Barney

by Ellen Miles

  CONTENTS

  TITLE PAGE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  PUPPY TIPS

  TEASER

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  OTHER STORIES BY ELLEN MILES

  COPYRIGHT

  Lizzie rubbed her hands together. She blew on her fingertips, but her hands were still stiff and cold. She’d been silly to leave her gloves at home, but at least they wouldn’t be covered in mud like everything else she was wearing.

  “If you’re cold, you can put your hands on Picadilly’s neck,” Maria said. “Dilly is super warm.” Maria was Lizzie’s best friend and Picadilly was the pony Maria rode in lessons and horse shows. Everyone called him “Dilly” for short.

  “Thanks for inviting me to your horse show,” Lizzie said to Maria as she buried her hands in Dilly’s thick mane. Maria was right. The pony’s warmth made Lizzie’s fingers tingle as the cold left them.

  “It’s great to have you here,” Maria said.

  Maria was in the saddle, getting ready to compete. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the pony’s neck. She buried her face in his thick, gray mane, closed her eyes, and let out a happy sigh.

  Lizzie smiled. Maria loved horses the way she, Lizzie, loved dogs.

  And Lizzie really loved dogs. Especially her own puppy, Buddy. He was sweet and playful and loyal. He was the best. Of all the puppies her family had fostered over the years, he was the only one they’d kept forever. By now, Lizzie and her younger brothers, Charles and the Bean, felt like Buddy was another sibling.

  “Dilly and I are in the next class,” Maria said. “Could you grab the cloth out of the brush box and wipe that mud off his face?”

  Lizzie bent down and picked a brown rag out of the wooden box at her feet.

  “Whoops! Not that one. That’s my boot rag,” Maria said to Lizzie. “The blue one is for Dilly’s face. Because he’s a blue-ribbon pony.”

  Lizzie nodded. She knew that Maria and Dilly had not won a blue ribbon—yet! Maria had just started showing. She had already won one red ribbon for second place, which was pretty good for a newbie.

  Lizzie found a clean part of the blue cloth. She ran it over the white swirl in the center of Dilly’s face. She looked into the pony’s deep, dark eyes, and he gazed back at her. He was so calm and gentle.

  “It’s really a big help having you here,” Maria said.

  “It’s fun,” Lizzie said. She used the rag to polish a silver buckle on Dilly’s bridle. “And I haven’t even seen you ride yet today.”

  “Well, you will soon,” Maria said. “Our first class is about to begin.” She took a deep breath and patted Dilly’s neck. “Wake up, boy.” Maria sat up straight and tightened her reins.

  Lizzie looked around. The horse show was a busy place. There were trucks and trailers parked all along the riding club’s driveway. Inside a big white barn, there were rows of stalls and a big indoor riding ring. Today, all the classes were taking place outside. The outdoor rings, each with a wood fence, were in a large, grassy field.

  Kathy, Maria’s riding trainer, walked up to them. “Hey, Lizzie,” Kathy said. “It’s nice of you to help Maria out.” Kathy ran her hand down Dilly’s neck, and the pony snorted and pushed his nose against her arm.

  Lizzie had met Kathy before. When Maria had talked Lizzie into taking riding lessons, Kathy had been her trainer. Thanks to Kathy, Lizzie wasn’t nervous around horses anymore.

  “What do you think of your first horse show?” Kathy asked.

  Lizzie smiled. “It’s great,” she said. “I can’t believe how many horses are here. There are horses everywhere.”

  At Kathy’s barn, most of the horses were in stalls. It was very different at the show. Some horses stood tied next to trailers. Other horses jumped fences in another ring by the big barn. Horses and riders waited in groups by the show ring for their next class. All the horses were gleaming, their coats newly groomed. Tails swished. Ears twitched. Hooves stamped. Lizzie was very glad that she’d gotten over her fear of horses.

  “There is a lot going on,” Kathy agreed. “It’s good that Dilly is so mellow and cool.” She scratched under the pony’s chin. “He’s the calmest pony I’ve ever known.”

  “He’s the best,” Maria agreed, leaning down to put her arms around Dilly’s neck again.

  Kathy gave Maria some final pointers, and then Maria and Dilly entered the ring. Lots of other horse-and-rider teams went in, too.

  Lizzie grabbed the brush box and went to watch at the fence. Maria had told Lizzie about this class. All the horses and riders went into the ring together. They would walk, trot, and canter. Then they would change direction and do it all again.

  An intercom crackled. “Class eight, ages thirteen and younger, it’s time to begin,” a man announced. “Please walk. All walk.”

  Lizzie was nervous for Maria. She gripped the top rail of the fence and watched. It was easy to find Picadilly. He was the only dappled gray pony in the ring.

  “Trot, all trot,” the voice said. The horses and ponies sped up to a trot.

  Lizzie bit her lip as Maria and Picadilly passed. Maria didn’t turn toward Lizzie. She looked straight ahead, concentrating hard. The horses and ponies all seemed to move together. Lizzie sensed a rhythm: the creaking of saddles, the soft snorts, the even thuds of the hooves on the ground.

  Then a dog’s loud, shrill bark rang out. There was another bark, even louder, followed by a long outpouring of high-pitched yelping that echoed off the barn.

  “Barney, no!” a voice cried. “Barney, come back!”

  Lizzie saw a flash of motion across the ring, followed by more barking.

  The even rhythm of the show ring vanished. Bridles jangled as horses threw up their heads. Their high, frightened whinnies filled the air. Horses and ponies darted in different directions as their riders tried to hold on. Lizzie could feel their thudding hoofbeats in her body, matching the sudden beating of her own heart.

  It took Lizzie a moment to figure out what was happening.

  Then she spotted a puppy in the ring, a copper-colored puppy with short legs and a long body. He was fast! His front legs flew out in front of him as he dashed here and there across the grassy ring. It was hard to believe that just one puppy was making all that noise! One small puppy, with bright eyes, wild eyebrows, and a long, scruffy beard. The little guy was barking at—and chasing!—every horse he saw.

  The puppy ran in big circles, barking madly. Horses pranced in place. Ponies dashed this way and that. Some of the riders looked terrified, and Lizzie could tell that they did not know what to do. She would have been terrified, too.

  Lizzie wanted to run into the ring and grab the puppy, but she hesitated. She knew a lot about dogs, but she didn’t know that much about horses. What happened if one of the horses was scared? What if it reared up, or ran right at her? Would she get kicked, or trampled? Even one of the smaller ponies could hurt her badly.

  “Halt! Everyone stop,” came a man’s voice over the loudspeaker. “Halt your horses.” The voice paused. The loudspeaker crackled again as all the riders pulled on their reins, asking the horses to stop. “Can someone please get this adorable puppy out of the ring?”

  “Coming!” a voice called out. “Barney! Here, boy!”

  Lizzie looked across the ring and saw a woman leaning over the fence. She was the one calling the dog. The woman was holding a little girl, about the same age as Lizzie’s younger brother the Bean.

  Now Lizzie knew what she could do to help. She took off. The brush box clanged
against her leg as she ran toward the woman and the girl. “Excuse me, excuse me,” she mumbled as she threaded her way through the crowd.

  “Baa-nee!” the little girl called in a tiny voice. She waved at the mischievous puppy. “Baa-nee, come!”

  “Barney!” yelled the woman.

  Maybe Barney did not hear the woman and the little girl—or maybe Barney was ignoring them. The bossy little pup seemed to want to order all the horses around. He wrinkled his nose as he barked, and his tail wagged at superspeed.

  Look at these gigantic animals with their silly extra-long legs! They are everywhere! I must alert everyone.

  “Barney!” the woman yelled again.

  “I can help,” Lizzie said when she reached the woman and the girl. “I can watch your little girl so you can go in the ring.”

  The woman frowned as she looked Lizzie up and down. She pressed her lips together, thinking.

  “I have a little brother who’s about her age,” Lizzie said. Her brother, the Bean, was always getting into mischief—but she knew how to handle him. “I take care of him all the time.”

  Just then, the loudspeaker crackled again.

  “Okay,” the woman said. She drew in a deep breath. “Fine. I’m Polly, and this is Cassie. Cassie,” she began, turning to the girl, “Mama is going to go get Barney. You stay here with—”

  “Lizzie,” Lizzie said quickly, and she leaned down so she could look Cassie in the eye. “I’m Lizzie. Mama is going to bring Barney back so he is nice and safe.”

  “Mama,” Cassie whined, watching her mother climb into the ring.

  “We’re going to wait right here for Mama,” Lizzie said. “Here, look at all these special brushes for taking care of horses.” She sat down with Cassie and opened the brush box, hoping to distract the little girl. That usually worked with the Bean.

  On the other side of the ring, Barney was on the run. The puppy ran right up to a tall black horse and barked. The horse tossed its head in the air. A shrill whinny rang out as it stamped a front hoof just as Barney dodged away.

  Barney bounded off and then ran back. He got down on his haunches, wagged his tail, and let out another bunch of high-pitched yelps.

  Do I want to play with them? I’m not even sure myself, to be honest.

  “Wirehaired dachshund,” a man said.

  Lizzie turned in surprise. That was exactly what she had been thinking. Whenever Lizzie saw a dog, she loved to try to guess its breed, and usually she was right. With its long body and short legs, this puppy did look like a dachshund. Instead of a short, smooth coat, this one had slightly longer fur that looked thick, like the bristles on a paintbrush. The puppy’s coat was a beautiful caramel color, golden brown. He was far away, but Lizzie could tell he had a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. His wild, wiry eyebrows and the bouncy way he moved made him look almost like a cartoon character.

  The man next to Lizzie had pretty wild eyebrows himself, along with snow-white hair and a well-trimmed beard. He sat in a folding chair by the fence, right next to where Polly and Cassie’s blanket was spread on the ground. The man stared into the ring, pointing at Barney. “There are plenty of dog breeds that are good around horses, but the dachshund is not one of them. No sir.”

  Lizzie wasn’t sure what to say, or even if she was supposed to say anything. She stroked Cassie’s arm, trying to keep her calm. But the little girl was restless. She squirmed her way out of Lizzie’s lap. “Here, I’ll pick you up,” Lizzie offered, but the toddler pushed her away.

  “They’re coming back in just a minute,” Lizzie said again. She held on to the little girl’s hood to make sure she didn’t escape. Cassie was even more stubborn than the Bean. Maybe it would have been better if she’d gone into the ring to rescue Barney, after all.

  When Lizzie looked back into the ring, Barney was still chasing the horses. He raced after one, then leapt away and chased another. He bounded around the horses’ flying hooves. He was having a fine time. Polly, Cassie’s mother, was not. Every time Polly came close to Barney, he would bolt away, dashing to the other side of a horse or hiding behind a jump. Polly kept trying to grab his leash, and kept missing.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Lizzie could see the grumpy man shake his head. “It’s just not right,” he mumbled.

  “Hal Bixby, do you need to share all your opinions?” A woman sat down next to him. She placed a travel mug in his cup holder and patted him on the back. “I think it’s sweet that he’s here,” the woman said. Lizzie guessed that she must be Mrs. Bixby. “Dogs like to be part of a family.” She took a sip from her own mug. “All dogs. Dachshunds included.”

  “But dachshunds aren’t always—”

  “—good with small kids,” the woman finished the man’s sentence. “I know, I know. It’s true.”

  Mr. Bixby nodded and sighed. Then he said, “Small kids will try—”

  “—to pick them up.” The woman finished his sentence again. “And that isn’t good. I know. You’re absolutely right.”

  “It’s just not safe,” the man added. “Not good for the dog.”

  Did the man want Lizzie to hear what they were saying? Lizzie wanted to tell him that Barney wasn’t her dog—and Cassie wasn’t her sister—but he was so grouchy. She didn’t dare look his way. She wished he would mind his own business. She had enough to worry about. When Lizzie looked back down, Cassie had climbed halfway into the ring!

  “Baa-nee!” Cassie yelled. She clapped her hands. “Baa-nee!” She began to jump up and down, making her wispy pigtails bounce up and down along with her.

  Lizzie ran to catch Cassie and bring her back behind the fence. “Cassie, we have to wait here for Mama,” she said once they were safely back.

  “But I want Baa-nee!” Cassie sobbed, pointing. “What if that horse hurts him?”

  Lizzie followed the little girl’s gaze. She saw Barney, barking his head off as he stood his ground in the middle of the ring. Then Lizzie saw that Maria had gotten off Picadilly. She was leading the gray pony by his reins, and they were both walking toward Barney. The puppy’s whole body shook as he barked at Maria and Picadilly.

  Lizzie watched as Maria moved toward the dog, step by slow step. Picadilly followed her, his head relaxed and low. The pony didn’t even flick an ear at the puppy’s antics. “It’s okay,” Lizzie whispered to Cassie. “My friend Maria looks like she knows what she’s doing. I think her pony Picadilly is used to dogs.”

  Barney could not have barked any louder. His tail could not have wagged any harder. He watched the pony and girl approach.

  Yay, here they come! Maybe we can play. Or maybe I need to protect my humans from them. I’ll just keep barking, in any case.

  Lizzie held her breath. She watched as Maria bent over to whisper to the peppy little dog. Lizzie could not hear what Maria was saying, but the puppy stopped barking for two seconds. That was when Maria reached slowly out and grabbed his leash. Lizzie felt like cheering. Maria had caught the mischievous pup. The sudden silence was wonderful after all that barking.

  Polly looked grateful as she hurried over to Maria. She scooped Barney up. The puppy wriggled and squirmed as Polly carried him across the ring, cradling him as if he were a little baby.

  Lizzie gave Maria a big thumbs-up. Her best friend had saved the day.

  “Now, see? That woman is carrying the dachshund correctly,” Mr. Bixby pointed out.

  “Mama!” Cassie cried as Polly slipped back through the fence.

  Cassie threw herself against her mother’s legs. Polly settled Barney onto the ground and handed his leash to Lizzie so she could hug her daughter. Cassie clung to her mother’s knees, and Barney whimpered, jumping up at the little girl’s back.

  “Down, Barney. It’s okay, Cassie.” Polly sighed as she rubbed Cassie’s back. “What am I going to do with you two?” she asked.

  “He’s a handful, isn’t he?” Lizzie asked.

  Polly smiled, shaking her head. “He sure is,” she said. “My brother meant w
ell when he surprised us with the gift of this little pup, but—” She blew a puff of air up so her bangs flew into the air. “Phew. What can I say? It’s been a little hectic in our house ever since he arrived. Cassie can’t seem to leave Barney alone, and Barney can’t seem to settle down.”

  The action in the ring started back up, but Lizzie almost forgot to watch the rest of Maria’s class as she and Polly talked. Lizzie found out that Cassie had an older sister named Mavis, and that both girls adored Barney. “But these days Mavis spends too much time at the riding stable to help out much, and Cassie is too young to help. She tries, but she probably makes more messes than she cleans up.”

  Lizzie’s family had fostered a lot of puppies. She remembered how hard it was for the Bean when her family first started taking in dogs who needed temporary homes. He’d had to be taught not to pet and hug them when they were too tired or not in the mood. Lizzie knew that toddlers and puppies were not always a good mix.

  “I really love Barney, but my hands were already full with my girls before he showed up,” Polly said. She scratched Barney under the chin. Cassie reached out to pet Barney but ended up poking him in the belly instead. “Gentle, Cassie,” Polly directed. “Remember, nice and gentle with Barney.”

  Cassie leaned toward Barney and grabbed him around the belly with both hands. She stood up and tried to walk off with the little dog. Barney wriggled and whimpered. Lizzie could see the whites of his eyes; he looked scared.

  Put me down!

  “Cassie, no!” Polly ran after her to take the puppy away. “Do I need a leash for you, too?”

  Lizzie noticed that Mr. and Mrs. Bixby were watching the whole thing. Mr. Bixby was scowling, but Mrs. Bixby’s gaze was kind.

  Maria’s class was still going on. Lizzie looked into the ring to see that the horses and ponies were going around in big circles. Lizzie caught Maria’s eye and smiled encouragingly, giving her friend a tiny wave.

  “No, Barney!” Lizzie turned to see Polly reaching for the puppy’s collar. “No digging.”

  Barney was pawing wildly at the ground. He had chunks of mud and grass in his paws. He got in two more good swipes at his hole before Polly pulled him away.