Read Attack of the Ninja Kittens! Online
Authors: Michael Broad
Attack of the Ninja Kittens!
For Tara
(a wonderful springer spaniel)
The Gentle Giant
In the Pooch Pound dogs’ home, a family were crouching at the bars of the far kennel, gently calling to a large white mound with big black patches. The Great Dane was
lying on a blanket with his back to the visitors and, like every other day they had come to meet him, the dog wouldn’t budge.
The disappointed family left with the warden, hurrying past three noisy kennels on their way to the door. Butch howled and growled and frothed like a fountain, Poppy bounded in circles snapping
at her tail, while Rocket barked as loud as he could. But when the door closed behind the visitors, the room fell silent and the three dogs sniffed the air.
asked Butch, wiping the drool from his mouth.
‘No, I don’t think so,’ said Poppy, poking her nose through the bars to take another sniff.
‘A goat?’ laughed Butch. ‘Humans don’t keep goats as pets.’
‘They could,’ Poppy said uncertainly.
Butch and Poppy looked at Rocket, who had the sharpest nose and was usually the first to list all of the pets the visitors kept at home. Other dogs and cats were easy to identify, but this
family smelt of something much more unusual.
said Rocket. The brown mutt twitched his shiny black nose and frowned in concentration.
‘Not as big as me,’ said a deep voice from the far kennel.
The three dogs turned to Duke, the shy Great Dane.
The gentle giant had arrived at the Pooch Pound a week ago when his family decided he was too large to manage. Duke had been returned to the Pooch Pound many times before for the same reason and
this had made him very conscious of his size.
‘Whatever pets the family have, they obviously want to give you a home too,’ said Poppy, gazing up as Duke heaved himself to his full height. ‘They’ve come to see you
every day this week – maybe you should give them a chance.’
‘But I’ll bump into their furniture and break things without meaning to,’ Duke sighed, lowering his head. ‘I don’t want them to be cross with me like all the other
families, so I’m staying here where I won’t be any trouble.’
