Problem Pup

by Diana Gallagher

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1: Clinic Chaos

  Chapter 2: Bad Dog Fix-It Plan

  Chapter 3: The Misty Mystery

  Chapter 4: Whatever Works

  Chapter 5: Progress Not Perfect

  Chapter 6: Kitty Crisis

  Chapter 7: All Work and No Play

  Chapter 8: Decision Day

  Clinic Chaos

  “C’mon, Rex!” Kyle called as he ran down the street toward his mom’s veterinary clinic Friday afternoon.

  Rex, Kyle’s yellow Labrador retriever, ran beside him, leaping and turning in circles. Rex could sense that Kyle was excited, so he was excited, too.

  Kyle yanked open the front door of Dr. Blake’s Veterinary Clinic and hurried inside. Practically bursting with excitement, he pulled a paper out of his pocket. He couldn’t wait to show his mom how well he’d done on his math test.

  Behind the counter, Lillian, the clinic’s receptionist, smiled at him. “You look like you’re in a good mood,” she said.

  “I am,” Kyle said. “I got a hundred percent on my math test!”

  “Congrat—” Lillian started to say. But just then, Rex came charging past Kyle into the waiting room.

  “Look out!” Lillian shouted.

  Rex’s leash got tangled around Kyle’s feet, making him lose his balance. Kyle fell against the magazine rack, knocking it to the ground with a loud CRASH! Papers scattered across the floor. Rex yelped with surprise and jumped away, knocking into a cat carrier on the floor. The cat inside hissed angrily.

  Across the room, a small poodle was waiting with its owner. The dog pulled against his leash and yapped at the cat. His front feet came off the floor when he barked, and he squeaked when he landed.

  Angry hisses continued to come from inside the cat carrier. Finally, the cat’s owner picked up the carrier and put it on his lap. He shot an irritated glance at Kyle and Rex.

  The little poodle continued yapping and tugging at his leash to get free.

  “Bailey, no!” the poodle’s owner said, pulling the little dog away.

  Everything seemed to be calming down a bit . . . then Rex started barking. The poodle immediately looked at Rex and jumped out of its owner’s lap. Rex dropped into a play bow on his front end.

  “Bailey! Get away from that animal right now!” the woman holding the poodle’s leash hollered.

  “Sorry!” Kyle said, grabbing Rex by the collar. “He won’t hurt him. He just wants to play.”

  The poodle suddenly seemed to realize that Rex was bigger. The little dog turned tail and scrambled to safety between his owner’s feet.

  Rex thought the poodle was playing. He jumped toward the little dog.

  “Get away!” Bailey’s owner hollered again.

  Lillian came out from behind the front desk to stand between the two dogs. “It’s okay, Mrs. Stone. Rex won’t hurt Bailey,” she said. She glared at Kyle. “But he’s being a very bad dog today!”

  Kyle tried to pull Rex back. “Stop it, Rex!” he said firmly. “Come here.”

  But Rex wanted to play with his new poodle pal. He didn’t budge.

  Just then, Kyle’s mom came walking into the waiting room. “What is going on out here?” she demanded.

  “That dog attacked Bailey,” the poodle’s owner said, pointing at Rex.

  “No, he didn’t!” Kyle protested. “He just wanted to play!”

  “Outside, Kyle,” Dr. Blake said. She pointed to the front door and gave her son an irritated look. “Now!”

  Bailey started yapping all over again, and Kyle had to drag Rex out the front door. His mom followed, closing the door behind her. The noise in the waiting room immediately quieted.

  “Now what happened?” Dr. Blake asked.

  “It wasn’t Rex’s fault, Mom,” Kyle said. “I knocked over the magazine rack. And the cat started hissing, and the poodle started barking, and Rex wouldn’t shut up. But he wasn’t trying to hurt that dog. He just wanted to play.”

  Dr. Blake sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Kyle, we’ve talked about this. What are the Rex rules?” she asked.

  Kyle’s shoulders sagged and he looked at the ground. “That Rex has to behave when he’s in the clinic,” he mumbled.

  “All the time,” his mom said. “No exceptions. That means no barking and no playing with the patients. I can’t have him upsetting people.”

  Kyle nodded. “I know,” he said. “Sorry, Mom.”

  “I think it might be a good idea if Rex stays away from the clinic for a while,” Dr. Blake said. “If there’s another incident like this, he won’t be allowed in the clinic at all.”

  Dr. Blake went back inside the clinic, and Kyle turned to walk next door to their house. Rex trailed along next to him quietly. He seemed to sense he was in trouble.

  As they walked into the kitchen, Kyle remembered his perfect math test. He was still holding the paper, but it didn’t seem that exciting anymore. Rex was in big trouble with Mom. And that meant Kyle was, too.

  Bad Dog Fix-It Plan

  A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Kyle opened the door and saw Mia, his best friend and next-door neighbor, on the porch.

  “Hey, Mia,” Kyle said. “What’s up?”

  “I was hoping you and Rex would want to go to the park with me,” Mia said.

  “Sure,” Kyle replied. “Come on in while I grab my shoes and coat.”

  The two kids made their way to the kitchen, where Rex was lying on the floor. He looked over at Mia and Kyle when they walked in, but he didn’t move.

  “What’s wrong with Rex?” Mia asked. “He looks depressed.”

  “I think he knows he’s in trouble,” Kyle explained. “He went a little nuts at the clinic.”

  “What did he do?” Mia asked.

  Kyle sat down to pull on his shoes and told Mia what happened. “If Rex messes up again, he’ll be banned from the clinic for good,” he finished. “My mom was really mad.”

  “Maybe Rex just wasn’t in the mood to listen,” Mia suggested.

  Kyle sighed. Rex wasn’t in the mood to listen a lot of the time. Especially if he was busy chasing squirrels. Or eating. Or smelling something. Or napping. “You need to remind him that you’re the boss,” Mia said.

  Kyle nodded. “You’re right,” he said. “He already knows all the obedience commands.”

  “But he only does them when he feels like it,” Mia pointed out. “He has to do them when you say so.”

  “All the time,” Kyle agreed. “Even if a squirrel kicks him in the nose!”

  Mia giggled. “Or it rains dog treats.”

  “Or he smells pizza,” Kyle said. “When I say come, I mean it!”

  Rex’s ear twitched when he heard the command, but he didn’t sit up to obey.

  Mia sighed. “You’ve got a lot of work to do,” she said.

  “No kidding,” Kyle said. “So let’s get started.”

  Kyle grabbed Rex’s leash, and the three of them headed to the dog park. He usually let Rex relax and check out all the doggy-delicious smells along the way, but today, he made the yellow Lab heel and stay by his side.

  Rex wasn’t happy about it. He kept trying to veer off the sidewalk to sniff the trees. Every time Rex pulled on his leash, Kyle made him stop and sit for a minute. After the fourth stop, Rex finally gave in and walked nicely.

  The dog park was extra crowded by the time they made it there. There were dogs catching Frisbees, digging in the sand, and rolling on the grass. Two black Labs dashed through tunnels and leapt over jumps on the agility course. A few tired dogs napped under benches while their owners r
ead or talked on cell phones.

  “Wow!” Mia exclaimed when they entered the fenced playground for dogs. “There must be fifty dogs here today!”

  “Maybe more,” Kyle said as he looked around. “I’ve never seen it this crowded before.”

  “Are you sure this is the best place to practice?” Mia asked.

  “It’s perfect!” Kyle said. He stopped, and Rex sat down next to him.

  “But there’s so much going on here,” Mia said.

  “That’s why it’s perfect,” Kyle said. “I have to teach Rex to ignore the other stuff and just listen to me.”

  Just then, a man with a German shepherd ran by. Rex whined, wiggled, and started to stand up. He wanted to run, too.

  “Sit!” Kyle ordered.

  Rex whined again, but he stayed sitting.

  “Good boy,” Kyle said. He pulled a treat out of his pocket and fed it to Rex. “Okay, let’s get started.”

  Kyle tugged lightly on Rex’s leash to get the dog’s attention. Then he dropped the leash and held his hand in front of Rex’s face. “Stay!”

  Kyle walked a few feet away, then stopped and turned around to face Rex. The dog was still sitting where Kyle had left him. But when he saw Kyle looking at him, Rex stood up again.

  “Stay!” Kyle called. He held his hand out toward the yellow Lab. Rex quickly stopped moving and stood where he was while Kyle walked over.

  “Sit,” Kyle said as he picked up the leash again. Rex sat, and Mia applauded.

  “That was great!” a boy’s voice said.

  Kyle glanced over and saw Drew Martin sitting on a nearby bench. A white spaniel with big black spots sat on the ground near his feet. Drew went to their school, but he was in a different fourth-grade class, so Kyle didn’t know him very well.

  Mia walked over to pet Drew’s dog. “What’s his name?” she asked.

  “Lucky,” Drew said. He nodded toward Rex. “Can he do any other tricks?”

  “Sure,” Kyle replied. He had Rex lie down, stay, and shake. Rex must have been in the mood to listen. He didn’t make any mistakes.

  Feeling more confident, Kyle tossed a stick a few feet away. “Leave it!” he told Rex before the dog could run after it.

  Rex stared at the stick. He whined softly, but he didn’t move to get it.

  “Good boy!” Kyle said proudly. He knew how hard it was for Rex to resist running after the stick. He was lucky to have such a well-behaved dog.

  Suddenly, Drew’s dog sprang to his feet, rushed forward, and grabbed the stick. Rex immediately barked and chased after Lucky. That was Rex’s stick!

  “Lucky!” Drew shouted. “Put that down!”

  But Lucky didn’t listen. He took off running, holding the stick proudly in his mouth. Rex chased him, and the two dogs ran in circles around the park. Every time the boys and Mia tried to catch them, they raced away again.

  “Rex!” Kyle called to his dog. “Come back here! Now!”

  But Rex seemed to be done listening for the day. He ignored Kyle and kept chasing after Lucky.

  Mia sighed. “Rex was doing so well!” she said, shaking her head.

  “It’s my fault,” Drew said. “I was so busy watching you that I forgot to hold onto Lucky’s leash. You’re a good dog trainer, Kyle.”

  “Not good enough,” Kyle said. “If Rex doesn’t start listening to me, my mom will never let him back in her clinic.”

  “I wish that’s all I had to worry about,” Drew mumbled.

  “What do you mean?” Mia asked.

  “I’ve been begging for a dog for years,” Drew explained. “My parents finally decided I was old enough to take care of one, so they let me adopt Lucky from the shelter a few months ago.”

  “That’s good, isn’t it?” Kyle asked.

  “Yeah, except we didn’t count on getting a dog that digs in the trash, chews up shoes, and doesn’t come when he’s called,” Drew explained. He looked upset. “I’ve been trying to train him since we brought him home, but it’s not working.”

  “Well, it takes time to train a dog,” Kyle pointed out.

  “I know,” Drew said, “but if Lucky doesn’t learn to behave, I’m worried that my parents are going to make me get rid of him.”

  “What?” Mia gasped.

  Drew nodded unhappily. “That’s what my dad said yesterday,” he told them. “He was really upset. He said that if Lucky doesn’t start to show some improvement by next Saturday, he’s gone.”

  Not if we can help it, Kyle thought. “Why don’t you and Lucky meet Rex and me here on Saturday,” he suggested. “I have to work on his training anyway. We can work on Lucky’s at the same time.”

  “That would be great!” Drew said, sounding grateful. “I need all the help I can get!”

  The Misty Mystery

  Rex walked quietly on the way home, but Kyle knew it was mostly because he was tired after his game of keep-away with Lucky.

  “I can’t believe Drew’s parents would make him get rid of Lucky,” Mia said.

  Kyle nodded. His mom might be annoyed with Rex, but she’d never get rid of him. “Maybe Drew’s parents just don’t understand dogs,” he suggested.

  “At least Drew wants to learn,” Mia said. “Hopefully you can help him since you’re training Rex anyway.”

  “I hope so,” Kyle said. “Lucky’s bad habits can be fixed. It’ll just take time.”

  “I wish Misty’s bad habits could be fixed,” Mia said with a sigh. “She’s been worse than ever lately.”

  “Worse?” Kyle said. That was hard to believe. Mia’s cat, Misty, never listened. She was so mean she could chase dogs out of the yard and take down skateboarders. Once she’d even dropped a live beetle in Mia’s cereal bowl.

  “It’s too bad cats can’t be trained like dogs,” Mia added.

  Some can, but not Misty, Kyle thought. Misty did what she wanted when she wanted, and nobody argued.

  “What’s she doing now?” Kyle asked.

  “Last night at dinner she crouched under my chair and clawed at my feet,” Mia said. “She wouldn’t stop, so we had to lock her outside until we finished.”

  Misty clawed Kyle’s feet all the time. But going after Mia was new.

  “And yesterday afternoon she shredded the mail,” Mia said. “All my mom’s catalogs have holes in them. She was not happy.”

  “Has Misty ever done that before?” Kyle asked.

  Mia shook her head. “No. I don’t know why she’s doing it now.”

  “Maybe she’s just bored and trying to get more attention,” Kyle suggested.

  “Maybe,” Mia said. “Let’s go to Mr. J’s and get her a new catnip mouse. She loves those.”

  Mr. J’s Pet Haven had been in business for thirty years. Kyle and Mia didn’t shop anywhere else for dog and cat supplies. Some things were cheaper at the big chain pet store, but Mr. J knew all his customers by name. And no one knew more about pets.

  A bell chimed as Kyle and Mia pushed open the door to Mr. J’s Pet Haven. “Don’t want any!” Jethro, Mr. J’s parrot, squawked as soon as they walked inside.

  “Hi, Jethro!” Mia said. “What’s up?”

  The bird let out a whistle and bobbed his head. “I’m hungry!” he said.

  Mia picked up a cracker from the bowl on the counter and held it out to the bird. “Here you go,” she said.

  Jethro took the cracker with his beak and swallowed it in one bite. As soon as it was gone, he squawked, “Get lost!”

  Kyle smiled. The parrot used to live at Mr. J’s house. He’d learned to talk by listening to Mr. J’s kids.

  “That bird is such a brat sometimes!” Mr. J said with a laugh. “What brings you two in today? Anything I can help with?”

  “I need a new catnip toy for Misty,” Mia said. “And some treats. She’s been acting a
little weird lately.”

  “Weird how?” Mr. J asked.

  “Clawing at my feet and ripping up the mail,” Mia said.

  “Some animals get cranky when they get older,” Mr. J suggested. “Could that be it?”

  Mia shook her head. “Misty isn’t old,” she said. “She’s only four.”

  “Besides, she was born cranky,” Kyle added. “We think she might just be bored.”

  “That could be it,” Mr. J said. “It’s hard to tell sometimes since our pets can’t tell us what’s bothering them. We have to figure it out.”

  Kyle and Mia followed Mr. J to the back of the store where the cat supplies were kept. He quickly gathered up Misty’s new toy and treats.

  “Why do some dogs chew stuff and play with trash?” Kyle asked.

  “All puppies chew,” Mr. J said. “Owners have to teach them that dog toys are okay and everything else is not. And training takes time. Some people don’t want to be bothered.”

  Maybe that’s why Lucky’s first owner took him to the shelter, Kyle thought.

  “And dogs can get into the trash for a lot of reasons,” Mr. J continued as they walked back to the front of the store. “Sometimes dogs get nervous when they’re left alone. Trash keeps them busy and calms them down.”

  “Rex used to get into our trash,” Kyle said. “But I don’t think it calmed him down.”

  Mr. J laughed. “Sometimes dogs do it just because ripping up smelly stuff is fun,” he said.

  Lucky is definitely the smelly fun type, Kyle decided.

  Mr. J rang up Mia’s purchases. “I hope these help with Misty,” he said.

  “Me, too,” Mia said. “I have to wear three pairs of socks to protect my toes when I’m sleeping!”

  Whatever Works

  When Kyle and Rex arrived at the dog park on Saturday morning, Drew and Lucky were already waiting. Rex and Lucky sniffed noses to say hello, then Kyle made Rex sit. Lucky pranced and pulled on his leash. He wanted to play.

  “Did you bring any treats with you?” Kyle asked.

  “Yep, a whole bag,” Drew said, pulling a bag out of his pocket. “But I don’t know if they’ll help at all. Training Lucky might be hopeless. Every time he went near the trash last night, I told him, ‘No!’ but he still dragged garbage all over the kitchen.”