The Doggone Dog

by Diana Gallagher

  “Good plan,” Mia said. “Maybe we should take the dogs next door to the clinic while we hang the flyers. That way Scruffy won’t be able to get into any more trouble in here while we’re gone.”

  Then they took the flyers, a hammer, and some tacks and went for another long walk around the neighborhood. They posted a flyer on every corner.

  “There,” Mia said. “Now anybody who lives within ten blocks of the dog park will see one of the signs. We’ll definitely find Scruffy’s owner.”

  “I sure hope so,” Kyle said, looking worried. “Otherwise we’re going to have to take him to the humane society in two days.”

  Too Much Trouble

  The next morning, Mia came over to Kyle’s house bright and early.

  “Did you get any calls about the flyers last night?” she asked as soon as she arrived. “Do we know where Scruffy came from yet?”

  “No,” Kyle said, shaking his head. “I guess Scruffy’s owner didn’t see any of them. I thought for sure those flyers would do the trick.”

  “Maybe we should check online again,” Mia suggested. “Someone could have posted an ad last night when Scruffy didn’t come home.”

  “Good plan,” Kyle said. But before they could do anything, a loud crash sounded in the kitchen.

  “Kyle!” his mom shouted. “Come in here right now!”

  Kyle and Mia exchanged a look. That didn’t sound good. They raced to the kitchen.

  When they got there, it was easy to see why Kyle’s mom so upset. Food wrappers, boxes, crumpled paper, and other garbage were scattered all across the kitchen floor. The trash can had been knocked over and lay on its side with garbage spilling out.

  In the opposite corner of the kitchen, Rex and Scruffy sat near the counter looking extremely guilty.

  “I came back from the clinic to get something, and this is the mess I found,” his mom said.

  Kyle cringed. He knew right away what had happened. Knocking over the trash can was one of Rex’s favorite things to do. Apparently having a partner in crime made it even better.

  “Bad dogs!” Kyle scolded them. “Trash is not for playing with!”

  Rex hung his head and looked ashamed, but Scruffy just wagged his tail happily. Apparently he didn’t agree with Kyle’s feelings about trash.

  “I have to get back over to the clinic,” Kyle’s mom said. “Clean up the mess and put the dogs outside.”

  Kyle nodded. Picking up the garbage was gross, but the dogs were his responsibility. “I’ll do it right now,” he said.

  “I’ll help you,” Mia offered.

  Mia put Rex and Scruffy out in the backyard. Rex immediately went off looking for squirrels. For once, Scruffy didn’t follow him. Instead, he sat next to the screen door and watched as they cleaned up the mess.

  Mia swept up coffee grounds and orange peels. Kyle gathered the paper towels and food wrappers back into the garbage bag and tied it shut.

  When the kitchen was clean, Mia and Kyle headed to Kyle’s room to look for missing-dog ads online. Scruffy started barking as soon as they left the room.

  “So you think we should we go get him?” Mia asked.

  “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Kyle said. “Rex is out there to play with him, and the gate is closed. It’ll be harder for him to get in trouble out there than in the house.”

  “Good point,” Mia said.

  The kids got to work searching online. There were two new ads for lost dogs on the newspaper website, but Scruffy wasn’t a beagle or a golden retriever.

  The whole time they looked, Scruffy was barking outside.

  “Kyle!” his mom finally shouted. “Can you please make that dog be quiet? I can hear him all the way next door. He’s driving the other animals crazy.”

  “Coming!” Kyle called. He and Mia hurried back downstairs. Scruffy stopped barking just before they reached the kitchen.

  “Rex probably got tired of waiting for squirrels and decided to play,” Mia said.

  Kyle looked at the clock. “It’s almost 11 o’clock, and no one has called about Scruffy yet,” he said. “I’m getting kind of worried. What if Scruffy’s owner isn’t even looking for him?”

  “That can’t be true,” Mia said, shaking her head. “Everyone at the dog park thought Scruffy was adorable.”

  “Except for those two guys playing baseball,” Kyle reminded her.

  “They don’t count,” Mia said. “If we don’t find Scruffy’s old home, I’m sure we can find him a new one. Let’s go play outside with the dogs for a while.”

  “Do you mind listening for the phone while we’re outside?” Kyle asked his mom. “I don’t want to miss Scruffy’s owner calling.”

  “Of course,” his mom agreed. “I’ll let you know if anyone calls.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” Kyle said.

  “I don’t think Scruffy gets the point of fetch,” Kyle told Mia as they headed for the back door. “He likes to chase the ball, but he doesn’t like to bring it back. He wants me to chase him!”

  Mia laughed. “Maybe he’s teaching you to play chase,” she suggested.

  But when they got outside and looked around, they both stopped laughing. Scruffy hadn’t stopped barking because he and Rex were playing.

  He’d stopped barking because he was gone.

  Pound or Found?

  “Scruffy!” Kyle yelled as he frantically looked around the backyard. Rex was sitting by the gate that led to the front yard. But Scruffy was nowhere to be seen.

  “Scruffy, where are you?” Mia called, looking behind bushes and the garden shed. “Come here, boy!”

  Then Kyle noticed the big hole beneath the gate leading out of the yard.

  “Oh, no! Look!” Kyle exclaimed. “He must have gotten out. What if his owner calls now, and he’s lost again?”

  Just then, Kyle’s mom walked out into the backyard. “What’s all the yelling about, Kyle?” he asked.

  “Scruffy dug a hole under the gate and escaped,” Mia explained.

  “We have to go look for him right away,” Kyle said. He hurried over to the back door and grabbed Rex’s leash off a nearby hook.

  “If you don’t find him in a few minutes, come back,” his mom said. “Angie can watch the clinic for a few minutes while I drive you around the neighborhood. We’ll cover more ground that way.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” Kyle said. He snapped the leash onto Rex’s collar and opened the gate. He left it open just in case Scruffy wanted to sneak back in.

  “He probably didn’t get very far,” Mia said as they hurried toward the front yard.

  “I hope not,” Kyle replied. He felt really awful. Scruffy was his responsibility for the time being. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.

  When they got to the front yard, Rex started barking. He jumped forward, pulling the leash out of Kyle’s hand. He ran straight to the front porch and started digging in the landscaping near the front steps. He never, ever did that — unless he was looking for a buried bone.

  “Did you find Scruffy, Rex?” Kyle asked hopefully.

  Mia stooped down to look in the bushes. “He sure did,” she said. “And the chew bone Scruffy stole.”

  She reached into the bushes and pulled Scruffy out by the collar.

  Kyle let out a sigh of relief. They took the dogs back into the backyard and locked the gate behind them. Then they used dirt to fill in the hole Scruffy had dug and took both dogs inside.

  As they came in the back door, Kyle’s mom walked into the house through the door that connected it to her clinic. “How’s it going?” she asked.

  “Great!” Kyle said quickly. “Just perfect.” He didn’t want his mom to know how much trouble Scruffy was getting into. He knew she might make them call the humane society a day early.

  “Yeah,” Mia added. “Totally perfect. No probl
ems at all.”

  “Really?” his mom said. She gave Kyle and Mia a knowing look. “You mean besides all the barking and playing in the trash and digging out of the backyard? Other than that he’s been totally perfect?”

  “Um . . .” Kyle started to say.

  “And you haven’t gotten any calls from his owner yet,” his mom continued. “Is that about right?”

  Kyle sighed. “Pretty much,” he admitted unhappily.

  “So it sounds like we have a bit of a problem,” his mom said. “Scruffy is too noisy to stay in the clinic while you’re at school tomorrow, and he’s too much trouble to leave in the house alone.”

  Kyle made a face. Now probably wasn’t a good time to tell his mom about the shirt Scruffy had wrecked.

  “Does that mean Scruffy has to go to the humane society?” Mia asked.

  “I still think that’s the best plan,” Dr. Blake said. “But if I can find someone to watch him during the day, I’ll give you two one more day to find his owner.”

  Just then, the house phone rang. “Hello?” Kyle’s mom answered. She paused, and then said, “Yes, that’s right we did. Can you describe him?”

  Kyle tensed. His mom looked over at Scruffy and nodded.

  “Yes, that sounds like the dog my son found,” Dr. Blake said. She wrote something on the pad of paper next to the phone. “We’ll bring him right over.”

  “Was that Scruffy’s owner? Are you absolutely sure it’s his dog?” Kyle asked as soon as his mom had hung up the phone.

  “How come Scruffy ran away in the first place?” Mia asked, frowning.

  “And why didn’t his owner put up flyers or an ad or call the humane society about him?” Kyle added.

  “What if Scruffy’s home isn’t a very good one?” Mia asked. “What if that’s why his owner didn’t look for him?”

  Dr. Blake held up her hands to signal them to be quiet. “Slow down, kids,” she said. “Yes, I’m sure it’s his dog. He described Scruffy exactly. And I’m sure there are good reasons for everything else. Let’s go see.”

  An Old Man’s Story

  Kyle and Mia gathered Scruffy, and Kyle’s mom drove them to the address Scruffy’s owner had given her. The house was only a few streets away from the dog park.

  When they pulled up to the house, an elderly man was sitting on a swing on the front porch waiting for them. Scruffy bolted out of the car the instant Kyle opened the passenger-side door.

  “Scruffy!” Kyle yelled after him.

  “Wait!” Mia shouted, running after the little dog.

  But Scruffy didn’t listen. Instead, he ran right up to the porch and headed straight for his owner. He leaped onto the old man’s lap. Right away, the little dog started happily licking his owner’s face.

  “Hey, boy!” the man said with a laugh. “I was so worried. You’re lucky these nice people found you.”

  “We’re very happy we found you,” Kyle’s mom said. He held out his hand. “You must be Mr. McCarthy. I’m Kyle’s mom, Dr. Blake. We spoke on the phone.”

  “I hope Roscoe wasn’t too much work,” Mr. McCarthy said. “He gets into a lot of trouble.”

  “He was fine,” Kyle’s mom said. “A little barking and some trash-emptying, but we’re used to that with our dog.”

  “Would you three like to come inside and have some lemonade?” Mr. McCarthy offered. “I’m parched. Besides, it’s the least I can do to thank you for bringing Roscoe back to me safe and sound.”

  “Oh, we don’t want to bother you,” Dr. Blake said.

  “Don’t be silly. It’s no bother at all,” Mr. McCarthy said. “I don’t get much company these days.”

  Mr. McCarthy reached for the cane leaning against the porch swing. He stood up very carefully and shuffled slowly toward the door.

  Now Kyle knew why Mr. McCarthy hadn’t put up flyers around the neighborhood when Scruffy had gone missing. He couldn’t. He had trouble walking. He had trouble just making it to his front door.

  Inside, Kyle’s mom helped Mr. McCarthy pour lemonade. Then Kyle and Mia carried the drinks to the backyard.

  The first thing Kyle noticed was that Mr. McCarthy didn’t have a fence. Instead, there was a stake in the ground with a long yard leash attached. A dog collar was still clipped to the end of the leash.

  “That must be where Scruffy was when he escaped,” he whispered to Mia.

  “How did Scruffy — I mean, Roscoe — get away?” Mia asked Mr. McCarthy.

  The old man sighed. “My arthritis has gotten so bad that I haven’t been able to play with Roscoe or take him for walks,” he said. “He must have gotten bored, slipped out of his collar, and gone to have some fun on his own.”

  Kyle walked over and put the collar back around the dog’s neck. He made sure to tighten it an extra notch.

  “I called the humane society, but they said I had to come in,” Mr. McCarthy continued. “Most of my friends are elderly, and I couldn’t find a ride.”

  “Well, he’s back safe and sound.” Kyle scratched Roscoe behind the ears. The dog licked his hand happily.

  “Yes, and I’m very grateful,” Mr. McCarthy said. Then he sighed. “But I’m worried that sooner or later he’ll get bored and take off again. And maybe next time he won’t find someone as nice as you two to help him get home.”

  Worry Won’t Solve Anything

  “I’m worried about Scruffy,” Kyle said to Mia at school the next morning.

  “I know,” Mia said. “Me, too.”

  “What if he gets away again and doesn’t get home the next time?” Kyle said.

  Mia shook her head. “Mr. McCarthy will be so sad,” she said.

  Kyle nodded. “So will I,” he said.

  Their friend Lacey Ortega leaned over from her desk. “What are you guys talking about?” she asked.

  “Mia and I rescued a dog this weekend,” Mia said.

  “You got another dog?” Lacey asked, looking surprised. “Isn’t Rex jealous?”

  “I didn’t adopt a dog,” Kyle explained. “We found a lost dog in the dog park.”

  “And for a little guy, he sure was a lot of trouble,” Mia said. “He and Rex knocked over the trash, and he wouldn’t stop barking. And then he dug a hole under the gate in Kyle’s backyard and escaped.”

  “Don’t forget about the hole he chewed in my shirt,” Kyle added.

  “Was your mom mad?” Lacey asked.

  “She probably will be. . . .” Kyle said slowly. “I haven’t exactly told her about that part yet.”

  “Is he still at your house?” Lacey asked.

  Kyle shook his head. “No, we finally found out where he lives,” he said. “We put up flyers all weekend, and his owner finally called yesterday.”

  “He belongs to a really nice, old man,” Mia said. “We met his owner yesterday when we took Roscoe back to his house. But Mr. McCarthy is too old to play with the little dog or take him for walks.”

  “We think that’s why he ran away,” Kyle said. “He got bored being tied up in the backyard.”

  “If I had a dog, I’d take it for a walk every day,” Lacey said. “My brother has a snake. Nobody bothers him when he takes the Great Gorgon for a walk!”

  “How do you take a snake for a walk?” Mia asked.

  “Tommy wraps him around his arm,” Lacey explained.

  “No wonder nobody bothers him,” Mia replied. “If I saw a giant snake wrapped around someone’s arm I think I’d head the other direction.”

  Lacey laughed. “So what are you guys going to do about the dog?” she asked. “If he gets bored, won’t he just run away from home again?”

  “That’s what we’re worried about,” Kyle said.

  “Hey, I have an idea,” Lacey said. “Why don’t you guys walk him for his owner? That way you guys will still get to see him and pl
ay with him, and Roscoe won’t be so bored that he runs away.”

  “That’s a great idea!” Kyle exclaimed. He paused and frowned. “But I don’t know if I’ll have time to take care of another dog. I already have Rex.”

  “I’ll help out,” Lacey offered. “I really want a dog, but my parents won’t let me get one since my brother already has a snake. This way I still get to play with a dog, and it helps Roscoe’s owner out.”

  “Really?” Kyle said.

  “Definitely,” Lacey said. “I bet some of the other kids who can’t have dogs will help, too.”

  “We could take Rex over to play with Roscoe when we go,” Mia suggested. “That way they can still see each other.”

  “This just might work!” Kyle said. “I can’t wait to tell Mr. McCarthy.”

  The Scruffy Solution

  Kyle and Mia went straight to Dr. Blake’s clinic after school. They couldn’t wait to tell her all about Lacey’s brilliant idea.

  “That’s a great plan,” Dr. Blake agreed when they’d explained it to her. “Let’s call Mr. McCarthy and see if he’s home. If he’s okay with it, you can go over this afternoon and tell him your idea.”

  Kyle dialed Mr. McCarthy’s number. “Hi, Mr. McCarthy,” he said. “It’s Kyle Blake. Mia and I were wondering if we could come visit you this afternoon. We have something to talk to you about.”

  “Of course!” Mr. McCarthy said. “Come on over! Why don’t you bring Rex with you so he and Roscoe can play.”

  “Okay, see you soon!” Kyle said.

  The Great Idea

  Roscoe started barking as soon as Kyle, Mia, and Rex walked up Mr. McCarthy’s driveway. He probably smelled them all the way down the block. Dog noses were a lot better than people noses.

  “Well, well!” Mr. McCarthy was sitting on the porch with Roscoe nest to him on a leash. “We’ve got company, Roscoe!”