Mission Impawsible

by Daphne Maple

  My mom smiled at me when I walked in. “Matt sounds like a herd of cattle when he comes in,” she said. “You’re a little quieter.”

  “Like maybe just one or two cows?” I asked.

  My mom laughed. “Exactly.”

  I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and sat on one of the stools at the island in the center of our kitchen. Our kitchen was big, with a fancy stove and fridge, which you’d pretty much expect from people who worked with food all day. But the counter was worn and the sage green walls were faded so it matched the lived-in feel of the rest of the house. The fridge was still covered with pictures Matt and I had drawn in grade school, some fraying and yellowed around the edges. They were held up with alphabet magnets, the kind little kids use to learn the letters. We kept telling my mom to get rid of all of it, since we’re a lot older now and draw better pictures. And know the alphabet. But my mom insisted she loved the reminders of when we were little.

  “Don’t ruin your appetite,” my mom said as I crunched into my apple. “I’m making lasagna.”

  Lasagna was one of my favorites. “Sounds good,” I said. “I’ll stop after this.”

  My mom’s eyes narrowed. “What’s bothering you, sweetie?” she asked.

  Sometimes it annoyed me that my mom could so totally read my mind, but right now it was kind of a relief.

  “Well, first of all, I feel bad because the Cronins need someone to walk Humphrey in the afternoons and I can’t help,” I said.

  My mom was washing lettuce for a salad but she paused to raise an eyebrow at me. “Is this your way of asking if you can take a homework afternoon to walk him? Because I think you know the answer to that.”

  “No, I’m not asking,” I said. “I just feel sad for poor Humphrey being home alone all day.”

  My mom frowned. “It is too bad,” she said sympathetically. My parents wouldn’t let me have a dog because they were so busy but they did really like animals and I knew she felt sad for Humphrey too.

  “Even worse than that is the problem at the shelter,” I went on, tossing my apple core in the garbage. “It might have to close.”

  “Oh, no,” my mom exclaimed. “Why?”

  I explained what Caley had told us.

  “That’s awful,” my mom said, shaking her head. “I really hope Alice can figure something out.”

  “Me too,” I said. I was kind of hoping my mom would come up with a great idea but she just went back to chopping up cucumbers for the salad.

  “I wonder if we could have a bake sale,” I said. “Or some other kind of fund-raiser.”

  My mom turned to me with a sad smile. “I know you want to help,” she said. “But if the shelter is in jeopardy of closing, it’s going to take more than a few hundred dollars to save it.”

  I slumped a little on the stool.

  “I think Alice needs real money coming in,” my mom said. “A grant or another steady source of income. And I don’t think that’s something you girls can come up with, much as I know you’d like to.”

  I sighed. My mom was probably right. Taylor was nice to believe in us but really this problem was too big for me and my friends to solve.

  “Alice is awfully good at her job,” my mom said as I got up, ready to get some homework done before dinner. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she found a way out of this mess.”

  “I bet you’re right,” I said.

  But as I grabbed my backpack from the floor where I’d left it and headed upstairs, I wasn’t so sure. Caley had seemed convinced things were dire and Alice had looked so tense.

  I hated to even think it, but it looked like there was a very good chance the Roxbury Park Dog Shelter was going to have to close its doors for good.

  The three of us were gloomy as we sat in the cafeteria the next day, and it wasn’t because of the yucky smell of boiled brussels sprouts. Though obviously that didn’t help.

  “So do you guys have any ideas about how we can save the shelter?” Sasha asked. Today her cheese sandwich was untouched.

  “Last year at my old school we had a car wash to raise money for the spring festival,” Taylor said. She was stirring her yogurt but hadn’t taken a bite.

  Sasha perked up. “Maybe we could do that here,” she said. “I mean, everyone has cars and they have to wash them sometime. Why not for a good cause?”

  I shook my head, remembering what my mom had said last night. “I don’t think a few hundred dollars is enough,” I said. “Like if Alice can’t make the rent she needs money coming in regularly, not just once after a bake sale or car wash.”

  Taylor sighed. “That makes sense,” she said. “But I can’t even figure out how to earn money for a new camera. I have no idea how to save a whole dog shelter.”

  “Maybe we could do one fund-raiser a month?” Sasha asked. “Like a car wash this month, then a bake sale, and something else after that.”

  “We might run out of ‘somethings’ though,” Taylor said.

  “And people might get tired of giving us money every month,” I added.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” Sasha said. “I guess we’ll just have to keep thinking.”

  “Hey, do you guys want some cookies?” Rachel asked, leaning over from the table next to us and holding up a big plastic Tupperware. “We baked them yesterday and we have way too many.”

  Taylor grinned, though the corners of her mouth didn’t go up as high as usual. “I think we can help you with that problem,” she said.

  The four of them pulled their chairs over and soon we were all eating oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and complaining about the test Mrs. Benson was giving us in science the next day.

  But even as I picked at a cookie and chimed in once in a while, I couldn’t stop thinking about the shelter and how awful it would be if it was gone.

  That afternoon Taylor had photography class and Sasha was headed off to dance, so I walked into town by myself for my homework afternoon at the Rox. Mrs. Benson had handed back our latest pop quizzes and I had only gotten a seventy on mine, which my parents were not going to be happy about. Plus she reminded us about the essay and I still had no idea what to write, so that was eating at me too. But bigger than that were the problems at the shelter. I knew my mom was right, that there wasn’t anything a couple of seventh graders could do, but I still couldn’t stop worrying about it. I was lost in thought until I heard a shout.

  “Careful!” a man called out. I looked up and saw that a big brown and black dog was racing toward me. I jumped back quickly.

  “She’s harmless, don’t worry,” the man running after the dog called. He was about half a block behind.

  Knowing the dog wasn’t going to bite me, I took a step toward her. “Stop,” I told her. “Stop.”

  The huge dog looked at me, unsure if I meant business.

  “Stop,” I said in my firmest voice, putting up a hand to show that I most definitely meant business.

  The dog slowed from a run to a walk, her tail wagging.

  “Sit,” I told her. She came to a stop at my feet and sat, panting.

  “Okay, that was amazing,” the dog’s owner said as he caught up to us, breathing heavily. “I’ve been telling her to stop ever since she made a break for it at the dog park.”

  The dog park was four blocks away. “You’ve had quite a run, haven’t you,” I said to the dog, holding out my hand so she could sniff me.

  “Her name is Coco,” the man said, clipping a leash on the dog’s collar. “And she’s given both of us a pretty good workout.”

  “Hi, Coco,” I said, patting her head. She wagged her tail so hard her whole body wagged with it and then she jumped up to give me a lick.

  “Sorry,” her owner said, pulling her away and rubbing her back to calm her. “She’s still a puppy and she definitely acts like it.”

  “I don’t mind,” I said. “I love dogs.”

  The man smiled at me. “And clearly they love you,” he said. “You have a real way with them.”

&
nbsp; “Thanks,” I said. I watched as they walked back down the sidewalk, the dog rushing ahead and her owner trying to keep up. He needed to learn more about leash management but it was clear how much he loved her and that mattered more than anything. Kind of like the Cronins and sweet Humphrey.

  I was thinking about Humphrey and dogs like him, with families away at work and school all day, as I started toward the Rox. Then my mind drifted back to the shelter and that’s when it hit me. I loved dogs and I was good with them—and that was the solution to everything. Maybe there was something a couple of seventh graders could do after all!

  9

  I was nearly skipping as I walked into the Rox, the smell of coffee, fresh apple pie, and the famous Rox sweet potato fries wafting around me as I headed in. The after-school crowd was already getting started and I waved to Stephan and Gillian, the two servers working.

  “Hey, Kim,” Stephan said as he swept by, plates of food in both hands. “What’s got you smiling?”

  “I have a plan,” I said happily.

  “There’s nothing like a good plan,” he said cheerfully as he went on to his table.

  I headed back to the kitchen, where my mom was working with Alana, the line cook, and my dad was shredding lettuce for dinner salads. The big dishwasher hummed behind them and Colin, one of the guys who worked in the back, gave me a salute as he pulled a steaming tray of dishes out of the machine. Everyone at the Rox was like family.

  “Hi, sweetie,” my mom said, leaning over to kiss me. She had a light dusting of flour across her cheeks and her curly hair was held back with the polka-dotted chef’s hat I got her when I was five. “How was your day?”

  “Um, mixed,” I said, remembering the pop quiz. I’d tell them about that later. “But I had this really great idea.”

  “Let’s hear it,” my mom said, giving me her full attention.

  My dad nodded, listening as well. So I started with the shelter needing more money and the Cronins needing someone to walk Humphrey in the afternoon, since my dad didn’t know about that. And then I explained the big idea I’d had after running into Coco. As I went on I saw my mom’s eyes widen and my dad slowly start nodding his head.

  “Honey, that is a fantastic idea,” my mom said. “A smart solution to two pretty serious problems.”

  “It sounds like the perfect fix,” my dad agreed. “A real humdinger of an idea.”

  “Yesterday I said it was too big a problem for kids,” my mom said, shaking her head with a smile. “But I think you proved me wrong.”

  “Way to take charge, Kim,” my dad added proudly.

  I ducked my head, suddenly feeling self-conscious. But their praise wrapped around me, snug and warm.

  Now I just had to find a way to make my plan work.

  That night I texted both Sasha and Taylor—I knew I couldn’t do this without them. And the next morning in homeroom, I told them my plan.

  “We’re going to start a doggy after-school program,” I whispered excitedly as we stood at the back of the room before the final bell. I couldn’t worry about Mrs. Benson’s “no talking in the classroom” policy at a time like this. “Families like the Cronins, whose dogs need exercise when they’re at work, can sign up to have us pick up their dogs after school. We’ll walk them over to the shelter, where they can run around and play with the other dogs until their owners come pick them up at the end of the day.”

  Sasha’s eyes were sparkling and Taylor was beaming.

  “The dog owners can pay for the service and that way Alice has enough to keep running the shelter,” I said. “And everybody wins.”

  “They really do,” Sasha bubbled, then sent a panicked glance to the front of the classroom. Luckily Mrs. Benson was so busy writing vocab words on the whiteboard that she didn’t notice.

  “It’s totally brilliant, Kim,” Taylor added. “You’re a genius.”

  Now I was the one beaming.

  Sasha was grinning at the two of us, clearly overjoyed we were finally friends. “Oh, and I just thought of something else,” she said. “When the owners come to pick up their own dogs, they’ll meet the shelter dogs and maybe want to adopt them.”

  I hadn’t even thought of that! “That would be great,” I said.

  The bell rang and we started toward our seats, still whispering.

  “This dog day care is going to be huge,” Sasha predicted. “Seriously the best idea ever.”

  “You did it, Kim,” Taylor said. “You figured out how to save the shelter!”

  Now Mrs. Benson was glaring at us. “Girls, if you’d like extra homework, just keep on talking,” she said. Extra homework was always her punishment of choice and it worked. I closed my mouth and tiptoed to my desk, quiet as a mouse.

  But then Taylor exclaimed. “Kim, you totally just figured out what to write your paper on!”

  And even an extra page of vocabulary from Mrs. Benson couldn’t ruin that.

  When we got to the shelter that afternoon Oscar made a beeline for Taylor. It was funny to see the sleek gray cat winding his way between all the jumping dogs, but Oscar was a cat on a mission. He passed me and Sasha and put his fat paws up on Taylor’s leg, meowing sweetly.

  “Hey, there,” Taylor said, her Southern accent extra musical as she scooped Oscar up and cuddled him against her shoulder. Clearly she was still more comfortable with cats than dogs.

  Even over the noise of Boxer and Lily scuffling for a chewed-up tennis ball and Mr. Smashmouth yipping a happy greeting, I could hear Oscar’s rumbling purr. It was as though he was telling Taylor to forget the dogs and focus on him!

  After Sasha and I greeted the dogs, with Taylor giving Lily a good head rub and even petting Boxer, Sasha turned to me.

  “Let’s tell everyone your plan,” she said.

  I looked around. Caley and Tim were playing fetch with Hattie while Alice was brushing Popsicle, who wriggled with delight in her arms.

  “Maybe we should wait,” I said, biting my lip. The thought of explaining it to all three of them at once had me tongue-tied. Plus what if they thought it was a terrible idea?

  “Kim, it’s an amazing idea,” Sasha said, reading my mind like she always did.

  “Seriously,” Taylor agreed. “They’re going to be blown away.”

  With a cheerleading section like that, who could say no? So the three of us walked over to the others.

  “We know about the shelter needing more funding,” Sasha began. “And Kim has an incredible idea of what we can do to get the money you need to stay open.”

  My insides were fluttering but just then Lily nudged at my hand, as though she knew that was exactly what I needed. I dug my fingers into her thick fur and the fluttering was gone. I took a deep breath and told Alice, Tim, and Caley everything, starting with my conversation with Mrs. Cronin and ending with the dog after-school idea.

  By the time I was done, Tim and Caley were grinning widely but Alice was rubbing her chin thoughtfully, her eyes serious. “I’m not sure,” she said slowly. “It is a good idea, Kim. But I can think of a number of obstacles.”

  My heart sank with her words.

  “Like what?” Taylor asked. “Because I bet we can solve them.” She gave me a quick wink as she spoke.

  I grinned back. Having Taylor in my corner was pretty great.

  “Well, do you think dog owners will be comfortable letting their dogs run loose with the shelter dogs?” Alice asked.

  The wheels in my brain were already spinning. “We can just do what you do whenever a new dog comes,” I said. “Have a trial period and help them socialize and feel comfortable with the group.”

  “And the owners can meet the shelter dogs,” Sasha added. “Seeing what sweeties these guys are will totally win them over.” She gave Mr. Smashmouth an extra pat. “And maybe even lead to more adoptions.”

  “That would be great,” Alice said, sounding just the tiniest bit excited at the thought.

  Sasha and I shared a smile. One issue down.

&nb
sp; “How will you girls coordinate picking up the different dogs and walking them to the shelter?” Alice went on, tucking a stray lock of hair back into her ponytail.

  “We can have a weekly schedule, like my mom makes for chores,” Sasha said. “We’ll write down all the jobs, then decide who gets each dog and brings them here.”

  “We could even put the schedule up online, like a calendar app,” Taylor said. “That way we could all check it from home and you could check it here.”

  Alice was nodding. “That could work,” she said. “But what about getting all the vet records for all the dogs?”

  I cast a desperate look at Sasha. It seemed like every solution we came up with was met by another concern from Alice. I was starting to think we’d never convince her.

  But then Caley spoke up. “Alice, this idea is fantastic,” she said confidently. “It will save the shelter and help these dogs who are stuck home alone all day. Honestly I wish I’d thought of it myself!”

  “Me too,” Tim added, shooting me a smile. “It’s brilliant.”

  My cheeks heated up and I ducked my head, totally glowing from their praise.

  Alice opened her mouth but Caley held up a hand. “We’ll figure it out,” she said, turning to us with a smile. “I can brainstorm with you guys about the best way to get those vet records.”

  “I’ll help set up the schedule online,” Tim said immediately. “I did one for my summer basketball league and it worked great.”

  I held my breath as we all turned to Alice, to see what she would say.

  Slowly a wide smile broke out across her face. “Kim, I think you might have just saved our shelter.”

  Sasha and Taylor threw their arms around me while Tim and Caley cheered.

  Then Alice, still smiling, broke in. “But it’s going to take all of us working hard to make this happen. Especially the three of you, since you’ll be in charge.”

  Sasha, Taylor, and I grinned at each other.

  Sasha rubbed her hands together. “Let’s start brainstorming ideas,” she said. “Like how we’ll set things up and how we’ll get the word out so people can sign up their dogs.”