Kristy Thomas, Dog Trainer

by Ann M. Martin

  The young man stopped. His dog stopped, too, and stood like a rock. The man broke into a huge smile, squatted down, and reached out. “Scout?” he said.

  She licked his hand and wiggled all over as he petted her.

  “Toby is a Lab too,” he said.

  “Toby? Is that your dog’s name?” I asked. I knew better than to pet Toby. When you see a guide dog at work, you shouldn’t try to pet it. How would you like it if you were at work, sitting at your desk, for example, and people came up and petted you on the head all the time?

  He nodded. “And my name is Jim.”

  “Is Toby your first guide dog?” I asked as Jim stood up again, grasping Toby’s harness.

  “Yes,” he said. “Toby and I have been together four years. Toby’s changed my life. Toby goes to the office with me, we go out to dinner, we go to movies. Together, Toby and I can do anything.”

  Jim told us about meeting Toby for the first time, when he went to the Guide Dog Foundation to be trained. “It was the best day of my life,” he said.

  We talked for a little while longer before Jim and Toby had to go. Before he left, he congratulated us for raising a puppy for the Guide Dog Foundation.

  Watson and I stood and watched as Toby and Jim walked briskly and confidently away from us. I couldn’t help but think of Deb, standing so lost and alone in the street, angry and scared.

  Maybe one day she would have a guide dog like Toby who would change her life.

  And one day Scout would change somebody else’s life.

  It would be hard to let Scout go, but when the time came, I could do it.

  I looked up at Watson and he handed me the leash. I smiled.

  “Come on, Scout,” I said. “Let’s go home.”

  When Abby arrived at the Coopers’ house, she discovered that Deb wasn’t sitting in the den in the dark listening to the television and brooding.

  “Maya is here,” Mark told Abby as he led her down the hall. “She’s with Deb. Maya is a mobo … moby …”

  “Mobility instructor,” said Mrs. Cooper. She told Abby where the list of phone numbers for emergencies was, agreed with Mark and Jed that they could have a snack before she got back, and reminded them to be sure to offer a snack to Maya if she was still there.

  To Abby, Mrs. Cooper added, “As you know, Deb’s been having some difficulty adjusting to what happened.”

  “Right,” said Abby.

  “So we view this as progress,” Mrs. Cooper continued. “Anyway, Maya is very nice and seems quite good at what she does. I hope you get to meet her.”

  As soon as Mrs. Cooper left, Mark and Jed practically dragged Abby to Mark’s room. “Look what I got,” Mark said, holding up an envelope.

  “It’s a letter,” Jed supplied helpfully.

  “I’ve been checking the mail every day,” Mark told Abby. “Stacey gave me the address for the dogs that help blind people, and I wrote to tell them I wanted a dog for my sister.”

  Sure enough, Abby saw the logo of the Guide Dog Foundation in one corner of the envelope.

  Mark went on, “Will you help me read it?”

  “Sure,” said Abby. She sat cross-legged on the floor next to the bed with Mark on one side and Jed on the other.

  “ ‘Dear Mark,’ ” she read aloud. “ ‘Thank you for your letter. We are glad you are interested in the Guide Dog Foundation. You asked how much a guide dog would cost for your sister. The guide dogs at this time cost over twenty thousand dollars to train —’ ”

  “Twenty thousand dollars!” Mark gasped. “I can never save up that much money!”

  “You can have my piggy bank,” Jed offered.

  “Wait,” Abby interrupted gently. “There’s more. ‘… but they are free to the people who need them. We ask that a person who is going to work with our guide dogs come to live in the dormitory at our foundation for approximately three weeks to learn how to work with a guide dog, and we like for guide dog owners to be at least sixteen years old. We have placed guide dogs all over the world.

  “ ‘We hope you will come visit the Guide Dog Foundation. Enclosed is a brochure with more information.’ ”

  When Abby finished the letter, Mark said glumly, “It’ll be years before Deb is old enough to have her own guide dog.”

  “When she’s sixteen,” Abby said. “That’s not so long. I think your idea is a wonderful one, Mark.”

  “You do?” Mark asked, looking a little less upset.

  “Yes, I do.”

  Just then, they heard a thump in the hall and an angry exclamation. “Who put that there?!” Deb cried. “I’ll never get this. It’s stupid!”

  Naturally, Abby followed Mark and Jed out into the hall to see what was going on.

  Deb was standing outside the door of her room, awkwardly holding on to a long white cane with a red tip. Beside her was a young woman with a friendly face and kind eyes, who said in an unruffled tone, “It does seem stupid at first. But with practice, you’ll get the hang of it.”

  “Hi, Maya,” Jed said.

  Maya glanced in the direction of Abby and the Cooper boys. “Hi,” she said.

  Abby said, “We haven’t met. I’m Abby Stevenson. I’m here to sit with Mark and Jed.”

  Jed blurted out, “And guess what, Deb? You can have a guide dog instead of a cane someday. When you’re sixteen!”

  That got Deb’s attention. She frowned in Jed’s direction and said, “What are you talking about?”

  “I wrote to the guide dog place and they wrote me back, all about guide dogs. They’re free!” Mark explained.

  “We were about to have a snack,” Abby told Deb and Maya. “Do you want to join us?”

  “Thanks,” Maya said before Deb could answer. “We will. You go on to the kitchen. We’ll be right there.”

  They didn’t arrive right away. But when Maya and Deb came into the kitchen, it seemed to Abby that Deb was already moving around in her new world with a little more confidence.

  Abby put out juice and oatmeal-raisin cookies, while Maya talked in a general way about what a mobility instructor does. “Basically, I teach a person to get oriented,” she explained. “To develop an inner compass to help him or her navigate in the world and handle any obstacles that might arise.”

  Although Maya was talking to all of them, Abby could sense that what she was saying was largely directed at Deb. After a while, Deb said, “Maybe a guide dog wouldn’t be so bad.”

  Mark said, “Kristy has one!”

  Startled, Deb said, “Kristy? But she’s not blind!”

  “Kristy is a baby-sitter too,” Abby told Maya. She went on to explain how my family had become volunteers to raise a guide dog puppy until it was old enough to go into training to be a guide dog.

  “Scout — that’s their puppy’s name — just finished a puppy obedience class,” Abby said. Now it was her turn to tell stories about Scout and the guide dog program. Deb seemed interested. Maybe, Abby thought, it would give her more hope.

  As they finished their snacks, Maya said, “It’s time for me to go.” She stood up and said, “Deb, why don’t you walk me to the front door?”

  Deb made a face, but she didn’t argue. As they left the kitchen, Abby heard Maya say, “You know, before you can get a guide dog, you’ll have to learn basic orientation. If you don’t know how to get to where you’re going, how can you tell your dog?”

  “I get the point,” Deb answered tartly. But Abby didn’t think she sounded quite so cross.

  Abby looked at Mark and Jed. “You know what?” she said. “Not only was your idea a great one, Mark, but I predict that someday soon, Deb will be booking through the world with a guide dog of her own.”

  Abby was telling us about her sitting job with the Coopers, and I was rifling through my pack when I had an idea. And this time, it was a truly brilliant idea.

  “Puppy Walker Fun Day!” I exclaimed, rudely interrupting Abby.

  Abby’s used to me. She raised one eyebrow and waited.

>   Claudia said, “An idea, President Thomas?”

  “An idea,” I agreed. “We’ve been invited to Puppy Walker Fun Day at the Guide Dog Foundation. It’s a celebration to honor all the puppy walkers, past and present.”

  “That’s so nice,” said Jessi as I pulled one of the invitations out of my pack.

  Waving the invitation in the air, I said, “It’s the perfect opportunity.”

  “For what?” Stacey asked.

  Mal plucked the invitation from my hand before I could answer and said, “Look at this. There’s a costume parade for the dogs. And a family tree, so you can see your dog’s family history. And refreshments.”

  “Perfect opportunity for what?” Stacey repeated.

  “For Deb. For the Coopers. I’m going to invite them to go with us.”

  Mary Anne said, “Kristy! You’re right. It’s the perfect opportunity. And it’s a brilliant idea.”

  “If you can convince Deb,” Jessi cautioned me.

  “I’ll convince her,” I said. “Trust me.”

  Abby burst out laughing. “You will, Kristy. You will. Deb doesn’t stand a chance!”

  * * *

  Surprisingly, Deb didn’t take as much convincing as I thought she would. And so, on Puppy Walker Fun Day we returned to the Guide Dog Foundation. My whole family was there, plus the Coopers, plus an enormous, beautiful butterfly.

  Butterfly? Yup. Scout was wearing a pair of amazing cardboard butterfly wings attached to a harness that had been covered with material to look like a butterfly body.

  Naturally, we had Claudia to thank for this. She’d measured Scout and figured out how to make the outfit. Amazingly enough, Scout was wearing the costume as if it were a part of her.

  Deb was nervous about being among so many people. But it didn’t last long, especially not with Karen there to ask questions.

  “Hi,” she would call. “How old is your dog? What’s her name? Have you raised many puppies? This is Scout. She’s a butterfly. She’s our first guide dog puppy. We have a puppy named Shannon and we had a dog named Louie….”

  We met one woman, a retired schoolteacher, who had raised seventeen guide dog puppies. Through her puppies she had made friends all over the world. I was reassured to hear that she stayed in touch with most of the people who had dogs she’d raised. Her current puppy, who wasn’t much older than Scout, was dressed as a dalmatian!

  We saw dogs dressed as sunflowers and superheros (which, in my opinion, all the dogs are), princesses and angels. One dog was even dressed up in a carrot outfit, complete with a feathery green hat to represent the stalk. A few people were raising more than one puppy. One man had a golden retriever who had not completed guide dog training after it was discovered she had a hip problem. Since that might have meant problems for her future owner, she was taken out of the program. He’d welcomed her back into the family with open arms, and now she was the dog mentor to the guide dog puppies the man continued to raise.

  Jed and Mark talked almost as much as Karen, and among them, the Coopers kept Deb posted on all the activity around her. She stooped to feel the feathery top on the carrot-dog costume and actually laughed when her father told her about the “dalmatian.”

  Then the younger kids spotted the obstacle course set up for the dogs to climb over and under and through. Naturally, they didn’t think it was just for dogs. With Charlie and Nannie trailing behind them, they ran to try it out.

  Just then I saw Gillian. I waved her over to us. “Kristy,” she said, “we’re glad you could make it.”

  “I am too,” I told her. I introduced Deb, who immediately held out her hand and waited for Gillian to take it.

  As they shook hands, Deb said, “I hope I can have a guide dog someday.”

  “That would be great,” said Gillian.

  “I’m going to ask for a chocolate Lab, just like Scout,” Deb went on.

  “It’s possible that you might even have one of Scout’s younger brothers or sisters, or a cousin,” Gillian answered. “Most of our dogs are bred and raised right here.”

  We glanced at Scout. Nannie was holding her butterfly wings as she followed Karen and David Michael through a large tunnel that had been set up as part of the obstacle course. As usual, Scout was wagging her tail as hard as she could.

  Just then, Mark came hurrying back to us. He grabbed Deb by the hand. “Deb,” he said, “they’re taking pictures of the dogs in their costumes. Come have your picture taken with Scout.”

  “I think we should all have our picture taken together,” I said. Then I waited, holding my breath.

  For a moment, Deb looked uncertain. Then she lifted her chin and shrugged. “Why not?”

  In case you think it’s easy to squeeze all those people plus one dog in a butterfly costume into a photograph — it’s not. It reminded me of the stunt in which as many people as possible try to squeeze into a phone booth.

  But we finally did it. It’s a great photograph. We fill up every available inch of space on it. Karen has her mouth open, talking. David Michael and Andrew are laughing at what she’s saying. Watson and Mom have their arms linked, and Emily Michelle is resting on Nannie’s hip. Charlie has his eyes closed and Sam has one hand raised as if he’s about to wave. Jed and Mark are crouched in front, grinning broadly.

  Deb is standing between her parents, who are smiling too, each resting a hand on one of her shoulders.

  Deb isn’t smiling. But she’s staring straight out at the camera — without her dark glasses — as if she can see a little bit into a future that looks all right.

  And Scout, with her mouth open and her tongue hanging out in a dog grin, is the most beautiful of all.

  I’m going to make a copy of that picture and put it up in my room next to a poster I got the first time I visited the foundation. It shows a guide dog in a harness beneath a caption that reads “Sit. Stay. See.”

  Scout has a long way to go, just like Deb, but I know they’re both going to make it. And maybe I’ll raise other puppies for the foundation and send them out into the world to make it a better place.

  I’ll visit them, too.

  Who knows — maybe I’ll even write a book about it.

  The Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc.® was founded in 1946 to provide guide dogs free of charge to blind people who seek enhanced independence and mobility.

  A fully trained guide dog, on-campus training, transportation to and from the Foundation, and a comprehensive after care program, if needed, are offered at no cost to the blind student.

  If you’d like to know more about the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, you can call 1-800-548-4337. You can also write to 371 East Jericho Turnpike, Smithtown, New York, 11787, or E-mail info@guidedog.org. Plus, you can check out the Foundation website at http://www.guidedog.org.

  * * *

  Dear Reader,

  In Kristy Thomas, Dog Trainer, Kristy’s family takes on a big responsibility when they agree to train a guide dog. Training a guide dog is a huge commitment. Kristy’s family has to be very careful about what they teach Scout, where they take her, and how they let her behave. When Scout grows up, she’s going to have a lot of responsibility, so it’s extra important that the Thomases train her well.

  Training any pet is a big responsibility. It takes lots of patience. Right now, I am training my new cat, Willy, not to claw the furniture. This is a slow process, but he is learning. He is also learning not to take Gussie’s and Woody’s food. Every day he gets a little better, and I reward him for good behavior.

  When you’re training a pet, remember the three P’s — practice, perseverance, and patience!

  Happy reading,

  * * *

  The author gratefully acknowledges

  Nola Thacker

  for her help in

  preparing this manuscript.

  About the Author

  ANN MATTHEWS MARTIN was born on August 12, 1955. She grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, with her parents and her younger sister,
Jane.

  There are currently over 176 million copies of The Baby-sitters Club in print. (If you stacked all of these books up, the pile would be 21,245 miles high.) In addition to The Baby-sitters Club, Ann is the author of two other series, Main Street and Family Tree. Her novels include Belle Teal, A Corner of the Universe (a Newbery Honor book), Here Today, A Dog’s Life, On Christmas Eve, Everything for a Dog, Ten Rules for Living with My Sister, and Ten Good and Bad Things About My Life (So Far). She is also the coauthor, with Laura Godwin, of the Doll People series.

  Ann lives in upstate New York with her dog and her cats.

  Copyright © 1998 by Ann M. Martin

  Cover art by Hodges Soileau

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. SCHOLASTIC, THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First edition, April 1998

  e-ISBN 978-0-545-87438-0