Take a Bow-Wow

by Kristin Earhart

  Was it Truffle’s trick that changed her mind? Did it make her feel like she could be in the talent show? Sadie didn’t like that idea. She wanted to make her own decisions. She was sure there was something unusual about that trick. Sadie needed some answers, so she needed to go to the one place she could ask the right questions.

  “Mom, Dad!” she called out as she pulled on her sneakers. “I’m running over to Power’s Pets. I’m taking Truffle with me.”

  Before she was done tying her shoes, both her parents appeared in the front hall.

  “Are you going to get more supplies for the show?” her mom asked.

  “Don’t forget to stock up on treats. You’ll need them,” her dad added.

  Sadie smiled and sighed. Her parents were so excited. Mr. Reynolds knelt down and gave Truffle’s belly a big rub. The puppy wiggled around on his back and whimpered happily. Truffle was almost as excited about the talent show as Sadie’s parents. They didn’t care that Sadie wasn’t playing the piano. If anything, they were even more pleased that Sadie and Truffle were performing together.

  “I won’t forget,” Sadie said. Actually, she didn’t think she’d need treats. Truffle usually did all of the obstacles and other tricks without expecting a treat at the end. He did it for fun.

  Sadie clipped the leash to her pup’s collar and made sure she had the money her dad had given her. “See you soon,” she said with a wave. Her parents waved back and watched her go.

  Truffle trotted along beside her. They had practiced all morning, but he did not seem tired at all. He had jumped through her hula hoop close to fifty times. Sadie discovered he could beg. Once, he even jumped on his hind feet. Truffle just liked to show off.

  “Practice makes perfect,” Sadie mumbled to herself, but she was still worried. She didn’t really know how to get Truffle to perform specific tricks. He just did what he felt like.

  When she heard the familiar bell on the Power’s Pets door, she felt better. Sadie had come to the store for answers, and she was about to get them.

  “Well, here are two of my favorites,” Mr. Power announced as soon as he saw them.

  “Two of my favorites,” Mango echoed from his high perch.

  “How are you two getting along?” Mr. Power asked, ignoring his feathered friend.

  Truffle barked. Sadie didn’t know how to answer the question. She decided she should start at the beginning and try to tell Mr. Power everything.

  “Truffle is the best puppy. I really love him. He makes me laugh, and he is a great friend. My parents adore him, and my dad doesn’t sneeze,” she began. “But I can’t play piano at the talent show, so now we have to do tricks … in front of people. And Truffle seems pretty excited, but I’m pretty nervous. I don’t know why I said I’d do it, but I did. I think Truffle’s special trick has something to do with it. Something strange.” Sadie paused and took a breath.

  While Sadie was talking, Mr. Power listened closely, nodding his head and rubbing his whiskers. “Why do you think his trick has something to do with it?” the old man asked.

  “I’m not totally sure,” she confessed. “But the first time he did it, we were here. It was the time I told Isa that Truffle was mine. The next time he did his trick, I agreed to play piano in the talent show,” she explained. “And the last time, I didn’t even ask him to do the trick. He did it all by himself.”

  “What happened then?” asked Mr. Power.

  “That time, I ended up saying we’d do dog tricks for the talent show since there was no piano. We don’t know many tricks at all.” She bit her upper lip.

  “This has become complicated, hasn’t it?” Mr. Power murmured.

  Sadie nodded. She watched as the owner of the pet center ran his hand over Truffle’s back, then up and down his legs. He used a mini flashlight to look in his ears. He held the puppy’s chin and looked in his eyes.

  “There’s nothing wrong with this puppy,” he announced. “He should be able to hear when you ask him to do a trick, and when you don’t.” He stared into the puppy’s shiny eyes again. “Isn’t that so, Truffle?”

  The puppy’s head drooped. He walked over to Sadie and rested his chin on her feet.

  Mr. Power turned to the puppy’s owner. “Sadie, one thing I can tell you is that Truffle comes from a long line of performing dogs.”

  “Do you mean like ‘Best in Show’ dogs? When dogs compete to be the best dog of their breed?” Sadie asked, feeling a thrill.

  “Not exactly,” the man replied. “I mean dogs who do tests of agility, like obstacle courses, or dogs that do fun tricks for their owners. Truffle comes from a family of dogs that like lots of attention and applause.”

  “Oh, Truffle loves attention,” Sadie agreed.

  “That may be why he’s doing his special trick on his own, but I can’t be sure,” Mr. Power admitted.

  “So what should I do?” Sadie asked.

  “I think you should believe in yourself. And you should trust Truffle. He’s a good dog,” the old man said. “The two of you make a great team and you’ll be wonderful in a talent show.”

  Just then, the door opened and a customer walked in. “Excuse me,” Mr. Power said, and he walked toward the front door.

  “Believe in yourself!” Mango repeated. “Great team!”

  Sadie and Truffle looked up at the glorious bird. “That’s easy for you to say,” Sadie mumbled, and she led her puppy out the door.

  All week, Sadie did what she did best. She practiced. It had worked with the piano recital, and she would make it work for the talent show, too. If she wasn’t at school or doing homework, she was in the backyard with Truffle, going over drill after drill.

  Truffle loved the attention. He trotted up and down the seesaw like a pro. Sadie held up the hoop higher and higher. Each time, he jumped through with a happy bounce. He playfully lifted his front paws to beg. These were the only tricks that Sadie knew how to ask Truffle to do, so they practiced them over and over.

  Each night, as soon as it was dark, they went inside. There, Sadie recited the introduction to their act. She had written a little speech about wolves and dogs. She knew it by heart.

  “Practice makes perfect,” she kept reminding herself.

  Friday morning, in art class, Isa walked right over to Sadie, Lexi, and Henry’s table. “Hey, guys,” she said.

  “Hi,” the three friends answered, but Sadie didn’t look up from her clay sculpture. She thought it was starting to look more like a dog, but Jerome Kincaid said it looked like a mastodon.

  “I hope I’ll see you all at the Save the Wolves talent show tomorrow,” Isa said. “Sadie, I can’t wait to see Truffle’s tricks. My mom printed the programs at her work, and you are going to be our final act.”

  “Wow. That’s a real honor,” declared Lexi.

  “Really?” Sadie asked. The other two girls nodded. Sadie did her best to look pleased, but she could only think one thing: Going last gave her more time to get the jitters.

  * * *

  “You’ll be great,” her dad reassured her at dinner on Friday night.

  “How do you know?” Sadie asked.

  “Well, I don’t,” he admitted, “because you wouldn’t let us watch you practice. But I have a good feeling.”

  “It’s true, Sadie,” her mom said. “You’ve practiced so much, all by yourself. I feel bad that you’ve done it all on your own.”

  “I wasn’t on my own,” Sadie said. “I had Truffle.”

  The puppy lifted his head from where he sat at Sadie’s feet. Rrruff! Rrruff! Truffle put his front paws on the edge of her dinner chair and wagged his tail.

  “That’s right, boy. You love to show off, don’t you?” Sadie scratched Truffle under the chin. She felt sure the sweet puppy was on her side, but she still didn’t quite understand his special trick.

  * * *

  When Sadie woke up, the morning sun was shining in her window. Sadie was still in a daze, and words from her dream kept repeating in her head. It
took her a moment to remember where she had heard them before. The voice was Mango’s silly squawk. The bird was saying, “Believe in yourself. Great team!”

  Those were the same words he had said when she was at Power’s Pets. It had been right after she had talked to Mr. Power about Truffle’s trick.

  “Great team,” she whispered to herself. Her mind twisted and turned around the phrase. She thought about every time she’d felt confident enough to say yes to Isa. “Of course!”

  Truffle was still sleepy, too. The puppy waddled over to her bed and blinked at her.

  “You weren’t trying to make me do something I didn’t want to do at all, were you?” she asked her puppy as he jumped onto the bed and nuzzled her face. “You just wanted me to believe in myself. You wanted me to have enough confidence to do what I really wanted.”

  Sadie thought about it and knew it was true. She now realized she had wanted to help with the talent show. She had been worried about performing, but she had really wanted to help raise money for wolves. Truffle’s trick had given her the extra boost of courage to say yes.

  “Thank you, boy,” Sadie said, ruffling his ears. “Now we just need the confidence to go out there and do our act today!” Sadie swung her legs out of bed. “It’ll be easier with your special trick.” Truffle cocked his head to one side and gave Sadie a good, long look. Sadie felt like she should explain her thoughts to her puppy. “You know, if I ever get nervous, you can just do your trick. Then I’ll have all the confidence in the world.”

  Truffle sneezed and wandered away. “Oh, come on,” Sadie said. “You’re my good luck charm! I know you’ll do it, just like you did before.”

  * * *

  “Our final act is here!” Isa announced when she saw Sadie and her family walk through the door later that day. “How is our star?” Isa asked, leaning down to give Truffle a pat.

  “He’s great,” Sadie answered. “We both are.” Ever since she had realized the power of Truffle’s trick, Sadie was no longer worried about performing. She knew she could get Truffle to do his trick whenever she needed a confidence boost, so she wouldn’t get flustered.

  Sadie’s parents went to sit down in the auditorium, while Sadie stayed with Isa. “Since there isn’t enough room backstage,” Isa explained, “all the acts are just hanging out in the hall. Here’s the program, so you know when to go on.”

  “Thanks, Isa. You’ve done a great job,” Sadie said. Sadie looked around and saw a lot of people in fancy costumes. Carmen and Alexei from fifth grade were dressed up like salsa dancers. There were a lot of kids with musical instruments: an accordion, three violins, a banjo, and a trombone, but no piano. Now, in her head, Sadie was laughing at herself. Why had she ever thought that piano was her only talent?

  Sadie and Truffle sat and waited while the other acts performed. She heard laughter and applause. Slowly, as the time passed, she started to feel a little concern seep in. Her chest felt tight. She caught herself biting her lip. She reassured herself by petting Truffle, who sat calmly at her side, his pink tongue dangling.

  Sadie had decided to wait to use Truffle’s trick until right before she went on. She wanted the magic to be extra powerful for when they performed. She looked at the program: two acts away. It wouldn’t be long now.

  When Sadie heard Isa announce the act before hers, she stood up. “Okay, Truffle, it’s time,” she said. She clapped and said, “Bet you can’t catch it.”

  Truffle stayed put.

  “Didn’t you hear me, boy?” Sadie asked. She clapped again and said, “Bet you can’t catch it.”

  Truffle looked her in the eye. He shook his head, his ears flapping back and forth.

  From the puppy’s expression, she was certain he was refusing to do his special trick. “No?” Sadie asked. “What do you mean no?” Sadie was shocked. “But I need you to do it now. Please!” she begged.

  Truffle stayed still.

  Sadie tried to think. Why would he refuse to do the trick at that moment, when she needed it the most?

  “Sadie!” Isa called from the stage door. “You’re next. We have to organize your props while the other act is performing. Come on!”

  “But I can’t,” Sadie said.

  Isa put her clipboard down on the floor and walked over to Sadie.

  Sadie raked her bottom teeth across her top lip.

  “Sadie,” Isa said, “you’ve been practicing all week. I know you can do this.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I saw you at your piano recital. You were great,” Isa explained.

  “What?” asked Sadie, surprised.

  “My brother has the same piano teacher as you, so I was there to see him. You were really awesome. I can’t perform in front of crowds like that. You were so calm. That’s why I asked you to be in the talent show.”

  Sadie stared at Isa. She could hardly believe what the other girl was saying, but Isa’s face was kind and sincere. Sadie thought she had been a mess at the piano recital. She had been so nervous!

  “Come on,” Isa said. “I’ll be right backstage. But you won’t be out there alone. You have Truffle!”

  Sadie nodded and gathered up the props. Isa grabbed her clipboard. Truffle trotted along next to them.

  * * *

  Mr. Haney, the art teacher, had just finished his routine. He had made supersized wolves out of twisty balloons. His face was bright red when he walked by.

  “Break a leg!” he said to Sadie between quick, short breaths. Sadie didn’t say anything back. She just swallowed.

  “And now,” Isa said, holding a microphone, “is our last act. Please welcome Sadie Reynolds and Truffle!”

  Sadie could hardly feel her hands as she reached for the microphone. She stared at the dark audience. She could only see shadows at first. Then she saw her mom and dad. Her grandma. Aunt Monica. Lexi, Max, and Henry were there, too. She had found their faces, but she could not find any words.

  She looked down at Truffle, who blinked at her with trusting eyes. The auditorium was quiet. Then Sadie thought she heard someone say something. It sounded like it was coming from the back of the room. Sadie squinted and could just make out a figure standing in the doorway. It looked like Mr. Power.

  “Believe in yourself!” the voice said. “Great team!”

  As Sadie looked closer, she thought she could make out the shape of something perched on the old man’s shoulder. That something had a beak, a body, and a long, feathered tail. Mango!

  “Great team!” The voice was clearer this time, and so was the message. Sadie glanced at Truffle and he looked her right in the eye. She knew what she had to do.

  “Good afternoon,” Sadie began slowly, and then the words just tumbled out. “This is Truffle, my dog. He’s very special to me, and he wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for wolves.” Sadie took a deep breath and reminded herself not to rush. “The wolf is the ancestor of every breed of dog. And just like dogs are an important part of many human families, wolves play an important role in the wild.”

  Sadie stopped there and took another deep breath. “Wolves are amazing. They live in packs and rely on one another. Over time, dogs have learned to trust humans the same way that wolves trust one another. Now people and dogs share a special bond.” She glanced at Truffle and smiled. “We are a pack. We are a team. Thanks for coming out today and helping us help the wolves.”

  The audience clapped. Sadie had finished her speech, and it was pretty good! She sighed with relief, but she felt like she had forgotten something.

  She looked at Truffle. He cocked his head to one side and looked back at her. RRRufff!

  “Oh, that’s right,” she exclaimed. “And now for some tricks!”

  With that, Truffle bounced up and jumped on his hind feet over and over. Sadie giggled. They hadn’t practiced that! She tapped the tunnel, and Truffle raced through. Then he zipped back through it and ran up the seesaw. He stopped in the middle — with both ends of the seesaw in the air — and balanced th
ere. Sadie threw a Frisbee, and he leaped off the seesaw to catch it. The audience cheered. Next, Truffle stood on his hind legs and begged.

  “Our final trick is the hoop. Let’s see how high Truffle can jump!” Sadie announced. At first, she held it close to the ground. Truffle trotted through.

  “Should I go higher?” she asked the audience, and lifted the hoop to her knee. Truffle leaped through before the audience could answer.

  “Should I raise it higher?” The audience clapped. Now Sadie raised it to the middle of her thigh. Truffle gazed at the hoop, took a step back, and then bounded forward. He cleared the hoop with room to spare.

  Sadie had thought they would stop there, but Truffle turned around. He was ready to jump again.

  “Should we try it one more time?” she asked. The audience cheered. Some of them stood up. Truffle barked with excitement. “Are you sure?” This time, she was asking her puppy. Truffle barked again.

  Sadie held the hoop in front of her with one hand. The bottom reached her waist. Truffle had only jumped this high once before. “Ready, boy?” she asked. Truffle barked again. He backed up a couple of steps and started running. As he neared the hoop, Sadie could see him push off with his strong back legs. He soared into the air. But as he flew toward the hoop, Sadie realized he was aiming right at her! All at once, she let go, held out her hands, and squeezed her eyes shut. The next thing she knew, Truffle was safe in her arms.

  The audience stood up and cheered. Truffle licked Sadie’s face as she held him tight. “We definitely didn’t practice that,” Sadie whispered in her puppy’s ear. Sadie looked out at the audience and found the faces of her family and friends. At that moment, she knew all the hard work had been worth it.

  In just a few short moments, she and Truffle were surrounded by those same people — the ones who told her all along that she’d be great.

  Everyone took a turn congratulating her. Isa joined the happy group, too.

  “It was better than piano,” her grandma insisted.