The Unwanted Puppy

by Holly Webb

  Then he stopped, his ears twitching eagerly. Was that voices? Footsteps outside the front door? It was hard to tell through two shut doors, but he was almost sure… Scout started to bark frantically, jumping and scrabbling at the kitchen door. It was already scarred with long scratches, the wood shredding under his claws. He could hear the front door opening now and Lauren heaving in the pushchair. Jack was laughing. Oh, how he wanted to get out of there!

  “Listen to that dog! Go and let him out, Jack. I wish I’d been able to pick him up before I came to get you, but I couldn’t get out of work in time.”

  Scout jumped and barked even louder, desperate to see his family. As Jack opened the kitchen door Scout flung himself forwards, wanting to lick them all over – to show them how much he’d missed them.

  He hurled himself through the door, not realizing that Jack was standing just behind it. Scout went straight into him, his front paws right on the little boy’s chest, and Jack flew backwards, landing on the hallway floor with a thump.

  “Jack!”

  Jack was silent for a moment, until he caught his breath, and then he howled.

  Scout stared at him, horrified by the noise. He wasn’t entirely sure what had happened – was Jack playing? They did roll on the floor together sometimes. He leaned over and nudged Jack’s cheek with his nose.

  “Bad dog! Get away!” Lauren scolded and Scout flinched. He crept along the wall to hide in the corner by the front door where the wellies were. He wasn’t really sure what had happened. It had all been so quick. He’d only wanted to say hello – it had been such a long day shut in the kitchen all by himself…

  Scout watched as Lauren picked Jack up, fussing over him and stroking his head anxiously. Jack was still crying and now Tilly was wailing, too. Scout pressed further into the corner, trying to make himself small enough that no one would see him and shout.

  Scout finished his bowl of food, and looked over at Lauren, wondering when he was going for a walk. She’d let him into the garden for a wee, but that was all. He hadn’t been out since Ben had taken him for a quick sprint along the road and back that morning before he left for work. Scout slumped down by the back door sadly, thinking of Zoe racing him across the park and laughing. He was bored – and he felt lonely, even though his people were right here. Jack was still cross with him, he could tell. He kept glaring whenever Scout looked at him.

  When Ben got back, Scout bounced up to him hopefully, but all he got was a quick ear scratch, and then Jack grabbed his dad’s hand and climbed up his legs for a cuddle, telling him all about his accident.

  “I banged my head on the floor! I really did. It went thump. Mummy shouted at Scout!”

  “Oh no, love, what happened?” Ben looked over at Lauren anxiously.

  “It wasn’t really Scout’s fault. I think he jumped up just at the wrong time. He was so excited to see us – you know he hates being shut up on his own while we’re all out.” Lauren sighed. “He just ploughed Jack over. He’s getting so strong…”

  Jack’s dad hugged him tighter, and made sympathetic noises about the lump on his head, and then Jack wriggled away and went back to playing with his cars.

  “Do you think he’s OK? He doesn’t look as if it’s hurting that much,” Ben said, shrugging off his jacket and sitting down at the table.

  “I think he’s fine – this time. I was so worried, though.” Lauren shook her head. “I just don’t know what we’re going to do, Ben…”

  Ben made a face. “I know. We weren’t expecting the new job and the move to happen, that’s all. When we first got Scout we had plenty of time for looking after him. But now – we’re not doing a very good job, are we, boy?”

  Scout hurried over to him, resting his muzzle lovingly on Ben’s leg. He closed his eyes blissfully as Ben pulled gently on his ears. Yes! At last someone was fussing over him, like he wanted.

  Then there was a sudden wail from the hallway, and a furious shout from Jack. “Tilly took my car!”

  Ben jumped up to go and sort out the argument, gently pushing Scout away, and that was that. Everyone seemed to be busy, racing about and hardly noticing him at all.

  Scout gave up and took his chew toy over to the nest he’d made among the wellies. There was a little draught coming in under the front door – a fresh scent of outdoors and the cut-grass smell of the park.

  He could go by himself, Scout thought sadly, pressing his nose against the crack. He knew the way. He might even find Zoe. His tail thumped on the carpet at the thought of her. Yes! He would go to the park and find Zoe – she was always there when he was. Why shouldn’t he?

  It was just then that he heard footsteps hurrying up to the door and the doorbell rang. Scout jumped back in surprise at the shrill noise, his tail swishing uncertainly. He watched as Jack came racing down the hall shouting, “Nannie! Nannie!” and reached up to open the front door.

  There was someone on the doorstep, but Scout hardly saw them. He only saw the path and the pavement and the swinging gate in between.

  The pavement led to the park and to Zoe – someone who wanted him. He raced out of the door before anyone could stop him.

  Zoe sat on her bed, with her mum’s laptop balanced on the pillow. All day at school she’d been thinking about her conversation with her dad – the amazing idea that perhaps they could have a Bernese mountain dog of their own!

  Zoe had been hoping to meet up with Scout and Jack and Lauren in the park after school and take him for a walk – she’d thought maybe she’d also get the chance to ask Lauren about a fun agility class or something like that for Scout. It might help to wear him out and keep his brain busy. She’d been sort of looking forward to asking about it, and sort of not. She didn’t want Lauren to think she was sticking her nose in…

  Zoe sighed. She hadn’t realized until today quite how much she looked forward to seeing Scout – she’d been so disappointed to miss him. Meeting up with him in the park was one of the highlights of her day. Zoe was almost sure that her mum and dad felt the same. She’d noticed that she and Mum both speeded up as they went in the park gates on the way home from school. They’d hurry along the paths, scanning the park to see where Scout was. Dad was just the same, always looking hopefully for the big puppy on their walk to school.

  Today they hadn’t seen him at all – Zoe had met Jack and Lauren and Tilly hurrying through the playground, and Lauren had explained that she hadn’t had time to go home and get Scout that afternoon. She’d even been a bit late picking Jack up, she said. Zoe felt as though she’d missed out on something special. She sighed again and peered thoughtfully at the list of websites on the screen. There seemed to be loads of links to pages about Bernese mountain dogs – some were the websites of breeders and some were clubs for owners. She chose one of the club pages and clicked on Things to Know. If Dad was really serious about them getting a Bernese one day, she wanted to be prepared.

  Zoe found herself nodding thoughtfully as she read down the page. A lot of the information seemed to tie in with what she’d noticed about Scout. She’d seen him start to look worried and jumpy when Tilly was crying, and it said here that some Bernese could be sound-sensitive – that high-pitched noises almost hurt their ears.

  Zoe nibbled her lip worriedly. Lauren had said Tilly was teething and crying a lot. That definitely wasn’t going to help Scout settle down. There were common-sense things the website said to think about, too – a big dog was more likely to accidentally hurt a small child. Scout was big, but he was still a puppy, so he was clumsy and not really in control of his paws…

  Zoe went on reading, giggling to herself at some of the funny bits. Apparently most Bernese didn’t really like playing fetch, because they just didn’t see the point. The owner would throw a ball, and the dog would fetch it the first couple of times and then give up, because honestly, why? She could easily imagine Scout dropping a ball at her feet and glaring at her, his gorgeous ginger eyebrows twitching. Now, look. You keep dropping it, and I keep bri
nging it back for you. Don’t do it again! Oi! I said don’t do that… It would be so funny.

  Zoe looked up from the laptop, her eyes widening. Then she turned herself round on the bed, sinking her chin into her hands. She’d just realized something – something awful.

  Dad was all excited about getting a puppy, but she didn’t want just any Bernese mountain dog.

  She wanted Scout.

  Scout raced down the pavement, ignoring the shouts behind him. It was so good not to be cooped up in the house! His paws pounded on the tarmac and his ears were flapping as he bounded along. It was a chilly evening and a little bit drizzly, but he didn’t mind. The dampness felt good on his fur.

  He paused for a moment at the end of the road, sniffing thoughtfully. Ben usually took him out for a short walk just before bed, so he was used to the dark. Yes, the park was this way. He trotted on, eager to go racing over the grass and to find Zoe. As he saw the park gates ahead he sped up and his tail started to wag with excitement. He darted in, loving the scents of cut grass and tree blossom and other dogs. He bounced on to the wide stretch of grass, enjoying the feel of the soft ground and cool grass under his paws.

  For a couple of minutes he just ran, feeling the stretch in his legs as he snapped at imaginary butterflies and chased his own tail round and round. Then he slumped down into a happy, panting heap and started to wonder where Zoe was.

  He had expected to find her – or rather, he’d expected her to find him. She always did. He looked round eagerly, hoping to see her hurrying down the path towards him, excited and waving. But there seemed to be no one in the park at all. It was eerily quiet.

  Scout sat up, and gazed around worriedly. He hadn’t thought about what he might do if he couldn’t find Zoe. He had just expected that she would be there. She always was…

  Except, maybe this time she wasn’t? His ears twitched at the strange sounds of the birds rustling in the trees and he stood up, pacing around in a tiny circle. Zoe was in the park when he was there with Jack, Scout realized. Now it was the wrong time – it was dark, closer to the time he went out for a last walk before bed.

  Zoe wasn’t here. He was all alone.

  Tucked away under the little climbing wall that led up to the playground slide, Scout gazed out at the damp morning, wondering if he should try to find his way back home. He was sure he could do it – he’d done this walk so many times. But something was stopping him. He kept remembering Jack howling when he’d knocked him over by accident and then Lauren’s sharp voice. They had both sounded so angry and upset.

  Somehow his home wasn’t a place he felt happy in any more and Scout didn’t really understand how that had happened.

  A few times during the night the cold had woken him and Scout had wanted to go home. But the padding of strange paws past his hiding place had made him tuck his tail between his legs and wriggle further under the leaves in the corner, and he wished he’d never run away. He knew home. He was safe there, at least, and warm. A couple of times he’d got as far as the gate of the little playground before he remembered how cross everyone was and how he hated being shut up in the kitchen on his own. Each time, he’d turned back from the gate and gone to curl up by himself again.

  Now Scout’s tail thumped against the dry leaves as he heard voices in the distance. Zoe! She’d come to find him at last! He wriggled out of his hiding place just as a dad with two little girls pushed open the gate. Scout’s tail drooped again as one of the little girls raced towards the climbing wall and then stopped dead.

  “A dog!” she squeaked. Scout came out from under the sloping wall, his tail beating nervously from side to side.

  “Hey, Olivia, come away!” the little girl’s father said sharply. “Don’t touch the dog. We don’t know if it’s friendly. It must be a stray – there’s no one else here.”

  The little girl ran back towards her father, and he shooed her and her sister out of the way. Then he came closer to Scout, crouching low and flapping his hands. “Come on. Out!”

  Scout tucked his tail down, crouching. He’d done something wrong again, he could tell. These people were angry with him, too. He scuttled forward, trying to avoid the cross-sounding man, and darted out of the gate.

  Now that he was up and walking, Scout realized how hungry he was. Perhaps he should just go home after all? But the path back to the gate led past the playground again. He didn’t want to go that way and be shouted at. So he kept on, wandering along the path that led to the other side of the big park and another gate. He didn’t usually come this way with Lauren and Jack and he stood uncertainly in the opening, wondering where to go and what to do.

  He felt more alone than ever.

  “But I thought all dogs liked playing fetch? You mean they don’t even chase sticks?” Zoe’s dad sounded quite shocked, she thought. She grinned at him, shrugging. It was so exciting talking to him about Bernese dogs like this. It made it seem all the more possible that they might get another dog of their own soon. Even if it’s not Scout… a little voice said in the back of her mind. Zoe squashed it down again. Scout belonged to another family. He was Jack’s dog. She was going to have her own dog.

  “That’s what this website said. I suppose chasing sticks might be different… I don’t know. It just said they think fetching is boring. I can see why, can’t you?”

  “Mmmm. It really does sound as though they’re very intelligent.” Zoe’s dad glanced down at his watch. “We’d better walk a bit faster if we’re going to get to this dance class on time, Zoe. It’s almost ten!”

  Zoe wasn’t listening. “Dad, look!” She grabbed his arm. “Look! Isn’t that Scout?”

  “What? Oh, are they out for a walk?” Her dad looked up and down the street, obviously expecting to see Lauren or Ben.

  “No, look, there behind that parked car. It is!”

  Zoe stuffed her dancing bag into Dad’s arms and raced up the road. She was almost sure that the black and tan and white dog peering round the car was Scout, but he was all on his own. Lauren never let him off the lead, because he wasn’t reliable enough at coming back.

  “Did you pull your lead out of her hand?” Zoe asked gently, stopping a little way from Scout and the car. He looked nervous and she didn’t want to scare him and make him run into the road. But he darted towards her, licking her hands and whining delightedly. “Hello! Oh, you’re such a lovely dog! But where’s Lauren, Scout? Where’s Jack?”

  “Hello, boy,” her dad panted. “So it is you…” He crouched down to make a fuss over Scout, too. “Can you see Lauren or Ben, Zoe? Scout shouldn’t be out on the pavement like this.”

  “I know,” said Zoe. “I thought he must have pulled his lead out of Lauren’s hand, but he hasn’t even got his lead on. Just his collar. And they don’t let him off the lead…”

  “Ohhh… Have you gone walkabout?” Dad murmured to Scout, rubbing his ears. “Maybe he slipped out of their garden.”

  “What are we going to do?” Zoe asked. “We ought to take him home, but I only know they live on the other side of the park. I think they go to the gate at the bottom of the hill.”

  “Mmmm.” Dad looked thoughtful. “We could walk down that way; we might meet them coming to look for him. But then we’re not even sure if they know he’s gone… Oh! Dancing!” He looked at his watch again and made a face. “Zoe, it’s starting right now!”

  “But taking Scout home is way more important,” Zoe said indignantly. “We can text Miss Julia. She won’t mind, Dad, honestly.”

  “Mmmm. Well, I guess you’re right. We can’t just leave him here. Has he got a tag on that collar?”

  “Yes, and there’s a phone number. We can call them.”

  Dad sighed. “Except I haven’t got my phone with me. We’ll have to take him home and do it.” He unzipped Zoe’s dance bag. “Do you think we could tie your ballet tights through his collar? I don’t want to risk him running out into the road.”

  Zoe laughed. “Yes, but we’d better not tell Mum. S
he said those tights were really expensive.”

  Carefully, she looped the tights through Scout’s collar and turned to lead him gently back towards their house. “Come on, Scout…” She wasn’t sure if he’d want to follow her – after all, he didn’t know her that well and he wasn’t used to going in this direction. But he padded along beside her quite happily, every now and then looking up at her, as if to check that she was still there.

  “He’s walking very well,” Dad said. “Not pulling at all. I was a bit worried he’d be too strong for you, but he’s being very calm.”

  “He’s gorgeous,” Zoe said with a tiny sigh. She wished it was a longer walk home. As soon as they called the mobile number on his collar, Lauren or Ben would come and pick up Scout, and it was so lovely pretending that he was hers and they were just out for a weekend stroll.

  She led Scout into their driveway and Dad unlocked the front door to let them in. Zoe’s mum obviously heard them from the kitchen. “Was dancing cancelled?” she called.

  “No…” Zoe called back. “We found Scout! He’s run off, Mum. We’ve got to call Lauren to come and get him.” Quickly, she whisked her dancing tights off Scout’s collar and stuffed them back into the bag. Her dad winked at her.

  “Oh, my goodness…” Her mum appeared in the kitchen doorway. “Hello, sweetheart! What were you doing, running about on your own? Thank goodness you two found him before he went into a road,” she added.

  “I know. I didn’t have my phone though.” Zoe’s dad walked into the kitchen and picked it up from the counter. “There’s a mobile number on his collar tag.” He crouched down beside Scout, trying to read the tag and tap in the number while Scout licked his chin and tried to climb on top of him. “You daft dog… Oh… It’s not ringing. It says that number’s not in use.”