by Claire Garth
As Annie held Grover, Dr Cole examined every bit of his body. Grover stood still, trying very hard to be brave.
But when Dr Cole’s hands reached Grover’s head, he let out a large yelp.
‘Yes, I bet those poor ears are sore!’ said Dr Cole as she took a closer look at Grover’s little ears. ‘I’m sorry, buddy, I’ll try to make this as quick as possible, but it’s going to hurt a little bit. I need you to be brave. Annie, I’ll need you to hold him tight for this bit.’
It did hurt a little. In fact, it hurt a lot. Dr Cole gently wiped the outside and the inside of his sore ears to clean all the dirt and muck away. Then she dabbed some cream on his ears to help them heal.
‘Your hair will grow back soon and they won’t hurt as much,’ she said.
It was nice having Annie to lean against, but even so, Grover was glad when Dr Cole was finished with his ears.
Annie kept her arms tight around Grover while Dr Cole gave him tablets to swallow and two injections. She told Grover they would help him fight off nasty bugs. Grover winced a little bit at the needles, but Annie reassured him.
‘Shhhhhhhh,’ she said. He turned his head and stared into her eyes.
Annie seemed very kind. Grover thought she looked a little worried, but her soft smile made him feel much calmer.
‘Alright, let’s see how much you weigh, young man,’ said Dr Cole.
Annie lifted Grover down onto the big steel scales. Then she gasped. ‘He’s only eleven kilograms.’
Dr Cole shook her head in disbelief.
‘How old do you think he is, Dr Cole?’ asked Annie.
‘Well, he seems to be about three years old, Annie, so his weight should definitely be higher,’ said Dr Cole.
Grover wasn’t sure what he should weigh, but clearly eleven kilograms was not enough.
‘Let’s give him a bath to stop him itching, and then we can give him some breakfast,’ said Dr Cole.
Grover perked up his ears at the idea of breakfast.
Annie gently placed Grover on the floor. ‘Is he going to be okay, Dr Cole?’ she asked.
‘He will be now,’ replied Dr Cole. ‘But he’s going to need a lot of love. I think he’s too frail to stay in the kennels.’
What does that mean? Grover wondered.
But before he had the chance to find out, Annie slipped the soft leash around his neck again and led him away.
CHAPTER 5
Grover and Annie walked down a long corridor. Grover could hear barking dogs, and the sound was getting louder and louder. In the distance, he could see some kennels.
Grover trotted past a large enclosure, made mostly of glass. Inside, Grover could see big balls of fluff of all different colours. They were playing, resting and eating.
Grover screeched to a halt. Were those CATS?! He couldn’t stop staring. He wanted to get closer. So much closer. Super, super close!
Grover counted at least ten cats lounging around inside the enclosure. Some were perched way up high, and others were lying on soft beds on the floor.
Those cats look pretty happy! thought Grover. This animal shelter doesn’t seem like a prison at all.
Annie led him past more kennels that housed all sorts of dogs. Big dogs, small dogs, fluffy dogs and short-haired dogs. Some were on their own, and some were in a kennel together.
Grover trotted faster, hoping to see Clara.
There she was! Clara was in a kennel on her own. It was filled with toys and a huge soft bed. She looked pretty comfy. Grover desperately wanted to crawl into that soft bed and fall asleep.
Grover wanted to run to Clara, but Annie held him close beside her with the leash.
‘Don’t worry, Grover, you’re safe,’ Clara whispered as he passed by her. ‘I know you’re scared but I also know you’re brave!’
Grover didn’t feel very brave. He had no idea where he was, and no idea where he was going.
There was a sign on Clara’s kennel door with her name and the words AWAITING OWNERS in big red pen.
Annie gave Grover a tug on the lead and he trotted on. He could hear Clara calling out after him. ‘Don’t worry, Grover, you’ll be fine!’
Annie led Grover into a small room that smelled like flowers and wet dog all mushed together. In one corner, Grover could see a huge pile of chew toys. In the other corner was a tub.
‘Okay, Grover, are you ready for your bath?’ asked Annie.
No. Grover was not ready for his bath. But before Grover got a chance to make this clear, Annie lifted him into the tub. It was filled with soapy warm water. This was not okay. Grover did not like water. He’d had to sit in the rain many times. And when he was naughty, the Man with Big Boots would squirt him with a hose. This had turned Grover into a dog that could not stand water.
No way! he thought, I’m not staying in here! He scrambled to get out of the tub. Bubbles and suds flew everywhere as Grover kicked his paws against the tub, trying desperately to escape.
‘Whoa, hold on there, little guy! You’ll turn this place into a bubble city if you keep going like that!’ said Annie. She calmly settled him back down into the tub.
Grover looked at her with his very best ‘please save me’ face.
‘You’ll be fine,’ said Annie. ‘I promise you’ll feel a million times better after this, and it will have all been worth it.’
Annie set to work, gently lathering up Grover’s limp and dull coat. Her gentle hands felt so good on his itchy skin, but he was still wet. He wanted out of there!
Before too long, Annie had drained the water and wrapped Grover in a big, warm fluffy towel. It felt great. Then she brushed him very gently.
‘Your fur is very thin and I know your skin is sensitive,’ said Annie. ‘So I will ask Dr Cole if we can find a soft and cosy jacket for you.’
Grover couldn’t believe his ears. He had never had a jacket before. He yawned contentedly as Annie finished brushing his fur.
CHAPTER 6
Grover felt good after his bath, but he didn’t know what would happen next. He could feel his fears coming back, but he took a deep breath and remembered that he needed to be brave. He could do this!
Suddenly Grover’s nose was alerted to something delicious. What was it? His tummy rumbled.
‘Here you go, Mister!’ Annie chirped.
She placed a bowl of little biscuits that smelled of meat at Grover’s feet.
Breakfast, Grover thought, as he struggled to stop his tongue from falling out of his mouth and into the bowl. Without another thought, he began to munch. He let out little groans of delight with each bite.
As he licked up a final crumb of biscuit, Grover peered around the doorway of the room. From there, he could see almost to the end of the long row of kennels. He could count at least twenty big dog kennels and ten smaller ones. There was so much to look at.
Grover could see some dogs being taken out of their kennels for walks. Other dogs were lined up at the edge of their kennel, eagerly awaiting toys. There were people brushing dogs and cuddling dogs. Everyone was smiling.
Grover didn’t understand. This wasn’t what he had expected at a pound or animal shelter. The humans really seemed to care about the animals here.
‘C’mon, boy,’ Annie said. ‘Let’s go.’
Go where? Grover wondered as he started walking out beside her.
As they walked down the long corridor, a young man stopped to talk to Annie.
Annie bent down to release Grover from his leash. ‘I won’t be a moment, Grover – you have a play,’ she said.
Grover trotted up to the kennels to have a closer look.
Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice. ‘Grover, is that a smile I can see on your face?’ asked Clara.
Grover trotted over to her kennel and wagged his tail.
‘Has someone realised that this is not the end of the world?’ Clara joked with a knowing smile.
Grover grinned. ‘Well, Annie did say they’d get me a new jacket.’
‘Ohh, you
’re so lucky!’ said a short but very skinny dog in the kennel next to Clara.
‘Grover, this is Ruby. The ranger brought her here yesterday,’ said Clara.
‘Did you run away too?’ asked Grover
Ruby was bouncing around in her kennel.
‘Nah, I didn’t run away,’ she said. ‘I was just chasing a bird, and before I knew it I was, well, a little lost.’
Ruby stopped jumping for a brief moment, and Grover noticed a look of regret creep across her face. But just as quickly as the look appeared, it was gone again and Ruby went back to her crazy jumping.
‘Were you scared?’ Grover asked
‘Nah, not this time,’ Ruby said with a little smile, ‘but I was scared my first time at the shelter. I didn’t think my owners would ever find me!’
‘You’ve been here before?’ Grover asked, a little confused.
‘Oh yeah,’ Ruby said, looking a little sheepish. ‘Last time I got lost chasing a lizard. Hmm, I really need to stop chasing things!’ Ruby laughed.
‘Are you going back home?’ asked Grover.
‘Yep, that’s what my sign says!’ Ruby replied – pointing to the sign on the front of her cage. Just like Clara’s, it had big red words saying AWAITING OWNERS.
‘Are you going home too, Grover?’ Ruby asked.
Grover let out a sigh. ‘Actually, I’m still not sure where I’m going.’
‘Hey, dude, do you like to jump?’
Grover spun around in the direction of the voice. He saw a dog with a huge, fuzzy, bear-like head and piercing bright blue eyes staring back at him from one of the other kennels.
‘Wow,’ Grover whispered. ‘What are you?’
‘Gorgeous, aren’t I?’ the dog-bear scoffed. ‘I’m Ace. Sooo, do you like to jump?’ he asked again, darting back and forth next to Ruby, desperately trying to get Grover to play with him.
‘Ace? Is that your name or your breed?’ Grover asked as he watched Ruby and Ace bouncing around their kennels.
‘You’re just jealous, Ruby! As they say in my pack, haters gonna hate.’ Ace jeered. ‘Yes, Grover, I’m a husky. You know, the dogs that pull sleds through the snow.’
‘Oh wow!’ exclaimed Grover, his eyes wide with excitement. ‘I’ve never seen snow! What’s it like?’
‘Oh well, ummm, I’ve kinda not really been there yet. You know, I’ve been busy and stuff… but when I do, I’ll let you know. It’ll be pretty soon, I think. Like this year for sure.’ Ace was trying very hard to ignore the belly laughs coming from Ruby’s kennel. And the very polite giggle that was coming from Clara’s direction.
Grover felt Annie’s hand gently brush his side.
‘C’mon, Grover!’ said Annie, gently. ‘Time to say goodbye to your friends.’
Clara smiled. ‘I’m heading home soon, Grover, but I hope we’ll meet again. I have a funny feeling we will.’
Grover smiled back as Annie led him away.
CHAPTER 7
‘Okay, little buddy,’ said Annie as she led Grover away from Clara, Ruby and Ace in their kennels. ‘It’s time to go home.’
Home. HOME? Oh no! Did that mean the Man with Big Boots had found out where he was? Oh no. Grover didn’t want to go back to the backyard. He didn’t want to be tied up or yelled at again.
Grover crouched down as low as he could and tried to grip onto the concrete floor with his paws.
‘Don’t be scared,’ said Annie as she gave Grover a reassuring pat. He struggled to stay on the ground as she scooped him up in her arms. ‘Come on, little fella!’ She carried Grover back to the vet’s room.
Oh no, not more injections! thought Grover. This is getting worse and worse.
‘Alright, you skinny minny,’ said Dr Cole as she walked back into the room. ‘Let me have one last look at you.’
Dr Cole felt up and down his back, and along each of his legs, all the way down to his paws. Grover was more used to it now.
‘You’re very small for a border collie, Grover. If you were on a farm, I think all the sheep would be bigger than you!’ joked Dr Cole.
Grover whimpered as she felt her way back up to his head – his body may have stopped itching, but his ears were still very sore.
‘I know, I know, you poor thing,’ Dr Cole said reassuringly. ‘Your ears are very sore now, but I promise they’ll feel better soon. Lots of love and lots of naps and you’ll be as good as new!’
Grover didn’t get a lot of love or naps at home with the Man with Big Boots – but he guessed Dr Cole didn’t know that.
Grover wished he could stay at the shelter.
‘Okay, Annie, he’s good to go,’ Dr Cole called out.
Annie came over with bags of food, tennis balls, a bright red collar and a bright red lead.
‘So, buddy,’ she said, kneeling next to Grover, ‘let’s get you ready.’
Annie fastened the collar around Grover’s neck and hooked the brand new lead through the loop. Then she gently placed a jacket on his little body, securing it around his new collar and under his belly.
Grover liked the red collar and lead much better than the heavy old chain. The collar was soft and padded, not hard and cold. And the jacket? Well, it felt just like a big hug.
‘Call me if you need anything, Annie,’ said Dr Cole, ‘and remember to go easy with the food. His little tummy will take time to stretch, but he can have a small meal once he’s settled in at home.’
Dr Cole moved over towards Grover and cradled his head in her hands.
‘You’re going to be okay now, Grover,’ she said. ‘You will never go back to your old home, I promise. Annie and David McBane are going to take very good care of you. Annie will let me know how you are going and I will check up on you in a few days.’
I’m not going back to the yard and the Man with Big Boots. I’m going home with Annie! Grover thought.
He could hardly contain his joy.
Annie seemed pretty happy too. ‘C’mon, Grover, let’s get you home,’ she said with a huge smile on her face.
CHAPTER 8
Annie and Grover walked out of the animal shelter and towards a shiny blue car. Annie opened the door for Grover.
‘C’mon, you little fur bucket. In you get!’ she said, gesturing for Grover to jump into the back seat.
She wants me to go in there? Grover thought. Um, no. I don’t think so.
‘Come on, Grover, you can do it! In you jump!’ Annie said.
The last time Grover had been in a car was the ranger’s van earlier in the day. And he was trying really hard to forget that! Grover didn’t like cars. They were noisy and moved too fast. But he realised that he either had to try another car ride, or Annie might leave without him.
He knew what he had to do.
His skinny little legs shook, but he launched himself up and into the air. He felt Annie catch him and guide him onto the car seat. ‘See! You did it!’ Annie said with a wink, ruffling Grover’s head as she gently strapped him in and closed the door.
Annie jumped into the driver’s seat, and they were off.
Grover crawled over to the door and peered up to look out the window. The trees whizzed by, and there were little drops of rain on the outside of the glass.
‘Would you like the window down a little?’ Annie asked. She pressed a button and the glass moved down. A cool gust of wind carrying the teeny-tiny raindrops entered the car.
Grover crouched back down, taken by surprise. Where did that wind come from? he wondered.
WOBBLING a little as he got back onto his feet, Grover leaned against the car door to help him feel more secure.
Ever so slowly, he placed his nose near the window. The smell was incredible!
He shimmied closer to the window, pushing his whole nose out through the gap in the top.
He could smell the rain, other dogs, grass, flowers, trees, food – it was really amazing!
‘Ha, you like that, do you?’ giggled Annie, looking in the rear-view mirror.
She lowe
red the window a little further, and Grover could feel the full force of the breeze on his face. Small droplets of rain stuck to his fur like it was made of Velcro.
Who knew cars could be such fun! thought Grover. This is the BEST!
Annie made a phone call. ‘I’ve got him and we’re heading home,’ Grover heard Annie say. He didn’t know who she was talking to, but he didn’t care. Right now, he felt too good to worry about anything.
After a short journey, the car began to slow down. There were large leafy trees along both sides of the street, and he could see tall, pretty houses through the branches.
‘Alright, Grover, here we are!’ said Annie, as the car pulled in under a tree and came to a complete stop. There was a street sign near the corner that read ‘Cavendish Lane’.
A man walked up to the car. He was tall, with black hair and a friendly smile.
‘Grover, this is David,’ Annie said, placing her hand on the man’s arm.
‘Goodness, Annie, he hasn’t been looked after well, has he,’ David said, peering in at Grover with a concerned look on his face. He placed the back of his hand near Grover’s nose, letting him sniff it before giving him a gentle pat on the head.
‘He seemed to like the car ride home, but I think he’s too exhausted to jump out on his own,’ Annie said, with tears in her eyes.
‘It’s okay, Grover Boy, I’ve got you,’ said David, and he leaned into the car and lifted Grover out.
Grover staggered towards the house.
Suddenly the front gate of the house next door flew open and a little girl came running down the street.
‘Is this the new dog? Is this Grover?’ she cried. She stopped beside David. ‘Can I pat him please, David?’
‘Yes, Lucy, but don’t rush him, he’s very tired right now. Put your hand out like this.’
Lucy held out her hand.
Grover’s heart was THUMPING hard. He’d never been this close to a little girl before, but she seemed very excited to meet him. He let her pat him gently and then, before he knew it, she’d stepped forward and put her arms around his shoulders. It felt strange but nice. Grover leaned against her.