Rusty

by Ellen Miles

  “Whoa,” said one of the boys.

  Lizzie grinned. “Rusty loves to learn,” she told him. “I bet you could teach him to back up across a whole football field.” She hated to see Rusty go, but this family would give him a good home — and that was what fostering was all about.

  The next morning, Lizzie got up early again to work with Rusty. It was so much fun to see his progress. He was definitely getting the idea. He began to back up as soon as Lizzie started to move her hand toward his chin. She got him up to four backward steps — then five! — before her mom called into the backyard that it was time to head to Caring Paws for her last day of camp.

  “Coming,” she called back. “One sec.” She picked up the brush she’d left on the deck stairs and gave Rusty’s coat a quick grooming. She wanted him to look his absolute best when the Garcias came to pick him up. They had left without making a final decision the day before but had promised Ms. Dobbins that they would be back in the morning. Lizzie was pretty sure they were going to take him.

  It turned out that she was wrong.

  When Lizzie arrived at camp, Ms. Dobbins was in the reception area to meet her. “Guess what,” she said. “The Garcias have already been here to pick up the dog they decided on.”

  “But … Rusty’s with me,” said Lizzie, confused. She looked down at the happy dog by her side. He grinned up at her and wagged his tail.

  Ms. Dobbins nodded. “They took Nora,” she said. “They met her just before they left yesterday, and the whole family fell in love. I think she reminds them of their old dog who just died. Plus, they knew nobody else was likely to take her anytime soon.” She sighed. “Such nice people. All I need is about a dozen more families like that, and I’d have homes for all the animals at Caring Paws.”

  Lizzie looked at Ms. Dobbins. “It’s great about Nora,” she said. “But Rusty really needs a home, too.” Once she had gotten used to the idea of giving Rusty up, Lizzie knew it was best if someone adopted him soon. Rusty was ready for a forever home.

  Ms. Dobbins nodded. “I have an idea about that,” she said, smiling. “But I’ll need your help.”

  * * *

  The last day of camp was a blast. Lizzie loved the craft project, which was making posters about being kind to animals. Lizzie had drawn a picture of a dog tied outside a house on a snowy day, with the caption Don’t leave your best friend out in the cold. At lunchtime, they had a special treat of ice cream, donated by a local scoop shop. And they played some really fun games, like Who Am I?, where each camper had a sign taped to their back that told which animal they were. You had to ask other campers questions to figure out which animal you were. Lizzie was an otter, her favorite wild animal. She guessed it pretty quickly, since she knew so much about them.

  After lunch, Ms. Dobbins let Lizzie have a little special time with Rusty, to brush him again and work some more on his training. It was all part of the plan. Rusty had to look his best and also be able to show off what a fast learner he was.

  At the end of the day, it was time for the final event of camp. Instead of everyone going home, the campers’ families came to Caring Paws to join them for a big pizza party. All the special guests from the last three days were invited, too: Aunt Amanda, the vet and the vet techs, and Laureen.

  According to the plan she and Ms. Dobbins had made, Lizzie sat next to Laureen after she’d gotten herself a soda and a slice of pizza. “I love the videos you posted online,” Lizzie said. “You and Astro have such an amazing partnership.”

  Laureen smiled. “There’s nothing like it,” she said. “I love training dogs, and Astro loves learning. We have so much fun together.”

  “I’ve been working with one of the dogs here,” said Lizzie. “He’s an Irish setter.”

  “Ooh,” said Laureen. “I love setters. Those beautiful coats!”

  “His name is Rusty,” Lizzie went on. “He is beautiful — and really smart, too. You’ll see when I do my demo.”

  After pizza, the families roamed around looking at the campers’ artwork and crafts. Then each camper gave a short presentation about something they’d learned during the week. One girl talked about cat care, and another camper showed the poster he’d made about animal adoption. Nicole’s presentation was about dog grooming, and she brought one of the shelter pups, a pretty cocker spaniel named Fifi, into the meeting room to show off her work. Nicole had been sad to see her Pet Pal Nora go, but she was thrilled that Nora had found such a loving home.

  “For our next presentation, by Lizzie Peterson, we’ll go out to the dog yard,” said Ms. Dobbins.

  Lizzie raced ahead of the crowd to get Rusty. “Ready, pal?” she asked. Rusty wagged his tail and gave his floppy ears a shake.

  You know it! I love to show off.

  Lizzie gave Rusty a few extra swipes with the brush until his coat was gleaming, then snapped on his leash and led him outside. In a few moments, the crowd of campers, their families, and friends had gathered. Lizzie looked at Laureen, standing next to Ms. Dobbins. When Laureen saw Rusty, she mouthed a big “Wow!” and gave Lizzie a thumbs-up.

  Lizzie felt butterflies in her stomach. She knew that Rusty had learned a lot, but he could still be a little wild and distracted — especially when he hadn’t had a chance to run around the yard. She looked down at him, and he gazed back at her. The trusting look in his big brown eyes melted away all her fears.

  Let’s show them what we can do!

  Lizzie patted her left thigh, and Rusty fell into place next to her. They walked around in a big circle and then did some figure eights. Rusty stuck to Lizzie like glue, watching her closely for clues about which direction to go. “Good boy,” she kept saying as she slipped him bits of the special freeze-dried liver treats she had brought. Then it was time to show off his best trick. She wheeled around so that he was standing in front of her. “Back up, Rusty,” she said.

  Rusty backed up — six whole steps!

  The crowd went wild, hooting and applauding as Lizzie took a bow. She grinned down at Rusty. “What a good boy,” she said. When she looked up, Laureen was standing next to her.

  “This dog is a natural,” she said, bending over to give Rusty a pat. “I’d give anything to work with him. Astro and I would love for Rusty to join our family.”

  Lizzie’s grin grew wider. “That’s exactly what we were hoping for,” she said as Ms. Dobbins joined them.

  “You’re a natural, too,” Laureen told Lizzie. “I can see that you really love working with dogs. Would you like to help me train Rusty in freestyle?”

  Lizzie stared at her. “Really?” she asked. “I can’t think of anything I’d like better.” She reached down to stroke Rusty’s silky ears. The beautiful red pup had found the perfect home.

  There are so many activities to do with your dog, from doggy dancing to agility to dock diving. Some dogs love to catch Frisbees, and others love to use their noses, practicing their tracking skills. Every dog has different talents, and some of these activities can be wonderful bonding opportunities for you and your pet. But what your dog wants most of all is to spend time with you, whether you’re playing, taking a walk, or just snuggling on the couch. Be sure to make time for your dog every day!

  Dear Reader,

  I can’t believe I have written so many Puppy Place books (over 50!) and I haven’t written about freestyle/dancing with dogs before. I learned about this sport long ago when my friend Jody and her dog Scout began working on a routine. Scout was a Gordon setter who looked very much like Rusty, with a flowing red coat. I’ve never forgotten how beautiful Scout looked as she and Jody danced together and how cool it was to see the bond that they shared.

  Yours from the Puppy Place,

  Ellen Miles

  P.S. For another book about a talented and high-spirited dog, check out Sweetie.

  “Did you see the girl who was explaining her experiment on how mushrooms can save the planet?” Sammy asked. “That was so cool.”

  Charles nodded. “She ma
de a whole movie about it and everything.” He sighed. “I don’t think our science fair projects are going to come anywhere close to that,” he said.

  Sammy shrugged. “Well, we’re only in second grade,” he said with a grin. “That girl was a senior in high school.”

  “Exactly,” said Charles’s dad, from the driver’s seat. He met Charles’s eyes in the mirror. “When you’re a high school senior, you can invent some new way for people to communicate, or fly into space. But for now, I’m sure Mr. Mason will be happy with — I don’t know — maybe a project on raising tadpoles.”

  Charles and Sammy cracked up. “No he won’t!” said Sammy. “He made a rule this year: no tadpoles.”

  “He said he’ll be happy if he never sees another tadpole again,” Charles added. “He said he’s had six years of tadpoles and that’s enough.” Mr. Mason was always saying funny things. He was the best teacher ever, and Charles really wanted to make him proud by doing a great project for the Littleton Elementary school science fair. That’s why he and his best friend Sammy had convinced Charles’s dad to take them to the high school science fair. They’d been hoping to find some inspiration there, but instead Charles just felt overwhelmed. All the projects were so impressive.

  “Did you see that robot?” he asked Sammy. “The one that could shoot a basketball into a hoop?”

  “Everybody’s doing robots lately,” Sammy said, shrugging. “I heard Jason is building a robot for our science fair.”

  “Yeah, from a kit his dad bought for him,” said Charles. “All that shows is that he can follow directions. That guy tonight invented his whole robot from scratch! I think he’s going to enter it in a national robotics competition.”

  “Robot, bobot, dobot,” sang the Bean from his car seat. “Beep, beep, beep!”

  “That’s right!” said Charles, holding up a hand to give his little brother a high five. “Robots say beep-beep.”

  “Boop-boop,” said the Bean, laughing his gurgly laugh. “Goop-goop. Zeep-zeep.”

  Charles and Sammy cracked up again. Charles was glad Dad had decided to bring the Bean along, even if it meant that they’d had to walk very slowly through the science fair. It was always fun to go places with the Bean, because everyone loved him. He got a lot of attention. It was sort of like having a cute puppy along.

  “Lizzie would have liked that exhibit on how to measure dog intelligence,” said Charles. His older sister was totally dog-crazy. “She would have been impressed by that border collie who knew over two hundred words.”

  “I think I’m glad that Buddy isn’t quite that smart,” said Dad. “Your Aunt Amanda always says that dogs who are too smart can be trouble.”

  Charles laughed. He was thankful that Buddy had been smart enough, and cute enough, and charming enough, to make the whole Peterson family fall in love with him when he first came to them as a foster puppy. Unlike all the other puppies they had fostered, who had only stayed a short time, Buddy had stayed forever, becoming part of the family.

  Sometimes Charles still couldn’t believe how lucky he was that he and Lizzie had convinced their parents to be a foster family. He loved getting to know each of the dogs they took care of, and making sure that each one went to the perfect home. It was always sad to say good-bye when it was time to let them go, but having Buddy made it easier. With Buddy in the house, there was always a puppy to play with, to tell secrets to, and to cuddle with under the covers at night.

  “I’m thinking mold,” Sammy announced just then.

  Charles turned to stare at his friend. “Mold?” he asked.

  “Sure,” said Sammy. “I mean, for my science fair project. What could be easier or more fun? I heard about a third grader who did it last year. You take a bunch of different foods and liquids and leave them sealed up in plastic bags on the counter for a week or so, just to find out what grows on them. Some things grow green or yellow mold, some grow long white hairy stuff, and some just get all jellified and gross.” He grinned.

  “I’m sure your mom will love that,” said Charles’s dad. He stopped at a red light and turned to smile at the boys.

  “She will,” said Sammy. “She’s really into science. I bet she’ll get her microscope out. She’ll probably try to identify every mold. It’s my dad who won’t like it. He’s totally creeped out by moldy stuff. He’s always throwing leftovers out, even before they get old.”

  “Uppy!” said the Bean, who had been staring out the window.

  “That’s right, we’ll see Buddy soon,” Charles said. He knew that “uppy” was sometimes the Bean’s way of saying “puppy.” “We’re almost home.”

  The Bean shook his head. “Uppy!” he said again. He pointed. “Uppy-uppy-uppy!”

  Charles leaned over to look, wondering what his little brother was talking about. It was getting dark out, and at first, he didn’t see anything. Then he spotted a tiny white fluff ball, sitting very still in the tall grass on the side of the road. “Dad!” he said. “Pull over! The Bean is right. It’s a puppy!”

  Ellen Miles loves dogs, which is why she has a great time writing the Puppy Place books. And guess what? She loves cats, too! (In fact, her very first pet was a beautiful tortoiseshell cat named Jenny.) That’s why she came up with the Kitty Corner series. Ellen lives in Vermont and loves to be outdoors with her dog, Zipper, every day, walking, biking, skiing, or swimming, depending on the season. She also loves to read, cook, explore her beautiful state, play with dogs, and hang out with friends and family.

  Visit Ellen at ellenmiles.net.

  Don’t miss any of these other stories by Ellen Miles!

  Angel

  Bandit

  Baxter

  Bear

  Bella

  Bentley

  Bitsy

  Bonita

  Boomer

  Bubbles and Boo

  Buddy

  Champ

  Chewy and Chica

  Cocoa

  Cody

  Cooper

  Cuddles

  Daisy

  Edward

  Flash

  Gizmo

  Goldie

  Gus

  Honey

  Jack

  Jake

  Liberty

  Lola

  Louie

  Lucky

  Lucy

  Maggie and Max

  Mocha

  Molly

  Moose

  Muttley

  Nala

  Noodle

  Oscar

  Patches

  Princess

  Pugsley

  Rascal

  Rocky

  Scout

  Shadow

  Snowball

  Spirit

  Stella

  Sugar, Gummi, and Lollipop

  Sweetie

  Teddy

  Ziggy

  Zipper

  Copyright © 2019 by Ellen Miles

  Cover art by Tim O’Brien

  Original cover design by Steve Scott

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First printing 2019

  e-ISBN 978-1-338-30305-6

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