be Spirit’s mother. She and Spirit had the same kind, intelligent expression.
“Mitzy,” Mrs. Leckner said with a laugh, “are you bored, too? Do you need some attention, girl?”
Before Mrs. Leckner could call the dog back in, Lizzie and Mariko knelt down to give her a proper greeting.
“Hi there, Mitzy,” Mariko said, stroking the dog’s back.
Mitzy sniffed Lizzie all over. Her nose made a snuffly sound as it rubbed up against Lizzie’s puffy coat. Then she looked up at Lizzie, tilting her head to one side.
“You smell Spirit, don’t you?” Lizzie asked. She laughed out loud when Mitzy gave her a warm, wet lick. Dog licks always made Lizzie happy. “Hi, Mitzy,” she said softly. “It’s really nice to meet you, too.”
“Okay, Mitzy, that’s enough,” Mrs. Leckner said, trying to pull the dog away. “Nora! Could you come get the dog? She’s attacking our guests with slobber.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet.” Nora, Eli’s big sister, had joined her mom at the door. “I’ll bet she can smell Spirit on Lizzie. Mitzy probably really misses her puppies.”
Mrs. Leckner laughed again. “She misses them more than I do, I think.”
“But they were adorable,” Nora said. She smiled at Lizzie as she grabbed Mitzy’s collar.
“True,” Mrs. Leckner admitted. “They were adorable—to a point. They were also wild little tornadoes. It’s nice to have a little quiet in the house.”
“Before the baby comes,” Nora said, guiding Mitzy back inside.
“Before the baby comes,” Mrs. Leckner repeated.
“How’s Spirit doing?” Nora asked Lizzie.
Lizzie hesitated. “He’s fine,” she said. “But I think he misses all of you.”
Nora nodded. “We miss him, too.” She petted Mitzy. “Good thing we still have one dog to keep us company.”
Lizzie asked whether they’d had a waiting list for the puppies.
Mrs. Leckner shook her head. “We stopped asking around after we thought we’d found them all homes,” she explained.
Lizzie had a much better feeling about the Leckners after her and Mariko’s visit that day. She could tell how much they loved Mitzy. She could also tell that they had enjoyed Mitzy’s puppies—but she understood why they’d given them away. Too bad they didn’t have any good ideas about another nice family who was ready to adopt a sweet, energetic puppy of their own.