Rootin' Tootin' Cow Dog

by Nancy Krulik

  The next thing I know, Rex is in the ring, running toward that calf.

  “Stand still, calf!” Rex barks. “Let the cowboy lasso you!”

  But the cow doesn’t speak dog. So she keeps running. Only now she’s trying to get away from the two-leg and Rex.

  Rex charges toward the calf.

  The calf dashes across the ring.

  Rex zooms toward the calf.

  The calf bolts away from Rex.

  Suddenly the calf stops. Rex has her backed up against a wall.

  “Hey, cowboy!” I hear Rex shout to the two-leg on the horse. “I got her cornered. Lasso her!”

  But before the cowboy can ride his horse over to the cow, a group of funny-looking two-legs with balls for noses leap into the ring. They have smiles on their faces. But they have angry looks in their eyes.

  I don’t think the two-legs are there to tell Rex what a good job he’s done. I think they’re there to grab him!

  “Run, Rex! Run!” I shout.

  Rex looks back and sees the clowns coming toward him. He takes off running.

  The clowns run after him.

  The calf runs away from him.

  The horse runs in circles.

  There sure is a lot of running going on in that ring.

  And then, suddenly, Rex stops. He has to. He’s surrounded! Everywhere he looks, there’s a two-leg with a ball on his nose.

  One of them reaches out and picks up Rex. Oh no! What’s that clown going to do with Rex?

  “You have to get free!” I shout to Rex. “Jump! Jump now!”

  But Rex doesn’t jump. He just lies there, while the clown carries him out of the ring.

  That’s when I see the face of the clown. He doesn’t have a smile on his face. He has a sad face. It’s the clown with the smile that’s upside down.

  He’s stroking Rex’s back. He’s trying to calm him down. And it’s working. Rex isn’t squirming. He isn’t trying to get away.

  The clown seems nice. But I don’t know. This could be a trick. That dogcatcher in London tricked me with a bone before he threw me into the back of his metal machine and took me to the pound.

  The clown carries Rex through a big gate. I sneak through before the gate can shut me out. I don’t know where that clown is taking Rex. But I’m not letting him go alone. He’s my friend!

  The clown puts Rex down. He pets him on the head and walks away.

  “Why didn’t you try to jump out of his paws?” I ask Rex.

  Rex shrugs. “I kinda liked the way it felt when he petted my back. I just knew he wasn’t going to hurt me.”

  Rex is right. The sad clown didn’t hurt him. He just brought Rex out here—to some place where there are a lot of metal machines with big round paws.

  “What in tarnation?” Rex says. “How can these trucks be back already?”

  “What’s wrong?” I ask.

  “When the trucks show up here in the parking lot, it means they’re gonna pack up the rodeo and move on soon,” Rex tells me. “You and I don’t have much time to get this job thing figured out. I don’t want them to leave without me . . . again.”

  “And I don’t want Josh to get another dog,” I say.

  “Then we better get back into the rodeo,” Rex says.

  “But the sad clown threw us out,” I remind him.

  “We’re not gonna let a little thing like that stop us!” Rex says. “We gotta find jobs quicker than a hiccup. Time’s running out.”

  Rex is right. Time is running out. For both of us.

  CHAPTER 8

  “I still don’t understand what rodeo clowns do,” I tell Rex as we walk back to the rodeo fairground.

  “They help out with the events,” Rex says. “And they make people laugh.”

  “I make Josh laugh a lot,” I tell Rex. “Is that a real job?”

  “Being a rodeo clown is more than just making people laugh,” Rex says. “It’s tough. Especially when it comes to bull riding.”

  “What’s that?” I ask him.

  “It’s another event,” Rex says. “Probably the toughest of the whole rodeo. A cowboy has to climb on top of a big bull and hang on for as long as he can. It’s not easy, because the bull is kicking and bucking all the time. And bulls are strong.”

  I give him a funny look. “Why would a cowboy want to do that?”

  “It’s his job,” Rex says.

  “But what do the clowns do?” I ask. “They’re not the ones sitting on top of the bull.”

  “Actually, the clown’s job is a lot more dangerous than the cowboy’s,” Rex tells me.

  “How?”

  “I can’t explain it,” Rex says. “You have to see it to believe it.”

  YAHOOOOOOOO!

  As Rex and I get near the ring, I hear a loud, frightening noise. My ears flatten against my head. My tail hides between my legs.

  “Wh-what is that?” I ask Rex nervously.

  “The two-legs,” Rex tells me. “They’re cheering at the bull-riding event.”

  “That’s too loud to be two-leg cheering,” I tell him.

  “There’s an awful lot of them in those bleachers,” Rex points out. “Bull riding’s the most popular event. Everyone comes to watch.”

  I look out into the ring. There’s a cowboy sitting on the back of a big angry bull.

  “That bull is kicking hard,” Rex says. “But the cowboy is holding on!”

  YAHOO!

  “Are the two-legs cheering for the cowboy or the bull?” I ask Rex.

  “The cowboy,” Rex says. “Why would they cheer for the bull?”

  “Because he’s standing up for himself,” I explain. “He’s trying to show the cowboy that this isn’t his job.”

  “I never looked at it that way before,” Rex admits.

  GASP!

  There’s another loud noise. But this time it doesn’t sound like cheering.

  The cowboy flies off the bull and lands on the other side of the ring. He’s lying on the ground. And the bull is charging right for him!

  The cowboy gets up and starts to run away. The bull runs after him.

  Suddenly another two-leg leaps into the ring. It’s the sad clown. The one who gave us water. And who didn’t take us to the pound. He’s a nice clown. And now the bull is charging right for him!

  “No, Sad Clown!” I bark. “Get out of there!”

  But the sad clown keeps running around the ring. And the bull keeps running after him!

  “I’ve got to help him!” I tell Rex.

  One, two, three . . . whee! I leap over the fence and into the ring.

  “Sparky, no!” Rex shouts as I leap. “The clown’s okay. That’s his job.”

  Rex may think the sad clown is okay. But I don’t think so.

  “Get out of the ring, Sad Clown!” I bark.

  But the clown doesn’t leave. Now we’re both stuck here in the ring, with a very angry bull.

  Grunt-grunt. Snort-snort.

  And he’s charging right for me!

  CHAPTER 9

  “Don’t mess with Texas!”

  I turn just in time to see Rex leaping into the ring. He’s come to save me from the bull. Just like I came to save the sad clown.

  Rex jumps up, higher than I’ve ever seen a dog jump. He lands right on the back of the bull. Wow! Rex is brave.

  Grunt-grunt. Snort-snort. The bull is even madder now. It’s not his job to give a dog a ride.

  The bull kicks his hind legs high in the air.

  “Hang on!” I shout to Rex.

  “I’m trying!” Rex yells back. He wobbles a little on the back of the bull, but he stays put.

  “Go, Rex!” I cheer.

  YAHOOO! The crowd of two-legs cheers, too.

  The
bull kicks his back legs higher and harder.

  “HEEEELLLLLPPPPPPP!” Rex shouts as he flies off the back of the bull.

  Oh no! Any second now, Rex is going to crash on the ground. He could get hurt. It’s going to be really . . .

  All right. It’s going to be really all right! The sad clown reaches out his arms. He catches Rex before he hits the ground!

  The crowd of two-legs clap their paws together. They cheer. YAHOO!

  Three more clowns rush into the ring. They force the bull into a cage.

  Grunt. Snort.

  That bull still sounds mad. But he can’t hurt us now.

  The clown with the sad face reaches into his pocket. He takes out a red ball and places it right on Rex’s nose.

  I wait for Rex to shake the ball off. But he doesn’t. He just looks up and smiles.

  The two-legs are cheering louder than ever. The sad clown has a happy look in his eyes, even though his smile is still upside down.

  Rex’s tail wags.

  The sad clown reaches into his other pocket. He pulls out a long rope—I mean lasso—and ties it around Rex. He puts Rex down onto the ground. They start walking around the ring. Together.

  Hooray! Rex has someone to be leashed to! And with that red ball on his nose, it looks like he has a job, too. He’s a rodeo-clown dog!

  Seeing Rex and his two-leg makes me miss my two-leg. It’s time for me to leave the rodeo.

  “Sparky, where are you going?” Rex calls to me.

  “I have somewhere I gotta be,” I tell Rex. “And you have a job to do.”

  “Sure as shootin’ I do!” Rex cheers. “From now on, this clown and I are gonna be walkin’ in tall cotton! Thanks to you.”

  “You’re welcome,” I tell him, although I’m not really sure what that means. All I know is that Rex is really, really happy.

  Suddenly, I spy something on the ground. It’s not food. But it’s still pretty cool.

  It’s a bright red ball. I think it fell off one the clowns’ noses.

  I bet Josh and I could have a lot of fun playing fetch with that! I pick up the ball and head out of the rodeo. It’s time to dig up my magic bone. It’s time to go home.

  CHAPTER 10

  Diggety, dig, dig.

  I’m back by the stinger-thinger bush. And I’m digging.

  Diggety, dig, dig. Diggety . . . There it is! My magic bone. Right where I left it.

  I can’t wait to take a bite.

  But I can’t bite my bone while I’ve got this ball in my mouth.

  I know. I’ll wear the ball on my nose. Just like a rodeo clown!

  I put the ball on the ground and shove my nose into the hole in the middle of the ball. It feels a little funny. But it’s just until I get home.

  I look at my bone. I open my mouth and . . . CHOMP!

  Wiggle, waggle, whew! I feel a little dizzy—like when I got off that chair that spun all around.

  Stars are twinkling in front of my eyes, even though it’s daytime! All around me I smell food—fried chicken, salmon, roast beef. But there isn’t any food in sight.

  Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom!

  The kabooming stops, and I’m back in my own yard.

  I race over to where the flowers are, and I start diggety, dig, digging. Dirt flies everywhere. This is one big hole!

  I drop my bone in and push the dirt back over it. My bone is buried. No one can find it. Except for me, of course.

  Just then, I hear a metal machine coming. It sounds like it’s pulling up right outside my house.

  Quickly I run through my doggie door. I race through the house. I reach the front door just in time!

  I sit on my back paws and wait. And then . . .

  JOSH! JOSH! JOSH!

  Josh opens the door. I jump up and lick him on the face.

  Josh gives me a funny look.

  “What’s wrong, Josh?” I bark.

  Josh pulls the red ball from my nose. He looks at it strangely. I guess he’s wondering where the ball came from.

  I wish I could tell Josh about Rex, the clowns, and the four-legs at the rodeo. Most of all, I wish I could tell Josh how I learned that I already have the most important job a dog could have.

  But I don’t speak two-leg. And Josh doesn’t speak dog.

  So instead, I go over to the chair where Josh left my leash this morning. I grab the leash between my teeth and bring it over to him.

  Josh clips the leash onto my collar.

  I smile at him. And Josh smiles back at me. He’s happy because I’m doing my job.

  It’s my job to be Josh’s friend. It’s my job to make sure he’s always got someone to be leashed to. And that he’s never lonely.

  I’ve got the best job in the whole wide world!

  Fun Facts

  about Sparky’s

  Adventures in Texas

  Texas

  The word Texas comes from the Hasinai tribe’s word for friendship. That’s the Texas state motto. Texas was the twenty-eighth state to join the United States, after declaring itself free from Mexican rule. Today, Texas is the second-largest state in the country. The only one that’s bigger is Alaska. Texas is also the state with the second-largest number of people, right after California.

  Rodeo

  While rodeos now take place all over the country, the first rodeo is believed to have taken place in Pecos, Texas, in 1883. At that rodeo, cowboys competed in roping and riding events just like the ones you can see at rodeos today. Texas is home to the world’s largest rodeo, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which takes place every March. That rodeo not only hosts cowboy contests, but also lets farmers show off their pigs, sheep, cattle, and other livestock. Like many rodeos, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has a huge midway that features food, rides, and concerts by country-music singers and pop stars.

  No one knows who invented the pointy-toe shoes worn by cowboys and rodeo stars. Some people believe that boots that looked a lot like today’s cowboy boots were worn by people in Southeast Asia more than 1,500 years ago. However, cowboys in Texas and other parts of the United States didn’t start wearing their version until after the US Civil War, which ended in 1865.

  The boots are made specially to help cowboys stay safe while they’re riding horses. The pointy toe allows a cowboy to get his foot in the stirrup more easily. The heel keeps the boot from slipping out of the stirrup. The top part of the boot, which reaches just below the knee, keeps the cowboy’s leg safe from snakes and thorny bushes.

  Rodeo Clowns

  Their painted faces might be funny, but being a rodeo clown is serious business. One of their many jobs is to protect a cowboy who has fallen during a bull-riding competition. The clowns distract the bull while the cowboy runs for safety. Then they help get the bull back into the pen.

  About the Author

  Nancy Krulik is the author of more than 200 books for children and young adults, including three New York Times Best Sellers. She is best known for being the author and creator of several successful book series for children, including Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo; How I Survived Middle School; and George Brown, Class Clown. Nancy lives in Manhattan with her husband, composer Daniel Burwasser,

  and her crazy beagle mix, Josie, who manages to drag her along on many exciting adventures without ever leaving Central Park.

  About the Illustrator

  You could fill a whole attic with Seb’s drawings! His collection includes some very early pieces made when he was four—there is even a series of drawings he did at the movies in the dark! When he isn’t doodling, he likes to make toys and sculptures, as well as bows and arrows for his two boys, Oscar and Leo, and their numerous friends. Seb is French and lives in England.

  His website is www.sebastienbraun.com.

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