She trotted inside, her tail wagging. She sat at his feet, as her Mum and Dad had taught her to do. She looked up at him, drool forming around her jowls, then barked loudly. The instant he lowered the treat towards her, she took it and ate it, then stood licking her lips. Delicious.
‘Good girl,’ the attendant said softly, stroking her ears.
Poppy turned and watched him step out of the room, closing the gate behind him. Now all alone, she stood and looked around her room. There was a bed, a bowl of water and…
For a moment her black mood brightened. She twitched her nose at the sight of a bowl of biscuits. In two strides, she was standing over the bowl, her nose buried amongst the tasty treats. She grunted and snorted, devouring the biscuits hungrily. Within seconds, she looked up, licked her lips then belched – loudly.
Across the corridor, she could see two dogs in rooms just like hers. One was a stunning dark red Irish setter who lay sleeping. The other was a black and white springer spaniel. It stood watching her, its tail wagging and tongue hanging out of its mouth. Normally, Poppy would have barked and wagged her tail, hoping to play, but she was in a bad mood, and in order to cheer herself up she wanted more food.
She walked slowly around her room, nose to the floor. The mouth-watering smell of biscuits was still strong, and she was sure there were more in her room… somewhere. After snuffling around the bed and tipping the food bowl upside down, she soon realised there wasn’t any more. But still, that smell!
Then she turned and noticed the room next door. An Alsatian dog lay with its back to her. It was busy chewing on a rubber bone and had no interest in its new neighbour. Slowly, Poppy walked over to the bars. The smell was getting stronger and stronger. And then she saw it. Another bowl of biscuits!
Poppy sat down and stared at the bowl. She growled softly, trying to decide what to do. She barked quietly at first, but when the Alsatian ignored her, she barked louder. Still she was ignored. This had never happened before, normally after only a couple of barks she was rewarded with what she wanted. Now feeling cross, she barked again and again, louder and louder. Finally, the Alsatian glanced over its shoulder. It looked at her but soon lost interest, preferring its rubber bone.
This was too much. Poppy wanted those biscuits and when she demanded her food she usually had it. She walked over to the bars and squeezed her nose through. The bowl was just out of reach. She stepped back and tried reaching it with her paw, but it was no use, it was too far away. She sat down and howled, drool dripping from her mouth.
Still the Alsatian ignored her. Poppy jumped up at the bars and barked, ‘Give me the food. I want that food. I’m hungry!’
The Alsatian moved so quickly that if she hadn’t jumped back in time, she would have suffered a nasty bite on the nose. She pressed herself against the bars at the far side of the room, watching in terror as the Alsatian snarled and barked at her.
‘Don’t even think about it, Goldie,’ it growled. ‘Try that again and I’ll tear the nose off that pretty face of yours.’
Poppy whimpered. Her body trembled. Then, to her relief, she saw the attendant appear at the door. She watched as the Alsatian trotted over to him and pressed its nose into his hand. She couldn’t believe the sudden change in the terrifying hound. When the attendant could see all was well, he walked away, leaving Poppy alone once more.
The Alsatian glared over its shoulder at her. It growled and then walked towards its bowl and deliberately ate all the biscuits in front of her.
That was it. Poppy had had enough. She needed to dig herself out of this awful place.
Her claws slid along the hard concrete floor. She dug and dug, faster and faster. She refused to give up. There was no way she was going to spend another minute in this room. Thoughts of her beloved family filled her mind. She cried, remembering Jack and Evie’s excitement about going to the safari park. She thought about the animals she had planned to see, of the new friends she was hoping to make, their food which she was hoping to eat, all followed by a game of football.
But, no matter how hard she dug, she just could not break through the tough floor. Her legs began to ache, and she whined, realising there was no escape.
Chapter 4
The Escape
‘It’s no use, you will never dig yourself out.’
Poppy stopped. She looked up and saw the Irish setter watching her.
‘My name is Ruby.’
Remembering her manners, Poppy introduced herself too.
‘So, why are you trying to get out, Poppy?’
Ruby sat down, her tail beating softly against the floor. Poppy was relieved to see a friendlier face.
‘I want to go back to my family. I don’t want to be left here while they are out there having fun.’
A loud bark made her jump with fright. She spun around and saw the Alsatian watching her.
‘Do you really think they would allow dogs out there? Those animals would eat you alive.’
‘Rory!’ Ruby barked, seeing Poppy trembling with fear.
Rory growled at the setter, then turned his attention back to Poppy. He walked slowly up to the bars and glared at her.
‘Have you heard of Cain?’ he growled.
Poppy gulped. She shook her head.
‘I suppose your family didn’t want to frighten you. You are better off in here because if Cain were to catch you…’ He threw his head back and howled.
The springer spaniel from across the corridor howled too, its tail whipping from side to side.
Poppy whined. She backed against the wall and trembled.
‘Be quiet, Rory,’ Ruby barked, then whined softly to Poppy, ‘Your family will come and get you when it’s time to go home.’
Poppy sighed. This was not what she wanted to hear.
Rory curled his lip and growled, ‘That is if you have been a good Goldie and not stolen your pawrents’ food.’
Poppy’s stomach sank as she thought back to earlier that morning. Those delicious scoops of strawberry ice cream just waiting to be eaten. How was she to know they were Dad’s? Before she knew it, a whine escaped her lips.
‘What was that, Goldie?’ Rory tilted his head to one side. ‘You didn’t eat their food, did you?’
Poppy’s voice wobbled as she told the story of what had happened that morning. She whined seeing Rory slowly shake his head.
When she had finished, Rory sighed. ‘I did something like that once.’
Poppy edged closer, curious, yet afraid of what she would hear.
‘Back when I was a pup, I found a joint of beef in the kitchen. I thought it was for me, so I ate it. Afterwards I felt sick, so I jumped on the settee. I remember it had this weird, horrible new smell. I was sick all over it which I thought made the settee smell better, but my pawrents didn’t think so. They bundled me into a box with an old blanket and left me outside the vet’s. I never saw them again.’
‘That’s it, my family have left me,’ Poppy whimpered. ‘They have never left me anywhere like this before, and now I know why.’
‘Surely not, Poppy,’ Ruby groaned. ‘Not all humans are like Rory’s first family.’
‘Some are,’ Rory growled. He glared at Poppy for a moment, then, with a sneeze, he turned his back on her and returned to his rubber bone.
Poppy looked at Ruby. She tilted her head. ‘What do you mean, Rory’s first family?’
‘Rory lives with another family now. He was rehomed,’ Ruby explained. She looked across at the Alsatian, but he ignored them. Poppy saw the sympathy in Ruby’s eyes. ‘Rory has stayed here before, like me. Our families visit the safari park often.’
Poppy lay down and, with her chin between her paws, she gave a deep, shuddering sigh. She whimpered softly, remembering the sound of Evie’s laughter, Mum’s cuddles, her long walks with Dad and the football matches with Jack. With a heavy heart, she
realised she would never experience any of them again.
She heard the sound of paws tip-tapping along the floor. The sound grew louder. Someone was approaching. She glanced up to see a dashing Dalmatian dog trotting towards them.
‘Any news?’ Rory woofed, looking up from his rubber bone. Instantly Poppy picked up the tension in his voice.
‘No, nothing. But something is definitely going on.’
Poppy’s ears twitched. Even though she didn’t really care, she couldn’t help feeling slightly curious.
‘Maybe Cain has killed someone,’ Rory snarled.
‘Oh, Rory,’ Ruby growled. ‘If that was true, Jake would have heard by now. No, I think he is moving to another safari park.’
‘Rubbish!’ Rory barked. ‘If he hasn’t killed someone, then I reckon the park has bought another one like him and old Cain is feeling threatened.’
This piqued Poppy’s curiosity even more. When she looked up, she found Jake the Dalmatian staring at her.
‘And who is this?’ he barked, his tail wagging.
Rory grunted and looked away, but Ruby politely stepped in with the introductions.
‘Poppy, this is Jake. He belongs to the park. If there is anything you need to know, then Jake will help you.’
Poppy sat up and, pulling her ears back, she whined, ‘Can you get me out of here?’
Ruby explained why Poppy was so upset.
The Dalmatian walked up to her. ‘The humans always come back,’ he growled softly.
‘Yes, but I stole Dad’s food!’ Poppy howled. She spun around the room, panicking, frantic and afraid.
Rory stood up. He looked at Poppy then turned to Jake and barked, ‘And look what happened to me.’
Poppy cried, now certain that she was one of those many dogs left homeless and unloved – and all because she couldn’t resist strawberry ice cream.
‘I need to find my family and convince them that I will never do it again. I will be the best-behaved dog in the world.’
‘You should have thought about that before stealing food!’ Rory barked.
Poppy cowered. She noticed Jake look down the corridor then back at Rory.
‘Keep the noise down or Tony will be back to check on you lot.’ Jake growled.
Poppy guessed this was the attendant, so she lay down and kept silent. Meanwhile, the others quietly continued their argument. Finally, she just had to ask, ‘Who is Cain?’
Jake stepped forward. ‘Cain is the King of the Safari Park.’
‘Is he an elephant?’ said Poppy, thinking that Jack’s favourite animal would surely be king.
‘I don’t know, I’ve never seen him. I’m not allowed around the safari, but when I cornered a rabbit over in those trees out there, it told me about him.’
‘What did it say?’
‘That Cain is big, fierce and has cruel eyes. But…’ Jake stepped even closer, ‘the rabbit said that something very important has happened to him.’
‘And if it is something really bad, it could affect the whole park,’ Ruby growled.
Poppy sat down and tilted her head to one side.
‘Cain is the main attraction here,’ Jake explained. ‘If he has done something really bad, well…’ He shook his head.
‘It could mean the end of the safari park,’ Rory growled.
Suddenly, Poppy had an idea.
‘I’ll go and find out,’ she barked loudly, so excited that she forgot all about disturbing Tony, the park attendant. ‘If you help me get out, I promise I will find out what has happened to Cain.’ She swallowed, realising that her need to be with her family was coming at a terrible price. Did she really want to risk running into the King of the Safari?
The others glanced at each other.
When Ruby nodded to Jake, he turned to Poppy and growled, ‘OK, but you need to be really careful.’
He looked down the corridor, then paused. Poppy guessed he was struggling between obeying the park’s rules and satisfying his burning curiosity.
‘Jake, I’ll be careful, I promise.’
Jake looked left and right. He trotted to the far end of the corridor and looked around before racing back to Poppy.
‘Remember, most of the animals outside have not seen dogs before. Some will be nervous and may run. Others could feel threatened and might attack.’
Poppy watched in amazement as Jake’s tail snaked expertly through the bars and found the lock. With a click, the gate swung open. Poppy was so grateful she sniffed and licked Jake’s nose.
‘Now remember what we said,’ the Dalmatian growled as he quietly closed the gate behind her.
‘I will.’
‘Good. Now follow me.’
Jake crept down the corridor. Poppy stayed close behind. Her heart raced. She swallowed nervously, trying to control her fear. Would she find her family? Would they forgive her? Would she ever see her home again? And just what would she do if she came face to face with Cain?
Jake stopped. He turned to her and growled softly, ‘Stay here and do not move until I say so.’
Poppy watched Jake walk up to the desk. He whined and barked then jumped up at Tony.
‘Hey, boy. What have you been up to, eh?’
Jake howled, ‘Now, Poppy!’
She raced past the desk while the attendant was distracted. Now was not the time for second thoughts. Despite her fears, Poppy charged forward and out through the open door.
Chapter 5
Free!
Poppy sniffed the air. There were lots of exciting new smells: sweet, wild, strong, bitter, but not one of them was the familiar scent of her family.
She trotted along the track, passing a small group of trees until the path opened on to a large, grassy hill. The hill was divided by a winding road where cars slowly drove by. Most of the cars had stopped while people sat inside taking photographs of the animals that gathered around.
Poppy recognised some of the creatures from the posters on Jack’s wall. She whined, remembering him telling her and Evie about the animals. She noticed a small herd of stripy horses grazing. Now, she remembered what they were called – zebras. Maybe, she wondered, just maybe they had seen her family. She crept towards them, keeping to the edge so as not to be noticed.
Suddenly, something caught Poppy’s eye. She stood still, lifted her ears and wagged her tail. She couldn’t believe what she saw. Standing with its back to her, staring at the cars and zebras, was a puppy dog.
As if sensing Poppy’s presence, it turned and looked at her with big, shiny blue eyes.
Poppy ran over. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected to run into a puppy, and, she realised, it was a cream retriever too!
The pup stood and watched Poppy bounding over. Its tail swung gently from side to side and it growled softly, ‘Hello. My name is Harley.’
‘What are you doing out here, Harley?’ Poppy whined, gently brushing her nose against his and smelling the warm sweetness of his fur.
Harley sat down. He looked up into her eyes, lifting his chin and sticking his fluffy cream chest out. Poppy quickly realised this pup wasn’t afraid. In fact, he seemed excited, as though on some kind of adventure.
‘I’m looking for my pawrents,’ he barked, although to Poppy it sounded more like a squeak.
‘Me too!’ Poppy couldn’t believe how relaxed the little one appeared about losing his family. ‘Did Jake let you out of the kennels too?’ she growled, remembering to keep her voice down.
Harley stared at her with a blank expression on his face.
‘Shall we look for our families together?’ she whined, suddenly worried for the little pup, all alone in such a big, strange place. ‘Someone is bound to have seen them. Come on, we can start by asking those zebras.’
‘What are zebras?’ Harley barked, as they walked up the hill toge
ther.
The zebras stopped grazing and watched them, their ears twitching, tails swatting flies, and mouths chomping grass. Many stepped back cautiously but a few others were not so afraid.
Poppy couldn’t believe it. After seeing zebras on posters and in Jack’s books, she was finally face to face with them! But her plans to ask them about her family slipped her mind. She was so excited that all she wanted to do was play!
She growled and wagged her tail. She bowed down, bottom in the air, ready to pounce and begin the fun and games, but Harley beat her to it.
He bounded up the hill. Poppy was about to spring into action, keen to join her new friend, when a zebra appeared beside her.
‘That’s not the best way to behave around here.’
Poppy stood up tall, lifted her chin and stuck her chest out. If Harley was fearless, then the least she could do was pretend to be the same. Just then, three zebras shot past, their high pitched barks ringing in her ears. She spun around, her head snapping left and right. The sudden movement and noise made her heart race and her legs tremble.
The zebra who had spoken to her now curled its lips back and grinned. It honked with laughter seeing Poppy’s terror.
‘We won’t hurt you.’ He looked over at Harley who was still chasing after the others. ‘But there are animals out here that will.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Poppy whined. She looked at Harley and barked, but he didn’t hear. She barked again, this time trailing off with a long growl.
The pup looked over his shoulder but then turned back to the zebras.
Poppy sighed. She howled, ‘Harley! Come here!’
Finally, the little pup stopped. He turned around and trotted towards her.
‘We are looking for our families,’ said Poppy.
‘I’m afraid there are no dogs here,’ said the zebra.
‘Oh no,’ Poppy whined. ‘Our families are not dogs. They are people.’
Poppy on Safari Page 2
