“No, Oscar! Down!” Aunt Amanda yelled.

Uncle James yanked Bowser back through the door and shut it quickly.

Oscar looked bewildered, but he obeyed Aunt Amanda’s command and plopped to the floor, still grumbling under his breath. He looked up at her from beneath his bushy eyebrows.

I didn’t intend to do anything wrong. I was just hoping for a bit of fun.

“Wow,” said Lizzie. Her heart was still beating fast. “That was kind of scary.”

Aunt Amanda nodded. “And he’s just a puppy. Imagine if he still behaves that way when he’s full-grown. Someone is going to have to spend a lot of time and effort working with him, to break him of his bad habits.”

“He lay down when you asked him to.” Lizzie pointed at Oscar, who still lay on the rubber mat–covered floor, his ears perked as he waited for the next command.

“His obedience training pays off,” said Aunt Amanda. “And asking him to do something, whether it’s lie down or sit or stay, is a great way to distract him and give him something else to think about.” She signaled to Oscar that it was okay to get up, and he bounced to his feet.

“Just like when I was trying to teach Teddy not to bark all the time,” Lizzie said, remembering the noisy Pomeranian pup her family had fostered. “If I asked him to sit, or do a trick, he would stop barking. At least for a few seconds.”

Aunt Amanda looked at Lizzie. “You did a great job with that puppy,” she said. “Are you ready for another challenge?”

“You mean … ?” Lizzie asked.

Aunt Amanda nodded. “I’m going to call Susannah. I’m guessing that her family has come to the same conclusion I have — that Oscar probably needs to find a new home. It may take a while to find him one — and that’s where your family comes in. Do you think you could foster Oscar?”

Lizzie looked at the wiry-haired pup. What a cutie! He was playing with a big orange-and-black stuffed tiger he’d found in a corner. He clutched it between his paws and gnawed gently on its head, making the squeaker inside squeal. But Lizzie couldn’t forget the way he’d charged at Bowser.

Oscar might be a bigger challenge than she — or her family — was ready for. And what about Buddy? If it wasn’t fair to Sarge to have Oscar around, it wouldn’t be fair to Buddy, either. Then again, Buddy had always gotten along with their other foster puppies — except for that time when he was jealous of Sweetie. Maybe he and Oscar could be friends. Anyway, it was only temporary. It wasn’t as if Oscar would be coming to live with them forever.

Lizzie took a deep breath. “If that’s what Susannah and her family want, and if I can talk my family into it, then the answer is yes. I’d like to foster Oscar,” she told her aunt.

*  *  *

When Dad came to pick Lizzie up later that afternoon, she was waiting for him out front — holding Oscar’s leash. “That’s my dad,” she told Oscar. She bent down to whisper into the puppy’s ear. “Be extra nice, okay?”

Oscar wagged his tail and licked her face. He gazed steadily into her eyes with a wise look.

I promise to behave in an appropriate manner, as long as you keep petting me!

“Hold on, hold on,” said Dad when he saw the pup. “You heard what your mother said. No coming home with puppies.” But he got out of his truck and knelt to say hello to Oscar. Lizzie smiled to herself. Her dad loved puppies almost as much as she did.

“Oscar is a special case,” Lizzie told him. “I know we need to talk it over, but no matter what, he really needs a place to stay tonight.” She explained that when Aunt Amanda had called Susannah, they’d both agreed that Oscar needed a new home. Susannah had been crying on the phone. She said that once her family had made the decision, she thought it would be easier if Oscar did not come back that night. “And we don’t want him to spend the night in a kennel, here or at Caring Paws, do we?” Lizzie asked her dad.

Dad hesitated. “Well, he’s awful cute,” he finally said. “Friendly, too,” he added with a laugh as Oscar leaned against him and licked his hand.

“He loves people,” Lizzie agreed. She wasn’t exactly lying, was she? She decided to wait until they were on the way home to explain more to Dad about exactly why Oscar needed to find a new family. She got Oscar settled in the backseat of Dad’s red pickup, then climbed in and buckled her seat belt.

Once they were driving, Lizzie told Dad about Oscar’s problem with other dogs. Dad put the brakes on and pulled over to the side of the road. “Lizzie,” he began.

“I know, I know,” she said, holding up her hands. “But remember. He’s not really a mean dog. He just acts that way sometimes. All he needs is some love and training. Please, let’s just bring him home. We’ll work it out, I know we will. And he needs our help.”

Dad glanced into the rearview mirror. Lizzie turned around to look at Oscar, too. The little schnauzer cocked his head and put up a pleading paw. Lizzie grinned. She knew Dad couldn’t resist that.

When they pulled into the driveway, Dad gave Lizzie a serious look. “Wait here with Oscar for a few minutes. I want to get Buddy into the den with the door closed. I think it’ll be safest just to keep the puppies separated for the short time that Oscar is with us.”

Lizzie nodded. She and Oscar sat quietly, waiting until Dad gave her the okay sign from the window. “Be on your best behavior,” she warned him when she opened the back door to let him inside.

When she walked into the living room, the Bean gave a shriek from where he sat in Dad’s lap. “A puppy!” he yelled.

“A puppy!” said Charles at the same time.

Mom sat up straight on the couch. “A puppy?” she chimed in.

“Pickle Jinx!” cried Lizzie.

And for the rest of that day, they all had new names: The Bean was “Puppypuppypuppy.” Charles was “Oh, cool!” And her mother was “Elizabeth-Maude-Peterson-how-could-you!”