by Daphne Maple
“Plus we can make it pretty,” Taylor said with a grin. “An online document can’t have stickers and drawings and stuff.”
Sasha laughed. “Okay, you guys are right,” she said. “We clearly need a dog notebook, not something online. What exactly are we going to be taking notes on?”
“I was thinking it could be stuff about each dog,” I said, “like anything special they need while they’re here. Like if Hattie were a client we could write about how she needs to work on being independent from Lily.”
“Or what kind of games they really like,” Sasha said, catching on immediately. She was so into the idea she didn’t notice Boxer had brought back the Frisbee till he nudged her with his nose. She laughed and gave it another toss. “That’s a great idea, Kim.”
“It is,” Taylor agreed. “Each dog can have a page and I can take pictures of them and we can glue them in.” She looked slightly uneasy as Boxer bounded up but then she stepped forward and took the Frisbee to throw for him. Boxer wiggled his hindquarters in expectation, then took off after it the second it left Taylor’s fingers.
“Perfect,” I said, thinking back to my dog collage. “Maybe we can even do a little research on their breeds, so we know more what to expect from them and what they need.”
Sasha was about to add something but then we heard Alice calling us from the porch steps.
“Good news,” she called happily. “The Roxbury Park Dog Club just got its very first client!”
11
Alice was smiling as we raced over and ran up the porch steps. “And Kim, they said you know their dog very well.”
“Oh, the Cronins,” I guessed breathlessly.
“Yes, a basset hound named Humphrey,” Alice said.
“I’m so glad Humphrey will come!” Sasha said. “He’ll love it here.”
“He really will,” I agreed. I was already thinking about his entry in our club notebook, all the things that helped get him to be active and get the exercise he needed. All the things besides being told “breakfast”!
Hattie came running over to us, the Frisbee in her mouth. I was about to take it from her to begin another game of fetch, but then I heard the office phone ringing again. I remembered we were supposed to help out with club calls. “Want me to get that?” I asked Alice.
“Sure,” she said. “If it’s a shelter call just put them on hold, but if it’s a call for the club, go ahead and take down the information on the pad that’s out on my desk.”
I ran into Alice’s office, Sasha and Taylor right behind me, and grabbed the phone off her desk.
“Is this the Roxbury Park Dog Club?” a woman asked after I’d said hello.
“Yes,” I practically shrieked. Then I realized how unprofessional that sounded and I cleared my throat. “Yes, this is Kim of the Roxbury Park Dog Club,” I said in my most serious voice. “How can I help you today?”
Sasha gave me a thumbs-up as she and Taylor headed back to play with the dogs.
“I’m Ellen Whitman and I’d like to sign my poodle Clarabelle up for the club,” she said. “She gets lonely when my husband and I are at work and I think she’d enjoy the time with other dogs.”
“Yes, I’m sure Clarabelle will love it here,” I said. I took a deep breath and then ran through all the things Alice had talked about, like the vet records we’d need plus more about how the club worked. “And for an extra fee we can pick up Clarabelle and walk her here.”
“That would be great,” Mrs. Whitman said. “That way I wouldn’t have to leave work. You’d just need to be sure to take your shoes off when you go inside to get her leash.”
“Okay,” I said. We had to take off shoes at Sasha’s house too, so that dirt from outside didn’t spread. I wondered how Mrs. Whitman cleaned Clarabelle’s feet after a walk. She probably had a special rag or something. “I’ll need your address so we can plan a pickup time.”
I saw Alice had written in the Cronins’ address in the notebook on her desk, as well as the time they’d drop off Humphrey’s vet records on the top of the page. I made sure to get the same information from Mrs. Whitman.
“I’m looking forward to meeting Clarabelle,” I said. “All of us here love dogs and we’ll take great care of her.”
“I’m counting on it,” Mrs. Whitman said.
The second the call was officially over I squealed and Sasha and Taylor ran over. “We have another client!” I exclaimed. “A poodle named Clarabelle.”
“The Whitmans live just down the street from us,” Sasha exclaimed. “Clarabelle is really sweet.”
And then the phone rang again. “Oh, let me get it this time,” Sasha begged, and Taylor and I waved her over.
“Roxbury Park Dog Shelter,” Sasha said in a businesslike tone that would make her mom proud. She paused while the person on the other end of the call spoke and then she grinned. “Yes, you’ve reached the Roxbury Park Dog Club and I’d be happy to tell you about it.”
Taylor and I high-fived as Sasha began to tell the next potential client about our club.
It was official: The Roxbury Park Dog Club was taking off!
“Kim, this is not your best work,” my dad said, the corners of his mouth turning down as he looked at my quiz, the one where I gotten a seventy. I’d put off telling my parents but I knew it would come out at Parent Night in a few weeks, so I’d finally bitten the bullet and confessed. It was later that night and we’d just finished washing the dinner dishes. Matt was out with a friend.
My mom had her arms crossed over her chest but she didn’t look angry, just disappointed, as she leaned against the counter. “Kim, I’m worried that all the time with the Dog Club is taking away from your homework,” she said.
My dad was nodding as he put away the salad bowl. “We know you want to help out at the shelter and we think the club is a great idea,” he said. “But school has to come first.”
My heart thumped hard in my chest. I couldn’t let them take away my time with the club, not now, when we were really starting to make it happen.
“It’s not, I promise,” I said. “I’m just having a hard time because Mrs. Benson says the quiz questions so fast. But I’ll get the hang of it, I know I will.”
My parents exchanged a look and I rushed on. “Mrs. Benson says the quizzes aren’t a big part of our final grade. The tests and the essay count for more. And I did well on the first test because she gave us enough time for it. And I really studied.”
“That’s good,” my dad said, sounding slightly less worried.
My mom raised an eyebrow. “How is the essay going?”
I gulped because I couldn’t lie to my parents. “I think I’ve figured out what I’m going to write about, mostly, and Matt said he’d help. I’ll work really hard and I know I’ll do a good job.” Okay, that last part was kind of a lie since I didn’t know I’d do a good job. But I really would try my hardest.
They were communicating with their eyes again and I held my breath. Finally my mom nodded. “If you promise to work harder on those quizzes and do well on the essay, you can keep on working at the Dog Club.”
I let out a cheer.
My dad held up a finger. “But if your grades start to slip because of the time you’re spending with dogs—”
“They won’t,” I interrupted. “I promise.”
My mom smiled. “And we believe you.”
I headed upstairs before they could change their minds. I’d already done my homework but I was going to look over our reading one more time. I knew we’d have a pop quiz the next day and this time I’d be ready for it!
Over the next few days we got calls from a bunch of dog owners interested in finding out about the club. Some decided the club wasn’t for them and others took down information and then said they’d be in touch. By the time Monday rolled around we had five dogs attending the very first session of the club. Over the weekend their owners brought them by the shelter so they could socialize with the other dogs, and the owners could see where the
ir dogs would be going. Each dog had done well so we were set to bring them all in to start the week. And most of the owners had requested pickup service, which meant even more money for the shelter. It also meant we had to go get them right when the bell rang at the end of school.
We split up as soon as we got out of the building and headed to get the dogs, each of us going to a different part of town. I went by Humphrey’s house first. I heard his nails clicking on the floor as soon as I opened the door and when he saw me he gave a loud bark of joy.
“I’m happy to see you too,” I told him. He licked my face as I snapped on his leash. “Ready to go make some friends?”
He bobbed his head as we headed out. I almost forgot to lock the Cronins’ door but luckily remembered when we were halfway down the front path. It would not have been good if they got home to find their front door open!
“First we’re going to pick up Gus,” I told Humphrey. “He’s just a few houses down. Maybe you’ve met him out walking or in the dog park.”
The Cronins had told Gus’s owner, Mrs. Washington, about the club and she had signed him up right away. He was a brown Lab who bounded about happily when Humphrey and I arrived at the front door. His leash was right on the front hall table and he stood still, trembling slightly with excitement, as I clipped it on his red collar. As soon as we started for the door he barked in delight. It made me so happy to see his excitement at going out in the afternoon, when he was usually just home alone.
Things got a little tricky once we hit the sidewalk. Gus wanted to run but Humphrey preferred his own, slow pace. It took several firm tugs on Gus’s leash for him to understand that I meant business.
As we walked down Main Street I heard a dog barking loudly and a moment later I saw Sasha nearly being dragged down the street by Coco, the big black and brown dog I’d almost been run over by the week before. I’d been really pleased when her owner called but now it looked like she might be more than Sasha could handle.
I wanted to rush over and help but Humphrey and Gus had stopped to sniff the doorway of Rose Petal Bakery and weren’t interested in budging.
“Tell them like you mean it,” I called to Sasha as two nervous-looking people crossed the street to avoid Coco.
“I’ve tried that so much I think I’m losing my voice!” Sasha called. Her hair was slipping out of her braid and her face was red. “And my arm is about to fall off from trying to keep a strong grip on her leash.”
I gave Humphrey’s and Gus’s leashes a tug and managed to get them moving. “Coco, sit,” I said in my most take-charge dog voice as I got close.
Coco looked up, a playful glint in her eye.
“Sit,” I said again.
Coco sat.
“I don’t know how you do that,” Sasha said, rubbing her arm and then leaning over to rub Coco’s head so she’d know she’d done a good job.
“Kim knows how to show dogs who’s boss,” Taylor said, coming up behind us. We’d just had her pick up one dog, Clarabelle, a classically groomed poodle with clouds of fluffy white fur on her paws, upper body, and head, while the rest of her was cleanly shaven.
“I thought I did too, but Coco didn’t seem to get the message,” Sasha said as we started for the shelter.
I was about to respond when Humphrey stopped short and Clarabelle almost tripped over his leash. Coco began barking at a squirrel across the street and Gus tried to sniff Clarabelle, who backed away uncertainly.
Sasha began to laugh. “And I thought walking the dogs to the shelter was going to be the easy part!”
Taylor and I began laughing too as we got our pack moving and in the front door of the shelter.
Lily, Boxer, Hattie, and Mr. Smashmouth were in the middle of greeting Daisy, a dachshund with short brown fur, but they took one look at their guests and began barking while Popsicle ran yipping into Alice’s office.
I turned to Sasha. “I think maybe the walk was the easy part,” I said as Alice hurried out of her office.
But Sasha couldn’t hear me over the din. Caley came over and led Hattie and Clarabelle off to one corner while Tim headed outside with Boxer, Coco, and Lily. Taylor soothed Popsicle and Sasha began a game of fetch with Gus and Daisy. And finally things were calm again.
“I guess we need to work on our entrance,” I said to Alice. I was a little worried she’d say the club was too much chaos and we’d have to stop it, but she just smiled.
“It’s a lot to have all of them come in at once,” she said, absently brushing some fur off her T-shirt, which had a silhouette of a Doberman and said, “Wag Like You Mean It.” “Maybe think of ways to stagger it next time.”
“Good idea,” I said, relieved she was taking it in stride.
I looked around the shelter to see where help might be needed. Taylor and Popsicle were snuggling happily on the far side of the room and Sasha’s game of fetch was going well. But over in the corner it looked like Hattie and Clarabelle were not hitting it off. There was a red ball between them and they clearly didn’t want to share it. The fur on Hattie’s neck was standing up and Clarabelle stood in a defensive pose. Caley didn’t appear to notice the warning signs and was walking away to get another toy.
I bit my lip as I took in the scene. I didn’t want to step on Caley’s toes, or seem like I was telling her what to do when she was in high school and I was just a kid. But the dogs needed my help and that mattered the most. So I took a deep breath and headed over.
When I got close I saw Hattie’s ears flatten and she gave a low growl. “Hattie, no,” I said in my most forceful dog voice. I wrapped my fingers around her collar so she couldn’t snap at Clarabelle. She was worked up and breathing hard, but stayed still.
Caley had heard the sound and rushed over to hold on to Clarabelle.
“Whoa, I so didn’t see that coming,” Caley said, her eyes wide.
I was rubbing Hattie in long soothing strokes and her breathing began slowing to normal. “The way Clarabelle had her ears back in that defensive stance was a sign she was upset,” I said. “But it can be hard to notice.”
“What was going on?” she asked.
“A struggle for dominance, I think,” I said. “It’s pretty common when dogs first meet each other. And for Hattie it’s a threat to have a new dog in her home.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Caley said. “But what can we do about it?”
“They’ll determine who the alpha dog is,” I said. “The dog in charge. But we need to let them know who the pack leader is. That’s what I did when I came over and stopped them.”
“You really are the dog whisperer,” Caley said admiringly.
Normally I loved hearing that but right now I was trying to read the signs between the two dogs, to see if they were ready to try and play together or if they needed some space. Hattie had relaxed but Clarabelle still looked tense.
I reached out my hand to Clarabelle. We hadn’t really met yet so letting her sniff my hand was the best way to introduce myself and say hello. After a moment she reached out and gently touched her nose to my palm. I let go of Hattie and pet Clarabelle softly, feeling her slowly calm down.
“This is Hattie,” I said to Clarabelle. “And this is Clarabelle. I think the two of you may have gotten off on the wrong foot, so let’s start over. I know you’re going to be good friends soon.”
“Do you think I can let her go now?” Caley asked.
I looked at both dogs and nodded. This time they just began sniffing each other and after a moment, Hattie rolled over and showed her belly.
I smiled. “They’ve decided Clarabelle is the alpha here,” I said, relieved it had gone so well. “They should be fine now.”
Sure enough, after I tossed the red ball they ran after it together happily.
Caley shook her head. “Good thing it wasn’t Coco and Boxer who got off on the wrong foot,” she said.
Which made me realize I wanted to look outside and see how the biggest dogs were doing. I left Caley with Hattie a
nd Clarabelle and went to look out a back window. Tim was running after Boxer, who had nabbed his favorite green Frisbee, while Coco and Lily jumped around them in a gleeful circle, barking joyfully. The sight of it made me smile.
“Wow, what was going on with Hattie and Clarabelle?” Sasha asked me as she and Taylor came up next to me.
I told them the story.
“Yikes,” Sasha said. “It’s really lucky you noticed.”
“Yeah,” I said. “But we can’t count on luck if we’re running a business.”
Taylor was nodding. “It’s true,” she said. “How can we avoid conflicts like that in the future?”
I’d been thinking about it. “First maybe we need to change how we bring the club dogs to the shelter,” I said.
“It was pretty overwhelming today,” Sasha agreed. The red ball rolled close to us and she picked it up and tossed it for Clarabelle, Hattie, and Mr. Smashmouth, who had joined them.
“It might help if we bring the dogs in a few at a time, instead of all at once,” I said. “And let them acclimate for a bit before the next dogs arrive.”
“That would let the shelter dogs get used to visitors, too,” Taylor added.
“Exactly,” I said. “I think Hattie felt threatened by all the newcomers at once. From now on she’ll feel more comfortable with Clarabelle but it will still be a better transition for all the dogs.”
“And when new dogs come,” Sasha said.
“Yeah,” I agreed, twining a lock of hair around my finger. “And maybe we should spend some time now integrating the other dogs. They met this weekend but let’s help them feel safe playing together.”
Sasha nodded. “Great idea. I can take Hattie, Lily, and Clarabelle outside,” she said.
I shook my head. “Let’s keep Hattie away from Lily a little longer,” I said. “She’s really been getting more independent and we want to help her. What about taking Gus and Daisy with Taylor while I bring Popsicle over to play with Hattie and Clarabelle?”
So that’s what we did and the rest of the afternoon went smoothly.