No Time for Hallie
Page 4
“Absolutely.” Grandma Madge sat on a chair and patted her knees. Roscoe came over and laid his big, blocky head on the woman’s lap. His tongue flopped out, and drool dribbled onto Grandma Madge’s slacks.
“Oops,” Lolli said. “Sorry about that. He drools when he’s happy.”
“Oh, don’t be silly.” The old woman laughed. “What’s a little drool among friends? Why, I once had a Saint Bernard who could sling drool farther than you could toss a ball…”
After that, she was off and running, telling the girls a whole series of stories about the dogs and cats she’d known throughout her long life. She’d always had at least one pet around for as long as she could remember.
“…and of course, Brookie remembers Muffin,” she finished, glancing at her granddaughter.
Brooke nodded. “She was this awesome dog Grandma had when I was little,” she told Lolli. “Muffin used to let me dress her up, even though she was even bigger than Roscoe.”
Lolli laughed. “She sounds cool,” she said. “What kind of dog was she?”
“Nobody was ever quite sure.” Grandma Madge chuckled. “She was just this gorgeous big black-and-tan mixed breed who could shed enough fur in a week to make three new dogs. We used to take a survey at parties to see what mix of breeds people thought she might be. We got everything from Great Dane to German shepherd to giant schnauzer!”
“Whatever breeds she was, Muffin was the best,” Brooke said.
“Yes, she was quite a dog,” Grandma Madge agreed with a faraway look in her eyes. She fondled Roscoe’s ears. “She passed on a few years ago now.”
“Did you think about getting another dog?” Lolli asked. “Or did you miss Muffin too much?”
“Oh, I missed her all right. And yes, I thought about getting another. But by then, I was feeling too old to handle another large dog.”
“I tried to talk them into getting a smaller dog, like a beagle or something,” Brooke put in. “Or maybe a cute little kitten from the shelter.”
Grandma Madge nodded. “We did consider it, but my husband was starting to get unsteady on his feet around that time. It just didn’t seem worth the risk of him tripping over a new pet.” She sighed. “Plus, I’m not sure I have the energy anymore for a lively puppy or kitten.”
“That’s too bad,” Lolli said. “I can’t imagine not having animals around.” She thought about Leah’s pet canary. “Did you think about getting a pet that doesn’t run around the house?”
“You mean, like a bird or something?” Grandma Madge shrugged. “That just wouldn’t be the same.”
She looked sad for a moment. Then Roscoe reached up and slurped her face with his large tongue, knocking her glasses askew.
“Oh!” Lolli exclaimed as she reached for her dog. “Roscoe, no! Bad dog!”
But Grandma Madge was laughing as she took off her glasses and rubbed them on her shirt. “No, don’t scold him,” she told Lolli. “He’s just doing what dogs do. And I love it!” She stuck her glasses back on and stroked Roscoe’s head.
Lolli smiled, though she felt a little bit sad herself. Grandma Madge loved animals—that was obvious. It was too bad she’d been without a special pet of her own for so long.
But thinking about Leah’s bird had reminded Lolli about the Pet Rescue Club. That made her remember that she’d promised to meet her friends to talk to Hall Cat’s owners. She stood up.
“I’m sorry, I should probably go,” she told Grandma Madge and Brooke. “But maybe Roscoe and I could stop by and visit again another time?”
“I’d love that.” Grandma Madge hugged Roscoe. “Please, come by whenever you like.” She winked. “You too, Lolli.”
Soon Lolli was hurrying down the sidewalk. “I wonder if the others are already at Hall Cat’s house,” she said to Roscoe. “Should we go to Zach’s house first to see if he’s there, or…”
She let her voice trail off. Just ahead, Hall Cat’s front door had just swung open. A second later, Zach stepped out, looking red-faced and upset as he clutched Hall Cat in his arms.
Lolli’s Big Idea
“Zach!” Lolli rushed over as Zach stumbled toward the sidewalk, still holding Hall Cat. “What happened? Where are the others?”
“Not here yet,” Zach said. Then he blinked. “Wait, yes they are.”
Lolli looked around. Adam was hurrying down the sidewalk toward them. Janey was just climbing out of her mother’s car at the curb.
“Sorry I’m late,” Adam said breathlessly. He looked at Hall Cat. “Did you talk to her owners?”
“Sort of,” Zach said.
Janey rushed up. “Hi, Roscoe,” she greeted the dog as he jumped around happily. “What’s going on, you guys? Oh! Hall Cat is still outside.”
Zach nodded. “I tried talking to them,” he said. “They didn’t listen.”
“Why didn’t you wait for us?” Janey said. “Come on, let’s go try again.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Zach stroked Hall Cat’s back, making her purr. “They seem kind of, um, distracted right now.”
Adam shook his head. “It seems like those people just don’t have time for a pet,” he said. “Cats are a little easier to take care of than dogs. But cats need attention, too!”
“I know, right?” Zach tickled Hall Cat under her chin. “Especially Hall Cat. She’s so sweet! I wish I could take her home. I bet they would let me.” He sighed. “Unfortunately, my parents definitely wouldn’t let me.”
Lolli stared at Hall Cat. Then she stared at her friends. She was starting to get an idea…
“I wish I could take Hall Cat home, too,” Janey said. “But you know about my dad’s allergies. Maybe you could take her, Adam?”
“Sorry, I can’t,” Adam said. “My family’s landlord doesn’t allow any pets. That’s why I don’t have a dog, remember?”
“Really?” Janey blinked at him. “Oh. I never knew that.”
Zach rolled his eyes. “That’s because you never stop talking long enough to listen to anybody else.”
Janey looked wounded. “I do too!”
“Don’t start arguing,” Adam told them. “We’re supposed to be figuring out a way to help Hall Cat, remember? Maybe Lolli could take her home. Her parents wouldn’t even notice another animal on the farm, right?”
Zach brightened. “That’s a great idea!”
“Lolli?” Janey poked Lolli on the shoulder. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“I’m thinking,” Lolli said. “I might have an idea for a way to help Hall Cat.”
“Really?” Adam said. “You mean you thought of something to convince her people to keep her inside?”
Lolli shrugged. “No,” she said. “But maybe that’s not the point. Even if they kept her inside, they just don’t seem that interested in her anymore.”
“So you’re going to ask your parents if you can keep her?” Zach asked.
“Me? No.” Lolli smiled. “But I might know someone who would appreciate her a lot more than her owners do.”
“Really? Who?” Janey asked.
Lolli pointed down the block. “Brooke’s grandma,” she said. “She loves animals, but she can’t have a big dog or a hyper puppy or frisky kitten.”
Zach glanced down at the cat purring in his arms. “Hall Cat isn’t hyper.”
“Right.” Lolli smiled. “Come on, let’s go ask her owners if they’d be willing to give her up to a good home.”
When the baby’s father answered the door, he looked annoyed at first. But when he heard the kids’ question, he looked thoughtful.
“Do you really know someone who wants Hall Cat?” he asked, leaning down to give Roscoe a pat.
“We’re not sure yet,” Lolli said. “We need to ask her. But we wanted to get permission from you first.”
The man reached out and scratched Hall Cat under the chin. “I suppose that would be all right,” he said. “She deserves more attention than we have to give her right now. And I was thinking about w
hat you kids were saying about her being safer living indoors. I’ll miss her, though.”
“You can still visit her,” Janey told him. “The lady who might want her lives nearby.”
“We’ll come back and let you know what she says,” Lolli promised.
Lolli led the others back to Grandma Madge’s house. Brooke answered the door when they knocked. She looked surprised to see them.
“Oh,” she said. “It’s the whole Pet Rescue Club! Is that an animal you’re rescuing?” She reached out to pat Hall Cat.
“Maybe,” Lolli said with a smile. “Is Grandma Madge around?”
“I’m here, I’m here.” Grandma Madge hurried up behind Brooke. “Oh! What a cute kitty. I’ve always loved black cats!”
Lolli traded a smile with her friends. “We’re glad to hear that,” she said. “Because Hall Cat happens to be looking for a new home.”
Janey nodded. “She’s super friendly.”
“And she’s not hyper,” Zach added. “I doubt she’d ever trip anybody, no matter what her owners say.”
Grandma Madge looked a little confused. “Her owners?”
Everyone started talking at once, telling Grandma Madge all about Hall Cat. Meanwhile Hall Cat herself started to wiggle in Zach’s arms. He set her down on the stoop. Roscoe leaned forward to sniff at the cat, and she batted him on the nose with her paw. Then she strolled forward between Brooke and Grandma Madge—right into the house!
“Look,” Janey said with a laugh. “She’s making herself at home already!”
“You little rascal,” Grandma Madge exclaimed. She picked up the cat, who immediately started purring. “Oh my, you are a cutie, aren’t you?”
“I think she likes you,” Lolli said.
Grandma Madge smiled down at the cat.
“Yes. Well, I really wasn’t planning on getting a pet. But…”
Lolli held her breath. Would Grandma Madge agree to take Hall Cat?
“You need company right now, Grandma,” Brooke spoke up. “Maybe a cat like this would be perfect.”
“Oh, I don’t know, Brookie.” Grandma Madge was still smiling. “I don’t think I could ever live with a pet named Hall Cat.”
“You—you couldn’t?” Lolli’s heart sank.
“Absolutely not.” Grandma Madge winked at her. “The first thing I’ll have to do is come up with a much nicer name.”
It took Lolli a second to realize what she was saying. Then she heard Zach gasp.
“You mean you’ll take her?” he exclaimed.
“Why not?” Grandma Madge said. “As Brookie says, I could use the company. Until Roscoe came to visit, I didn’t realize how much I’d missed having an animal around the house. And a nice, quiet older cat will be much easier to manage than a dog or a younger animal, especially once Grandpa comes home.”
“Hooray!” Lolli cried. “Now the only thing left is to decide what to name her!”
“How about Halloween?” Zach said.
“Veto,” Janey declared. “That’s a goofy name. Why not just call her Hallie?”
“Hallie,” Grandma Madge said thoughtfully. “You know, I think I like that.”
“We should go back and tell her old owners the good news,” Janey told her friends.
“Don’t bother,” Grandma Madge said, cuddling Hall Cat. “I know the young couple you mean. I’ll walk down there myself and let them know.” She smiled. “I’ve been wanting to see that sweet baby of theirs, anyway.”
“Awesome!” Janey said. “I guess it’s another happy ending for the Pet Rescue Club.”
“This totally rules,” Zach exclaimed.
“Yeah,” Adam agreed.
Lolli didn’t say anything for a second. She was so happy she thought she might burst. The Pet Rescue Club had helped another animal! Better yet, they’d helped a person at the same time! She was sure Grandma Madge and Hall Cat—no, Hallie—would be much happier now that that the Pet Rescue Club had helped them find each other. She was pretty sure the baby’s family would be happier, too.
“This is definitely a happy ending,” Lolli said. “For everyone!”
We share a lot with our pets: our lives, our homes, our love, our deepest secrets. But is it a good idea to share our food?
Not always. Several common foods that are perfectly safe for people can be dangerous or even deadly for our cats, dogs, and other pets. Also, there are some household items and houseplants that pets should never be allowed to chew on or eat. Here are a few examples, but check aspca.org for a more complete list.
•Onions and garlic
•Chocolate
•Coffee
•Avocado (especially dangerous to birds and rodents)
•Grapes and raisins
•Many human medications
•Antifreeze
•Fabric softener sheets
•Amaryllis
•Pothos (a popular houseplant)
Meet the Real Hallie!
Hall Cat, the kitty in this story, was inspired by a real-life animal rescue story. A black cat named Hallie was left at a shelter in Illinois when she was ten years old. Her previous owners said they didn’t have time for her anymore. Luckily, she was adopted by someone who appreciates older cats, and has been a wonderful partner for her new owner ever since!
Look for the first book in the
PET RESCUE CLUB series!
Book #1—A New Home for Truman
Animal-crazy Janey can’t have any pets of her own because of her father’s severe allergies. So Janey creates a blog for kids to post cute photos of their dogs and cats. But when she receives a heartbreaking photo of a skinny, homeless dog, Janey isn’t sure what to do. Her friends Lolli, Adam, and Zach get involved to try to help. Can the four of them save the dog—and maybe start a pet rescue club to help other animals in need?
Look for all the books in the
PET RESCUE CLUB
series
A New Home for Truman
No Time for Hallie
The Lonely Pony
Too Big to Run
cover illustration by Steve James
Published by Studio Fun International, Inc.
44 South Broadway, White Plains, NY 10601 U.S.A. and
Studio Fun International Limited,
The Ice House, 124-126 Walcot Street, Bath UK BA1 5BG
Illustration © 2015 Studio Fun International, Inc.
Text © 2015 ASPCA®
All rights reserved.
Studio Fun Books is a trademark of Studio Fun International, Inc., a subsidiary of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.
*The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA®) will receive a minimum guarantee from Studio Fun International, Inc. of $25,000 for the sale of ASPCA® products through December 2017.
Comments? Questions? Call us at: 1-888-217-3346
ISBN: 978-0-7944-3709-1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
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