“I want that dog out of my kitchen now!” Mrs Wilson shouted angrily.
“Come on, Gus.” Holly hurried across the kitchen towards him. “I think we’d better go.”
Gus took no notice. He pushed his nose into the heap of pastry mix and barked loudly.
Holly knelt down beside him. “What are you doing, Gus?” she asked.
Gus barked again and scrabbled in the pastry mix with his paws.
Then Holly suddenly saw what he was trying to show her. “It’s the ring!” she shouted, picking it up. “Gus has found the ring!”
“What?” Mrs Wilson’s eyes almost popped out of her head. “Let me see that!”
She grabbed the sticky, pastry-covered ring, rushed over to the tap and rinsed it clean. “It is my ring! Oh, thank goodness,” she said in a shaky voice. “I thought it had gone for ever!”
“It must have fallen into the bowl of pastry mix!” said Mrs Carter.
“It’s a good job you didn’t make that pastry into pies, Mrs Wilson,” said Holly. “The ring would have been inside, and someone might have really eaten it!”
Mrs Wilson turned pale at the very thought and had to sit down on one of the kitchen chairs.
“Well done, Gus!” Holly said proudly, giving her puppy a big hug. “We’d never have found the ring if it wasn’t for you!”
Gus began to bark joyfully. Thank goodness he’d managed to get himself out of trouble. But it had been a close thing!
Mrs Wilson looked round at the mess in her kitchen and frowned. “It was really very naughty of you to come into my kitchen, Gus,” she said.
Gus hung his head. If he hadn’t been so greedy in the first place, none of this would have happened.
Then Mrs Wilson smiled. “But it was very clever of you to find my ring!” She slipped the ring onto her finger, then bent down and patted Gus on the head.
Gus licked her hand. Maybe now he and Mrs Wilson could be friends.
“We’ll help you clean up the kitchen, Mrs Wilson,” said Holly.
Mrs Wilson looked pleased. “Thank you, Holly,” she said.
Holly and her mum helped to tidy up. Then, carrying the big wedges of jam sponge Mrs Wilson had cut and wrapped for them, along with a pile of chocolate chip cookies, they said goodbye.
“From now on, there will always be a little something for you here, when you’re feeling peckish, Gus,” Mrs Wilson said. “It’s the least I can do!”
“Yippee!” Gus barked happily.
“Just don’t get any ideas about scoffing my cat food,” Lulu purred quietly from the top of the fridge.
When they got back home, Mrs Carter went straight over to the fridge and took out a big, juicy bone. “I think Gus deserves a reward for finding Mrs Wilson’s ring!” she said with a smile.
“So do I!” said Holly. She took the bone and held it out to Gus. “Here you are, Gus! Good boy!”
Holly and her mum couldn’t believe their eyes when Gus ignored the bone. Instead he flung himself at Holly, licking her hand and wagging his tail.
“Oh, Gus!” Holly laughed, dropping the bone and scooping her puppy into her arms. “Aren’t you hungry?”
“Of course he’s hungry!” Mrs Carter laughed. “Gus is always hungry!”
But for once, Gus didn’t care about the big, juicy bone. He was just glad to be back home safely, with Holly.
If he hadn’t found Mrs Wilson’s ring, he might have been on his way back to the Dogs’ Home right now . . .
. . . And if I hadn’t been so greedy in the first place, I wouldn’t have got into so much trouble, Gus thought. I’m not going to be so greedy ANY MORE!
“I really don’t think Gus wants this bone, Mum,” said Holly.
Mrs Carter looked surprised. “Oh well, put it back in the fridge, and he can have it later,” she said. “Maybe Gus has decided to change his ways!”
“I have!” Gus yapped happily as Holly gave him a cuddle. “I still love food, but not as much as I love you, Holly!”
He gave her a lick, then looked at her hopefully. “But when my appetite comes back,” he woofed, “I’d be more than happy to help out with that jam sponge!”
