CHAPTER 4

Puddles fought being dragged toward home.

Hey, Bobby. Enough already. This collar’s too tight. Ease up, kid.

“Honey, you’re choking the poor dog. Give him some slack.”

Whew! About time. He coughed. Bleah! Grass in my throat. That stuff looks good but it sure makes me sick. ’Course, if these humans would feed me more often instead of wasting their energy running all over the neighborhood, I wouldn’t get hungry enough to eat whatever I find. That crunchy green bug I just found was pretty good, though. All but his prickly legs. Ooooh. Queasy me.

“Mom! Puddles threw up!”

Of course I did. You would, too, if you had an itchy bug-leg caught crosswise in your throat. Maybe I need more grass.

“I’m not surprised, Bobby. You shouldn’t drag the poor puppy behind you like that. He’s not a toy on a string. He’s an animal.”

Hey, just because I lost a little lunch is no reason to call me names. I’m no animal. I’m a Border collie. That makes me a sheepdog. My mother and father told me so. We guard baby lambs so no wolves can sneak in and grab them. I’m gonna be real brave when I get big like my folks. Brave and smart and...

Oooh, Krista’s picking me up. And she’s hugging me so the collar doesn’t pinch anymore. What a sweet mother she is. Bobby’s so lucky to have her. Me, too.

“I wanna move again,” the eight-year-old declared. “I hate it here.”

We could go back to the farm where you got me. I think I remember seeing some sheep there. We could sit out in the field all day and watch them eat. Then we could chase wolves together at night.

“Why? We just got to Serenity,” Krista said.

“I don’t care. I wanna go back to the city. So does Puddles.”

Speak for yourself! I’ve heard about city life and I don’t want any part of it. Well, maybe I’d like to check out the Dumpsters, but nothing else. Dogs get run over and lost and…and... Ummmmm, that feels good.

Krista was absently scratching the pup’s ears. “You asked Puddles for advice?”

No, he hasn’t. Not a word. It isn’t the boy who needs most of the advice around here, anyway. It’s the mama. And that guy down the street. His porch isn’t very interesting but he’s got tasty, fun stuff in his closets. Wish I could’ve brought some of it home with me.

“Sure. Puppies are real smart. They know who to like and…and...”

Now, you’re talkin’. ’Bout time you realized who’s got the brains around here.

Krista crouched beside the child and took his hands. “I know it was a surprise to you that I already knew Mr. Vanbruger but I’m glad Puddles went to his house.”

Yeah, me, too. And I’m going back. He’s got cookies in the cupboard and he knows how to make great scrambled eggs. He’s not real cuddly like the two in my family but he’s okay. I can teach him plenty.

“Glad? Why?” Bobby asked.

“Because it makes me feel good to know we have a friend nearby.”

Hey, me, too. We need to visit his house a lot. I didn’t get a chance to check out his backyard. Maybe he’s got some sheep.

“The other kids will make fun of me if they find out. I told you what Josh said.”

Josh is okay, if you like big boys. Me, I’m partial to smaller ones, like my Bobby. He’s just right. Kind of moody, sometimes, but I’m getting used to him.

“You and Josh only met a few days ago, Bobby. I’ve known Mark for years. He really is a nice person.”

Isn’t that what I’ve been trying to tell you? Why doesn’t anybody listen to me? I can decide with one sniff and maybe a little nip if a human is worth bothering with. My mother says some of them are almost as bad as wolves, but she said I’d be able to tell which ones to trust. She was right. I sure wish Bobby and Krista were as smart as my wonderful mother. And me.