“I still can’t believe it,” Lizzie said, as she and her Mom drove back to the vet’s office the next afternoon. “After all that work I did with Teddy, Dr. Gibson is still going to take him away.” She buried her nose in the little dog’s ruff and breathed in his special puppy smell. She had become very, very attached to Teddy in the short time she’d had him. All the training they had done together had made her feel even more bonded to the cute pup.
Last night, after she had set her dog figurines back on the shelf and rehung her “Dog Breeds of the World” poster, Teddy had slept curled up in her arms. For one night, Lizzie had pretended that Teddy was hers, that dog of her very own. But she knew it wasn’t true. She knew that if she wanted to keep fostering puppies, her family could not adopt another full-time dog. Teddy would have to find another owner, one who would love him as much as she did. She hoped Dr. Gibson had found someone who deserved this special dog. But who could it be? “I wonder where we’re bringing him today,” Lizzie said to her mom for the fifth time.
“Let’s be patient and find out,” said Mom. She pulled into the vet’s parking lot. Dr. Gibson must have been watching for them, because she came right out and climbed into the van.
“Hi, everybody,” she said. “This is exciting. I sure hope my friend Matthew likes Teddy.” She told Mom which way to go.
“Who is Matthew?” asked Lizzie, as they headed down the street.
“Remember I told you about a friend of mine whose dog was very old and sick?” Dr. Gibson asked. “Well, that was Matthew. His dog died just a few days ago. Actually, it was on the same day I stopped by. The same day —”
“As the ambulance incident?” Mom asked.
Dr. Gibson gave a little cough. “That’s right. I may have been a little hard on you that day, Lizzie — but it was partly because I was upset about Leo dying. He was the sweetest old black Lab, and Matthew loved him so.”
Lizzie felt tears come to her eyes. It was always so sad to hear about a dog dying. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m sorry for Matthew.”
“That’s not all,” said Dr. Gibson. “Matthew is — or was — a soldier. He left the service about a year ago. He —” She cleared her throat again. “Matthew was wounded in action. He lost his hearing when something exploded very close to him. He’s lucky to be alive, but his life has not been easy. Losing Leo is extra hard on him because of that.”
“So — do you think Teddy could be his hearing dog?” Lizzie sat up in her seat, excited. “That would be so cool.”
“Easy, Lizzie,” said Dr. Gibson. “There are a lot of ifs here. That’s why I didn’t want to say anything last night. First of all, Teddy has to be evaluated by a trainer. I have a good friend at Hearing Buddies, a program that trains these dogs. I spoke to her today, and she’s agreed to see Teddy as soon as possible. I’d like to take him to see her tomorrow. She’s also agreed that if he and Matthew are a good match, Teddy can be assigned to him when he finishes his training. I had to pull a few strings for that.”
“Do you think Teddy and Matthew will be a good match?” Lizzie held her breath, waiting for the answer.
“I have no idea,” said Dr. Gibson. “Teddy is as different from Matt’s last dog, Leo, as night is from day. I’m thinking that might be a good thing, since Matthew is still very sad about Leo. I’m hoping Teddy will make him laugh, distract him a little. Matthew is more of a big-dog kind of guy — but Teddy has a big-dog personality. So I’m hoping for the best.”
“You never know,” said Lizzie. “Remember Bandit? I never thought he’d end up with a big, tough guy — but he did, and it’s working out great.” Bandit was a fluffy little Shih Tzu the Petersons had fostered. Dr. Gibson knew him well, since he had needed some medical attention.
She laughed. “You’re so right,” she said. “So let’s cross our fingers and hope that Teddy charms Matthew.”
A few minutes later, they pulled up at a small yellow house. “Here we are,” said Dr. Gibson. “I’ll go in first and make sure Matthew is ready for this. He knows I’m bringing some friends over, with a dog — but that’s all he knows, so far.”
Lizzie and Mom waited in the van with Teddy while Dr. Gibson went into the house. Lizzie petted Teddy’s head and ears, trying to calm herself down. This was Teddy’s big chance.
A few minutes later, Dr. Gibson waved from the front porch. “Come on in,” she called.
Lizzie, Mom, and Teddy walked up to the door. Lizzie’s heart was pounding. “Be a good boy, Teddy,” she said.
Once they were inside, Dr. Gibson introduced Lizzie and her mom to Matthew. He was very tall and very handsome, and Lizzie felt herself blushing as she shook his hand.
“Matthew is great at lipreading,” said Dr. Gibson. “Just make sure you are facing him and speak slowly and clearly.”
“Hi, Matthew.” Lizzie looked straight into his serious face. “I’m really sorry about your dog, Leo.”
Matthew nodded. His eyes were full of sadness. “Thank you,” he said in a thick voice. “I miss him.” He looked down at the small orange pup. “And this must be Teddy.”
Hearing his name, Teddy barked and began to spin excitedly.
Quickly, Lizzie clapped her hands. “Quiet, Teddy,” she said. “Lie down.”
Obediently, Teddy dropped to the floor.
Matthew raised an eyebrow. “He listens to you,” he said. “Very good.” He knelt down to pet Teddy’s soft fur, and Teddy rolled over to show his pink puppy belly.
Lizzie crossed her fingers, watching. She smiled when Matthew took Teddy into his arms and stood up with the tiny dog cradled in his big hands. Matthew’s face was still serious as he held Teddy up so he could look into his eyes. “You are a tiny thing, aren’t you?” he said.
Dr. Gibson caught Lizzie’s eye and pointed toward the door. The vet raised her eyebrows. Then she slipped outside and closed the door behind her.
Lizzie tugged on Matthew’s sleeve. “Want to see what he can do?” she asked when he looked at her.
Matthew nodded and put Teddy down.
A moment later, Dr. Gibson knocked at the door. At the sound, Teddy spun around once and let out three sharp barks. Lizzie watched Matthew’s expression. She could tell that he couldn’t hear a thing. Then Teddy did something wonderful. He took a few steps toward Matthew and put a paw on the tall man’s pant leg.
Something’s going on. Something you need to know about. Follow me!
Then the little dog turned and headed for the door, checking to see if Matthew was following him. Matthew gave Lizzie a questioning look. Then he followed Teddy to the door and opened it wide. “Well, hello! Look who’s here.” He opened the door wider for Dr. Gibson, then bent down to pet Teddy. “What a good boy,” he said. “Aren’t you smart!” He scooped the little dog up again and nuzzled his cheek against Teddy’s.
“Matthew,” said Dr. Gibson. “We think Teddy could learn to be a hearing dog. I know it’s too soon after Leo for you to think about another dog, but it would take at least six months to train Teddy. Maybe by then you’d be ready. What do you think?”
Matthew considered this. Then he bent his head to Teddy’s again. “I think I could use a friend,” Lizzie heard him murmur. “What do you say, little guy?”
∗ ∗ ∗
A little while later, as she and her mom were on their way home, Lizzie blew her nose and wiped her eyes. Every time she thought of the look on Matthew’s face she began to cry all over again. But this time, her tears were happy ones. Mostly, anyway. They had left Teddy with Matthew and Dr. Gibson. Tomorrow, Dr. Gibson would take the perky pup to meet her friend at the Hearing Buddies center. Lizzie had hugged Teddy close; it wasn’t easy to say good-bye to the little lovebug. But she’d known it was the right thing to do. She’d known for sure, as soon as she had seen the way Matthew’s serious face changed when Teddy licked his cheek. “That was the first time I saw Matthew smile,” she told her mom. “I think everything is going to work out perfectly, don’t you?”
Mom glanced over at her. “I do,” she said. “Thanks to you, I think Teddy has found the perfect home. And I think Matthew has found a friend. I’m really proud of you, sweetie.” She put on her blinker and pulled into the shopping center. “How about if we celebrate with pizza and a movie?” she asked. “You can pick out a DVD at the video store while I order the food.” She smiled at Lizzie and reached out to stroke her hair. “Let me guess. 101 Dalmatians? Marmaduke? Cats and Dogs?”
Lizzie shook her head. “Maybe this time I’ll get a movie about ice-skating, or a talking fish, or princesses.” She grinned. “After all, everybody needs some balance in their lives — even me!”