Too Big to Run

by Catherine Hapka

  Janey looked at Zach, expecting him to make a joke about Roscoe being too lazy to run away. But he looked thoughtful.

  “I guess Matthew and Maxi aren’t a very good match, either,” he said. “Matthew loves to run, but Maxi is too big to run.”

  “Yeah.” That made Janey feel sad for a moment. “I hope he figures out a way to spend time with her that doesn’t hurt her knees.”

  “Let’s get her knees fixed first,” Lolli suggested. “We can worry about the rest later.”

  The Walk and Wag

  “Wake up, sleepyhead. Time to get ready for the walk-a-thon!”

  Janey opened her eyes. Her mother was smiling down at her.

  “What time is it?” Janey asked with a yawn. Her head felt fuzzy and her eyes so heavy she could hardly keep them open.

  “Six o’clock. You told me to wake you, remember? You wanted to have plenty of time to get ready for your dog walk-a-thon.”

  That made Janey wake up. “Oh, right,” she exclaimed, sitting up in bed. “I can’t believe it’s finally here!”

  Twenty minutes later, she was dressed and shoveling cereal into her mouth. Twenty minutes after that, her dad was driving her to the animal shelter.

  “Are you sure you have everything you need?” he asked as he pulled to the curb. “If you forgot anything, just call me and I’ll run it over to the park. And of course your mom and I will come by later to cheer you on.”

  “And to pay the money you promised to sponsor me, right?” Janey said.

  Her dad chuckled. “Of course!”

  The shelter normally didn’t open until nine on Saturdays. But today Kitty was already there. So were Dr. Goldman, Zach, and Adam.

  “Where’s Lolli?” Janey asked.

  “She’s going straight to the park with Roscoe, remember?” Adam said. “We’ll meet her there.”

  “Oh, right.” There were so many details to remember that Janey had trouble keeping track of them all. She looked at Kitty. “Should we get our dogs now?”

  “They’re ready and waiting,” Kitty responded. “I even took Ace for a quick run in the courtyard when I first got here.”

  “Uh-oh,” Zach joked. “I hope you didn’t wear him out so he can’t walk very far!”

  Kitty laughed. “I don’t think you have to worry about that. Ace could do this walk-a-thon twice over and still have plenty of energy.”

  Soon they were all piling into the shelter’s van with their dogs. Adam had chosen a terrier mix named Duke, and Zach was going to walk a small dog that looked like a mix of so many different breeds that the shelter had named her Misha, short for Mishmash.

  Ace was so excited that he almost pulled the leash out of Janey’s hand as he leaped into the van. “Hang on, boy,” she said with a laugh. “Wait for me!”

  “Be careful not to let him get loose,” Kitty told her. “If he does, we might never catch him.”

  “I’ll be careful,” Janey promised. She held onto the leash tightly with both hands.

  When they reached the park, the work began. Lolli was waiting for them with Roscoe. Her parents were there, too, since they’d offered to help set up for the fundraiser. Lolli’s dad watched all the dogs while the others got to work.

  There was a lot to do! Before long Janey was out of breath and sweating a little. But it was fun, too. They laid out a course, marking the way with colorful flags. They set up a finish line with bright tape and balloons. Lolli’s parents had brought a folding table where people could sign in, and Janey taped the poster she’d made to the front and then carefully set out piles of sign-up sheets and instructions.

  By the time everything was ready, people were starting to arrive. A pair of young women walking a pair of pugs hurried over. “Where do we sign up?” one of the women asked.

  “Right here,” Janey said. “Your dogs are supercute!”

  More people were already hurrying over. Janey barely had time to give the pugs a quick pat before she had to get back to work.

  “Wow,” Lolli said. “I can’t believe how many people are here!”

  “And how many dogs.” Janey glanced around. She and Kitty and Lolli had just started the course with Ace and Roscoe. Lolli’s parents and Zach’s mom had taken over at the sign-in table so the kids could participate in the walk-a-thon.

  “Easy, Ace,” Lolli said as the Lab mix leaped up at Roscoe. “Roscoe doesn’t want to play right now.”

  Janey tugged on Ace’s leash. The cute black dog was more excited than ever. He kept trying to dash over to say hi to every dog he saw. And that was a LOT of dogs!

  But Janey kept a tight hold on his leash. Kitty walked by her side. Janey also kept a lookout for Mrs. Reed.

  “Let me know if you see Mrs. Reed and Pepper,” Janey said. “I want to be sure they get to meet Ace.”

  “Okay.” Lolli glanced at Ace, who was straining against his leash and barking at a passing greyhound. “Do you think she’ll like him?”

  “Of course!” Janey said. “She’ll love him. He’s medium-sized, right?”

  “True,” Lolli said. “That part is a perfect match. But like Kitty was saying…”

  “Look, there they are!” Janey interrupted. “Hey, Mrs. Reed! Wait up!”

  She hurried to catch up to the woman. Kitty followed them. Pepper saw them coming first and wagged his tail.

  Then Ace barked and leaped toward the smaller dog. Pepper jumped back, looking alarmed.

  “It’s okay, baby.” Mrs. Reed scooped up the Chihuahua and smiled at the girls. “Well, hello there! I understand you kids put this whole fundraiser together to help one of Dr. Goldman’s patients. What a wonderful idea!”

  “Thanks,” Lolli said. “Maxi’s owner can’t afford surgery, and we wanted to help.”

  “This is Ace,” Janey blurted out as Ace jumped up on Mrs. Reed’s legs. “He’s the one in the photos we sent. He’s, um, a little excited today.”

  “I can see that.” The woman chuckled and let Ace sniff her hand. “Hello there, Ace. Aren’t you a lively fellow!”

  “Yes, he has lots of energy,” Janey said. “That means he could be a good therapy dog, right?”

  “A therapy dog? Hmm.” Mrs. Reed looked at Kitty. “Maybe if he settles down a bit.”

  “What do you mean?” Janey said. “I thought he’d need energy to go visit lots of places with you.”

  “Yes, but many of the people we visit are sick or elderly or both,” Mrs. Reed explained. “A dog that’s too energetic can be too much for them.” She patted Ace. “He’s a cute fellow, though. I’m sure he could do lots of things. Maybe dog agility or something like that?”

  Janey wasn’t sure what to say. This wasn’t turning out the way she’d planned at all! How was she going to convince Mrs. Reed that Ace really was the perfect match for her?

  “Look! There’s Matthew,” Adam said.

  Zach saw him, too. “Hey, he brought Maxi,” he said. “I hope he’s not making her run. Or even walk.”

  “Doesn’t look like it,” Adam said. “They’re just hanging out in the shade talking to people.”

  The two boys hurried over. “Hi,” Zach said. “I thought you weren’t going to bring Maxi.”

  “I couldn’t stand to leave her home,” Matthew said. “After all, this is all for her! Besides, we haven’t been spending enough time together since she had to stop running. I don’t want her to be lonely.” He gave her a pat. “Anyway, my sister offered to walk with her dog in our place so we could just hang out.”

  “That’s good,” Zach said. “Look, I think Maxi likes Misha and Duke!”

  The three dogs were circling one another, wagging their tails.

  “Oh, Maxi gets along with everybody,” Matthew said with a chuckle. “Even tiny dogs can boss her around and she doesn’t mind a bit.”

  Zach nodded, remembering how calm Maxi had been with Toby the cat in the clinic waiting room. “She’s pretty chill,” he agreed.

  “Look,” Adam said. “There are Janey and Lolli
.”

  “And Mrs. Reed,” Zach added. He waved. “Guys! Over here!”

  The girls and Mrs. Reed came toward them. Mrs. Reed was holding Pepper in her arms, while Ace frisked around and barked at Roscoe. Zach noticed that Janey looked kind of grumpy. But she looked that way a lot, so he didn’t worry about it.

  “This is Maxi,” he told Mrs. Reed. “She’s the one who’s getting the surgery.”

  “Lovely to meet you, Maxi,” Mrs. Reed said. As she leaned down to give the big dog a pat, Pepper wriggled in her arms, sniffing curiously at Maxi.

  “You can put Pepper down,” Zach said. “Maxi won’t hurt him.”

  “Don’t worry,” Janey added. “I’ll keep Ace away.”

  “Thank you, dear.” Mrs. Reed set the Chihuahua on the ground. Pepper trotted over and sniffed noses with Maxi. Both dogs wagged their tails.

  “Oh, and this is Matthew,” Lolli added.

  “I know.” Mrs. Reed smiled. “Good to see you again, Matthew.”

  “You too, Prof,” Matthew said. Glancing at the kids, he grinned. “Dr. Reed was my professor in college.”

  “Really?” Zach was surprised. “You’re a doctor?”

  “A doctor of history,” Mrs. Reed said with a chuckle. “Matthew was one of my best students.”

  As Matthew and Mrs. Reed chatted, Zach wandered over to Janey, who had taken Ace a short distance away. Adam and Lolli came, too. Kitty was sitting on a bench near them, talking to the shelter to see how things were going there.

  “What’s with you?” Zach asked Janey. “Aren’t you having fun?”

  Janey shrugged, staring at Ace as he jumped around playfully with Duke. “I thought Mrs. Reed and Ace were a perfect match,” she said. “But Pepper doesn’t seem to like him much. And Mrs. Reed thinks he’s too energetic to be a good therapy dog.”

  “Bummer,” Zach said. “But don’t worry, there are lots of other medium-sized dogs at the shelter. Maybe she’ll like one of them better.”

  He glanced over at Adam to see what he thought. But Adam was staring back toward Mrs. Reed and Matthew. “Do you see that?” he said.

  “See what?” Zach looked where Adam was looking. Pepper was sitting between Maxi’s front legs. Maxi was peering down at the little dog, staying very still. Her tail thumped against the ground as she wagged it. Mrs. Reed’s hand was resting on the big dog’s head, her fingers idly scratching at Maxi’s ears as she talked to Matthew.

  Zach looked at Adam, who was smiling. “I just had an idea,” Adam whispered to him. “Let’s go find your mom!”

  Happily Ever After

  By the time she finished the course, Janey was feeling happier. “Are you okay?” Lolli asked. “Even though Ace and Pepper didn’t get along?”

  “I’m fine,” Janey said. “Anyway, it’s not hopeless, right? Maybe we should try again on a less busy day. The two of them might get along better then.”

  Lolli looked uncertain. “Maybe,” she said. “But I’m still not sure Mrs. Reed will—”

  “Hey!” Adam interrupted breathlessly, jogging up to them with Duke at his heel. Zach and Misha were right behind them. “We need to talk to you about something.”

  “What?” Janey asked.

  Adam glanced over his shoulder. “Did you notice how well Maxi gets along with little Pepper?”

  Janey frowned. Was he trying to rub it in? “Yeah, we know,” she grumbled. “Maxi gets along with everyone.”

  “Exactly.” Zach grinned. “And we just checked with my mom—she says mastiffs often make good therapy dogs.”

  “So what?” Janey said. “Matthew doesn’t have enough time to spend with Maxi as it is. How’s he supposed to turn her into a therapy dog, too?”

  “He’s not,” Zach said. “Mrs. Reed can do that!”

  “Huh?” Lolli blinked.

  “It was Adam’s idea,” Zach said. “He was thinking about how Matthew and Maxi are mismatched.”

  Adam nodded. “It’s like Kitty was saying that time. Some dogs need certain kinds of homes.”

  “And Matthew’s home is the wrong one for Maxi,” Zach went on. “Matthew loves to run, and he doesn’t have much spare time.”

  “But running is bad for Maxi.” Janey was starting to get it. “So what are you saying? That he should take Maxi to the shelter?”

  “No way! He’d never do that,” Zach said. “But he might give her to a home that’s a better match—especially if he already knows her new owner.”

  Lolli gasped. “Mrs. Reed!”

  “But she wants a medium-sized dog,” Janey said. “Maxi is definitely not medium-sized.”

  Zach shrugged. “She wants a dog that’s sturdy enough to visit kids. Maxi definitely is that. And she seemed to like her.”

  “But what about Ace?” Janey glanced at the black dog, who was trying to convince Misha to play with him.

  The two boys traded a grin. “She’s a little slow today, isn’t she?” Zach commented.

  Adam laughed. “Don’t you get it?” he told Janey. “We found Ace’s perfect match, too—Matthew! He needs a dog that can keep up with lots of running.”

  Now it was Janey’s turn to gasp. “And that’s Ace!” She tugged on the leash. “Come on, let’s go tell them!”

  “It’s amazing how things worked out, isn’t it?” Janey asked Mrs. Reed.

  It was a little over a week later and the two of them were in the waiting room of the Critter Clinic, along with the rest of the Pet Rescue Club. Matthew was there, too. So was Ace. The cute black dog was lying on the floor under his new owner’s chair, taking a nap.

  Janey smiled when she saw that. “I never thought I’d see Ace being so still,” she said.

  Matthew chuckled. “We went on a nice long run this morning,” he said. “He’s all tuckered out.”

  “As they say, a tired dog is a good dog.” Mrs. Reed chuckled and patted Pepper, who was sitting on her lap. Then she glanced toward the door leading to the back room, looking anxious. “I wonder how Maxi is doing.”

  “Don’t worry,” Lolli told her. “Zach’s mom is the best. She’ll fix her.”

  Janey nodded. But she also crossed her fingers. She hoped Maxi’s surgery went well so she could begin her new career as a therapy dog.

  At first, both Mrs. Reed and Matthew weren’t sure about Adam’s plan. But the more they discussed it, the more they realized how perfect it was. Maxi would get a good home where Matthew could visit her. He was sad at the thought of giving her up, but happy at the idea that she’d have a job she was good at—being a therapy dog—and would be getting lots more attention, too.

  Mrs. Reed hadn’t planned on getting such a large dog. But then she decided that size didn’t matter. The important thing was Maxi’s personality, and that was perfect for therapy work. She was even going to pay for Maxi’s surgery herself, so the money from the Walk and Wag could go to the shelter!

  As for Matthew, one test run was all it had taken to convince him that Ace would be able to keep up with him.

  “It’s the perfect happily ever after,” Janey murmured as she thought about how well everything had worked out.

  Adam heard her and looked over. “Don’t jinx it,” he said. “It’s not happy ever after until Maxi is safely out of surgery.”

  Janey nodded and stared at the door leading to the clinic’s back room. All of them were waiting for the surgery to be over. “Why’s it taking so long?” she wondered.

  “You don’t want Mom to rush it,” Zach reminded her.

  “I know,” Janey said. “But—”

  She cut herself off as the door opened and Dr. Goldman stepped out. She was smiling as she peeled off her surgical gloves.

  “I won’t keep you in suspense,” she said. “The surgery went very well. Maxi should recover fully.”

  “Hooray!” Janey cried, leaping to her feet and doing a happy dance.

  That woke up Ace. He leaped to his feet, barking and wagging his tail and doing his own happy dance. Pepper barked, too.


  “You said it,” Janey told both dogs with a giggle. “Now it really is another happily ever after for the Pet Rescue Club!”

  THE END

  The Right Dog for the Right Home

  There are lots of dog breeds out there—and countless adorable mixed breed dogs as well. It can be tempting to choose the cutest dog, or the friendliest, or one that reminds you of a dog from TV or the movies. But it’s important to make sure the dog you adopt fits your personality and lifestyle. Do you spend a lot of time outdoors, or prefer quieter pastimes? Do you live in the country or the city? Do you like to keep your house spotless, or will a little—or a lot—of dog hair not bother you? Are you confident enough to handle a dominant breed, or do you prefer someone sweet and easygoing?

  All of these questions and more are important to consider. Talk to your local shelter workers about finding the right match, or check out the many resources online to help narrow it down.

  ASPCA’s “Meet Your Match” program

  (http://www.aspca.org/adopt/meet-your-match)

  Good luck finding your perfect pooch—and your happily ever after!

  Meet the Real Maxi!

  Maxi, the mastiff who was too big to run, was inspired by a real-life animal rescue story. A mastiff named Millie was given to a mastiff rescue group when she was only two years old. Her knees were injured, just like Maxi’s, but a caring new owner adopted her and got her the surgery and care she needed to become healthy again. After that, Millie became a certified therapy dog—just like Maxi!

  Look for these other books in the

  PET RESCUE CLUB

  series!

  A New Home for Truman

  Janey can’t have a pet of her own because of her father’s allergies. Her love for animals is so strong, though, that it leads her and her friends to create the Pet Rescue Club to help animals in need, like Truman the dog!