New Tricks for Rascal

by Holly Webb

  So her heart wasn’t thumping quite as fast as usual when she and Dad and Rascal walked into the village hall. Jack waved to her, and Hugo swung his thick tail joyfully as he spotted his friend Rascal.

  “Let’s start with our ‘walking to heel’,” Jo called, as the owners and their puppies got in line. “I think everyone’s getting this now, aren’t you? Lovely, Jack and Hugo!”

  Ellie watched enviously as Hugo paced round the hall at Jack’s side. He looked so grand and solemn, as though he was thinking carefully about every footstep.

  She set off, hoping that they would do just as well. But Rascal wasn’t in a serious mood at all. He was bright, bouncy and full of energy. Instead of walking calmly on a loose lead, watching Ellie for his treat, like he was supposed to, he was twirling and scampering around her. Ellie had to keep calling him back to his place.

  “Ellie, don’t get frustrated with him. You’re doing well,” Jo called. But Ellie felt like crying. Like Jo had said, everyone else was getting it right, but Rascal was worse than ever. How could he be so silly now, when he’d been doing so well in their practices?

  Suddenly, Rascal darted around her legs again, and Ellie’s eyes were so blurred with tears that she tripped over his lead.

  Ellie landed with a thump. “Ow,” she cried, as she hit her elbow hard on the floor.

  Dad hurried over. “Ellie, are you OK?”

  Ellie nodded, but her elbow ached horribly.

  Rascal crept over to her, looking guilty. He gave Ellie’s hand a lick, as if to say sorry, and then he nosed at Ellie lovingly.

  “That dog is so useless,” Ellie heard someone say, and she glanced up to see Amelia talking to her mother.

  Ellie rubbed her sleeve over her eyes. They thought her lovely Rascal was useless.

  “Oh, Ellie! You really went down hard there,” said Jo, coming over to check on her. “Are you hurt?”

  “Not really,” Ellie muttered, struggling up with Dad’s help, “I just banged my elbow.”

  “You sit down,” Dad said. “Have a rest. I’ll take over for a bit.”

  Rascal looked confused when Dad took his lead. He sat down, pulling back on the lead, and staring at Ellie.

  “Go on, Rascal.” Ellie nodded to him, and reluctantly he got up to follow Dad.

  Ellie sat in the corner and watched Dad with Rascal. They were meant to be practising “sit”, but Rascal wasn’t really watching the treats that Dad was holding over his nose. He would sit nicely, but then spring up to look round at Ellie.

  Jo came to talk to Ellie again at the end of the class, crouching down beside her.

  “How’s your elbow?”

  “Fine,” Ellie muttered. She felt so bad – and the worst thing was that she’d really thought Rascal would be better this week.

  “Ellie, I know you’re finding it difficult with Rascal right now, but he will improve, I promise you. What’s brilliant is that you haven’t given up, and you’re still being patient with him. I can tell you’ve been practising, too. That’s really good. You should be very proud of her,” she added to Dad.

  Ellie managed a very small smile. Jo was being so nice, but Ellie wasn’t sure she believed her.

  Maybe Amelia was right about Rascal.

  “You can’t give up!” cried Christy. It was morning break on Wednesday, the day after Ellie’s awful class, and she had just finished telling Christy the whole dreadful story.

  “Haven’t you been listening?” Ellie thumped her hand on the arm of the bench they were sitting on. “Ow. That hurt. Amelia was right, Christy. Rascal was useless. He wouldn’t do any of the commands properly, and he made me look totally stupid in front of everyone.” She shuddered. “I don’t even want to think about the show.”

  “So that’s it?” Christy looked horrified. “You’re going to stop training him?”

  “I’m not training him!” Ellie said wearily. “I’m just being dragged all over the hall by him!”

  Ellie heard the sound of someone laughing, and looked up to see Amelia walking towards the bench. “I’m so glad you’re giving up, Ellie. Saves me a job. I was coming to tell you that you really have to stop puppy-training. You’re just ruining the class for everyone else.”

  “I’m not,” Ellie said, but then her voice wavered. She gulped and blinked back her tears. She would not let Amelia make her cry.

  “You waste Jo’s time when she ought to be helping the others,” Amelia went on.

  “That’s what training’s for,” Christy snapped. “Dogs who actually need it. If you’re so perfect, why are you in the beginners’ class?”

  “Goldie is a beginner too, but she does what she’s told. That little rat of Ellie’s is never going to learn anything.”

  Ellie bounced up. “Rascal is not a rat! He’s a beautiful dog, and you’re just mean!”

  “Yeah, Rascal’s gorgeous, and clever, too,” Christy put in. She grabbed Ellie’s hand, and squeezed it.

  Luckily, the bell went just then, and Amelia turned on her heel and stalked away.

  But as they walked back into class, Ellie was pink-cheeked with fury. “I’m not giving up now,” she told Christy. “We’re going to show her. I will get Rascal to learn, even if we have to practise every minute of the day!”

  Mum brought Rascal to meet Ellie and Max from school, and Ellie made an extra-special fuss of him. Christy joined in, too. Then Jessie and Lydia from their class came over and wanted to stroke him, and Rascal started to get really excited, jumping and yapping, and scrabbling at their legs.

  Ellie asked Mum to pass her the packet of Rascal’s special treats. “Sit,” she said firmly, holding a treat above his nose. And he did! Rascal stopped yapping, and sat beautifully for the girls to pet him.

  “Good boy!” Ellie was so pleased she felt like giving him the whole packet.

  Christy rolled her eyes. “I thought he hadn’t learned anything, and you were giving up?”

  Mum overheard. “Ellie! You can’t! You’ve done so well with him. He walked to school beautifully, even when one of those big lorries he usually barks his head off at drove past.”

  “See?” Christy nudged her.

  Ellie nodded. “I suppose it’s been happening gradually and I haven’t noticed. But he really was terrible in yesterday’s lesson.”

  “Everyone can have bad days,” Mum said firmly. “It’s just a pity you’ll have to miss the next class.”

  Ellie looked up at her in horror. “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, Ellie,” Mum sighed. “Didn’t you listen to what Dad said this morning? He’s got to go to a meeting on Friday, and he won’t be back in time. I’d go, but Max has a football match, and I’ll have to take him.”

  Ellie felt desperate. She couldn’t miss the class! Not when Rascal was finally getting the hang of it. What if he forgot everything?

  She had a brainwave as they passed Grandad’s on the way home. “Mum, can I ask Grandad to take us?” she asked hopefully.

  “That’s a good idea.” Mum nodded. “Let’s go and see if he’s in.”

  Grandad was delighted with the idea, and said he’d been meaning to ask if he could come and watch a lesson. He promised to pick them up in plenty of time on Friday.

  Ellie told Grandad all about her problems with Amelia, and about Jack and Hugo on their way to the class. “I’d never seen such a big dog. You just won’t believe the size of him,” she said. “About fifty times bigger than Rascal.”

  Grandad nodded. “I love Great Danes. They’re so gentle.”

  But even though he had been warned, Grandad still gasped at the sight of Hugo.

  “Has he got bigger since Tuesday?” Ellie asked Jack, laughing.

  Jack nodded. “He’s growing so fast. But he still wants to sit on my lap like he’s tiny! Is this your grandad?”

  “Nice to meet you, Jack. I’m looking forward to seeing what you can both do,” Grandad told them, sitting down at the side of the hall. “Don’t look so worried, Ellie. Rascal’s goin
g to be brilliant.” He beckoned her close and whispered, “Which one’s that Amelia you told me about?”

  Ellie pointed to Amelia and Goldie, and Grandad nodded. “Mmm. Looks snotty. And that spaniel’s nervous, look at her ears twitching. Rascal may be naughty, but he knows he’s loved, and that’s important. Don’t let her bother you.” He folded his arms firmly.

  Somehow, having Grandad there to watch, smiling as they walked to heel down the hall, and giving her an approving nod when Rascal sat first time, was really encouraging.

  Ellie gave him a hug at the end of the class. “You were a huge help,” she said. Then she added shyly, “Grandad, I’ve got this special trick I’m teaching Rascal for the dog show. I put a treat on his nose, and he doesn’t eat it until I say he can. Well, that’s what’s supposed to happen, he hasn’t got it quite right yet.”

  Grandad looked thoughtful. “Sounds like it could take rather a lot of practice.”

  Ellie sighed. “I know, and there’s not much time before the dog show. I just want Rascal to be perfect.”

  Grandad put his arm round her. “I think perfect’s a bit boring, myself.”

  At the next class, Jo reminded everyone that the show was next Tuesday. This lesson, they were going to go through the tests they’d be doing.

  “Me and Rascal will come last in everything,” Ellie muttered to Jack.

  Jack shrugged. “Only in the tests Hugo doesn’t. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

  Dad seemed to think so too. He told Mum about it as soon as they got home.

  “You don’t need to come and watch. I don’t think it’s going to go very well,” Ellie told her worriedly. “I’ll be nervous, and I’m sure that makes Rascal naughtier.”

  But Mum had other ideas. She announced at breakfast the next day that the whole family would go.

  “Ellie’s been working really hard,” she said when Max tried to protest he had football practice. “We need to be there to support her and Rascal.”

  Ellie had a piece of toast halfway to her mouth, and it stayed there as she froze in horror. “But I don’t want everyone to come and watch,” she blurted out.

  Lila nudged Ellie. “What’s up? You’ve gone really pale.”

  “I think I might be sick,” Ellie muttered. “It’s going to go horribly wrong and everyone will laugh at me.”

  Lila looked at her thoughtfully. “I’m sure it’ll be OK. Rascal’s been quite good recently. When was the last time he ate something he shouldn’t have?”

  Ellie nodded. “I still feel sick, though.”

  Ellie was giving Rascal a last groom in the garden just before the competition, to make him look perfect. She had spent the whole weekend practising and hoped Rascal would be on his best behaviour.

  “There. At least you look beautiful,” she told him, smoothing his lovely ears.

  Lila came down the path. “Found you. Look, I’ve got you a present.”

  “Me?” Ellie looked surprised.

  “You and Rascal. Because you’ve been so nervous about the show. Go on, open it!”

  Ellie tore open the pretty pink paper, and hugged Lila. “A new lead! Oh, Lila, it’s fab! Now he won’t have to wear his chewed one.”

  “And a new red hairband for you, look. You can wear it with that red stripy T-shirt, and then you and Rascal will match.”

  Ellie tried on the hairband, and Lila nodded approvingly.

  “You’re the best sister,” Ellie told Lila, hugging her again. “I feel loads better already.”

  There were lots of dogs at the show. Jo had put her three beginners’ groups together to make it more of a competition. Ellie and Rascal were last in each section, just after Jack and Hugo. Waiting was making her nerves even worse. The judge, a lady called Anne, looked so serious as she took notes.

  But when it was finally Ellie’s go to show off walking to heel, Rascal did it perfectly, even though he was jumpy. Ellie saw Grandad making thumbs-up signs at her, and beamed at him.

  After that, Rascal had to let the judge stroke him, to show that he was friendly. At least that wasn’t something Rascal had a problem with, Ellie thought proudly, as Rascal charmed the judge with little wags of his tail.

  But now, as they waited for their next turn, Rascal started to prance about, whining excitedly.

  “Take him for a little walk outside if he’s getting bored,” Jo told Ellie, as she saw her trying to calm Rascal down. “I’ve just said the same thing to Jack and Hugo. I’ll send someone to call you when it’s getting close to your turn to show off ‘sit’ and ‘stay’.”

  Ellie nodded gratefully. The village hall had a field and some trees at the back, so she headed out that way. She could see Jack jogging towards the trees with Hugo, and she set off after them.

  “Let’s go, Rascal!” she said encouragingly. But Rascal had other ideas.

  The hedge that ran around the side of the hall was full of interesting smells, and he dug his claws in firmly.

  “Rascal, come on,” Ellie tried to sound fun and bouncy, but Rascal shook his head hard and suddenly twisted out of his collar, racing away towards the hedge.

  Ellie chased after him. She could see his little white tail sticking out of the hedge, and she reached in and grabbed him carefully with both hands.

  As she pulled him out, she gasped. Her beautiful, perfectly groomed puppy was absolutely covered in thick, smelly mud.

  “Rascal!” Ellie wailed. “What have you done?” She looked back at the village hall, her eyes wide with horror. Any minute now she was supposed to show off Rascal doing his “sit” and “stay”. He couldn’t possibly go back in like this!

  “Wow, what happened to him?” Jack said, coming up behind Ellie. Hugo leaned over to sniff the muddy little thing in front of him.

  “He ran off and went digging under the hedge. What am I going to do?” Ellie shook her head. “I’ll have to take him home. He won’t even get his certificate for the end of the course! Oh, Rascal…”

  “You can’t do that.” Jack frowned. “Look, can’t we sneak him into the loos and wash the mud off?”

  Ellie looked at him hopefully. “Could we? I suppose that’s the good thing about a really small dog.” She took off her jacket, and quickly wrapped it round Rascal – with the waterproof on the outside against his muddy fur. “There’s no way we could smuggle Hugo anywhere!”

  Jack grinned. “Not unless we walked him along on the far side of an elephant. Come on, Hugo and I will go and stand guard in front of the door to the ladies until Jo comes to call us for our turn.”

  Ellie dashed into the toilets, carrying her wriggly, whining bundle. She removed the jacket and placed a cross-looking Rascal into a washbasin.

  “Sorry,” Ellie told him, as she turned on the taps. “Bathtime.”

  Ellie started rinsing off the mud. But it was getting everywhere, and Rascal wasn’t helping. He kept trying to jump out of the basin, and he was so slippery!

  Ellie looked up in horror as the door opened, but it was only Lila.

  “Mum sent me to look for you and I ran into your friend Jack as he was on his way into the hall. He said you were in here. Oh no! How did Rascal get like that?”

  “He found a muddy hedge, you know what he’s like. Please, Lila, help me wash him!”

  Lila groaned, but she nodded. “I’ll hold him. You can’t let him get you muddy too.”

  She grabbed hold of Rascal, which left Ellie free to swoosh the water over him. Quite a lot of it went over Lila as well.

  “What do you think?” Ellie asked at last.

  “He has to be clean.” Lila grinned.

  “There can’t be any more mud on him, most of it’s on me, and just look at the colour of the water.”

  Ellie sighed. It did look as though she’d been trying to make mud soup in the basin, and Lila was covered, too.

  “Here, you hold him under the hand dryer, I’ll rinse the basin out.” Lila handed her a wet, wriggly Rascal. “Dry your T-shirt, too!”

  Rasca
l seemed to like the warm air from the dryer. He closed his eyes blissfully and stopped struggling.

  Ellie fixed his collar and lead back on. Then she tried to give her muddy sister a hug, without getting too close. “Thanks, Lila!”

  “Let’s go,” Lila said. “It’ll be your turn any minute.”

  Jo was just looking for them as they went back into the main hall. “Ellie, you’re on next, OK?”

  It seemed as though the emergency bath session had washed away Ellie’s butterflies, too! There was no time for nerves now. She and Rascal stood in the middle of the hall, ready to show what they could do.

  “Sit!” Ellie smiled as Rascal sat beautifully. “Good boy, Rascal! Down! Down, Rascal!”

  Slowly, Rascal lowered his tummy to the ground.

  “Stay.” Ellie moved a couple of steps backwards.

  Rascal looked up at Ellie, and wriggled after her on his tummy. Ellie tried not to laugh. “Stay.”

  Rascal laid his nose on his paws.

  “Good boy!” Rascal sat up again, and Ellie gave him a treat. She gazed down at him sitting there so nicely. He looked so clever… It was time for his special trick.

  She took another treat and balanced it on his nose. Rascal’s little tail thumped the ground, but he didn’t eat the biscuit. He watched Ellie, his eyes hopeful.

  “Eat it! Good boy, Rascal!” He finally gobbled down the treat, and Ellie threw her arms around him. She couldn’t believe he’d done it!

  “That was great, Ellie!” Jo said, and even the judge smiled. “OK, Rascal was our last dog today, so now we’re going to give out certificates to everyone, and Anne has chosen the winners. So, can you all come and stand in a line.”