Baxter (5 page)

It was the hardest phone call Lizzie had ever had to make. But she knew it would not be right to take Baxter to Caring Paws without telling Elaina. She wished she could put it off, but she knew it had to be done. That night, after dinner, she went to the phone and dialed.

“Hello?” Elaina answered the phone in a flat voice.

“Hi, Elaina, this is Lizzie.”

“Oh, hi.” Now Elaina sounded a little livelier. “How’s Baxter?”

“He’s fine,” said Lizzie. “No new adventures. How about you? Did you find a job yet?” She knew she was stalling, but she could hardly stand to
give Elaina the news that her puppy was headed for the animal shelter.

“Nope,” said Elaina. She didn’t sound lively anymore, and she didn’t say anything else.

“Oh,” said Lizzie. She had a feeling that Elaina didn’t want to talk about it. “How about the beach? Have you been going down there to watch the dogs play?”

“Nope,” said Elaina.

Lizzie thought about that for a second. Would she want to watch other people’s dogs play if she’d had to give up Buddy? Maybe not. “Well,” Lizzie said finally, because she had to say
something,
“I hate to tell you this, but my family won’t be able to keep Baxter for much longer. In a few days, we’ll probably have to take him to Caring Paws, the animal shelter.” She waited for a second, but Elaina didn’t say a word. “Ms. Dobbins is really nice,” Lizzie said. “She’ll take excellent care of Baxter. I promise. He’ll be safe, and warm,
and the kennels are clean, and —” Lizzie knew she was babbling, but she couldn’t stop herself. “And she’ll find him a good home, with a good family. I’m sure she will.” Finally, she took a breath. “Elaina? Are you okay?”

Elaina sniffled into the phone. “I have to go,” she said, and hung up.

Lizzie stared at the phone in her hand. She felt awful. She scooped Baxter into her arms and snuggled her nose into the thick fur of his neck. “Oh, Baxter,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”

Mom did manage to find someone else to go on the Bean’s field trip, and then it was the weekend and Lizzie was home all day, so she could take care of Baxter herself. She played with him all day long and let him sleep on her bed at night. She hugged him and gave him treats. She bought him a stuffed polar bear named Snowy. She taught him how to shake hands so
he could impress people who came to the shelter looking for a dog to adopt. And Charles helped her give him a bath and comb his silky fur until it shone.

Then, on Sunday night, it was time. Charles and the Bean and Dad all gave Baxter some special good-bye hugs, and then Lizzie loaded the puppy into the crate in the back of the van.

“You know I hate to do this, Lizzie,” said Mom as they drove to Caring Paws. “But I’m sure Baxter will be adopted very soon. He’s so cute, and so well behaved.”

“As long as someone’s always around,” Lizzie said. “Don’t forget that little part.” She twisted in her seat to look at Baxter. He really was adorable. If only they could keep him a little longer, she was sure she could help him get over his separation anxiety. “I’ll miss you so much, fur-face.” She poked in a finger to stroke his nose.

Baxter thumped his tail and licked her fingers through the wires of the crate.

Where are we headed now? Not that it makes any difference. I have fun no matter where I go with you!

Lizzie knew that Baxter had no idea where he was headed or why. But she did. She knew that she was going to lead him into one of the dog runs at the shelter, close the door behind him, and leave him there. A lump grew in her throat, and a tear slid down her cheek. Poor Baxter. Nothing like this had ever happened before to one of the Petersons’ foster puppies. Why did it have to be Baxter?

When they arrived at Caring Paws, Lizzie took Baxter out of his crate and cradled him in her arms. Ms. Dobbins met them at the front door. She had agreed to come in on a Sunday night, when it would be quieter, and she had promised to stay with Baxter until he fell asleep. When he woke in the morning, there would be people around, and lots of activity.

“Hello, Baxter.” Ms. Dobbins reached out to pet Baxter’s cheek. “Don’t worry, sweetie. You’ll be just fine here.”

Baxter licked her hand, then snuggled deeper into Lizzie’s arms.

I’ll be just fine anywhere, as long as you’re with me.

Lizzie could hardly stand it. Baxter trusted her. How could she leave him here? She hugged him closer and kissed the top of his head. One of her tears dropped onto his nose, and he licked it off.

“We’ll put him in kennel number one. That’s closest to the office, so people will be coming and going more often,” said Ms. Dobbins as she led them into the dog room.

Lizzie and her mom had brought the red flannel sheet that Baxter had been sleeping on. When Ms. Dobbins opened the gate to kennel one, Mom
went in and arranged the sheet on top of the comfy, clean dog bed that was already in there. Then she pulled Snowy the polar bear out of her bag and tucked him in. She stepped back, and Lizzie saw her give her eyes a quick wipe. Mom was crying, too.

Lizzie went into the kennel with Baxter and set him on the bed, then sat down next to him. “You’re going to be fine.” She stroked his ears. “Just fine.”

Baxter peered through his bangs at her and licked another salty tear from her cheek.

You seem upset. I wonder why.

Lizzie laid her cheek against Baxter’s. He was so sweet. How could they leave him all alone here?

Then Lizzie heard a loud pounding at the front door.

“What’s that?” Ms. Dobbins asked.

“Open up!” somebody yelled.

Ms. Dobbins disappeared, heading for the door. And when she came back, she was not alone.

Elaina was with her. And they were both smiling.

“Baxter!” Elaina cried. She ran into the kennel and threw herself down next to Baxter. Baxter squirmed and wriggled and thumped his tail and licked every inch of Elaina’s face.

You came back. I knew you would come back!

“What — what are you doing here?” Lizzie was almost afraid to ask.

“I came to get Baxter, that’s what!” said Elaina. “When you told me he was going to have to come to the shelter, that did it. I got up off the couch and I went looking for a job. And I found one. I’ll be waitressing at a restaurant near the beach. Not only that, one of my best friends from high
school works there, too, and she’s looking for a roommate — and she loves dogs.”

She sat up with Baxter in her lap. “What do you think of that, fur-face?” she asked. “There will always be someone with you, since Rebecca works the early shift and I’ll be working the late shift, and we’ll be right by the beach, so you can play with the other dogs and practice your swimming.”

Baxter sprang out of her arms and spun in circles, barking happily.

Whatever you’re saying, it sounds good to me!

Lizzie wiped away some tears. She was still crying, but now she was smiling, too. She could not have thought of a better forever home for Baxter.

Can you think like a dog, the way Lizzie did when she was looking for Baxter? It’s fun to put yourself inside a dog’s head and imagine what he or she might be seeing, smelling, hearing, and thinking. Just for fun, try writing about an adventure, a funny moment, or just an ordinary day from your dog’s point of view (or from the point of view of a made-up dog if you don’t have one of your own). Learning to think like a dog will make you love dogs even more!

Dear Reader,

I loved writing this book because Lizzie got to go to Maria’s family’s cabin in the woods. I had so much fun imagining just what that cabin would look like (and smell like!), and I loved picturing the trails through beautiful woods to the sparkling, hidden lake. Spending time in the outdoors — every day — is very important to me. And there’s no better companion than a dog for a walk in the woods, a ski on the trail, or a swim in the lake!

Yours from the Puppy Place,

Ellen Miles

P.S. To see how the Peterson’s came to own their own puppy, check out BUDDY.

THE
PUPPY PLACE

Don’t miss any of these other stories by Ellen Miles!

Baxter

Bear

Buddy

Chewy and Chica

Cody

Flash

Goldie

Honey

Jack

Lucky

Maggie and Max

Noodle

Patches

Princess

Pugsley

Rascal

Scout

Shadow

Snowball

Sweetie

Ellen Miles likes to write about the different personalities of dogs. She is the author of more than 30 books, including the Puppy Place and Taylor-Made Tales series as well as
The Pied Piper
and other Scholastic Classics. Ellen loves to be outdoors every day, walking, biking, skiing, or swimming, depending on the season. She also loves to read, cook, explore her beautiful state, and hang out with friends and family. She lives in Vermont.

If you love animals, be sure to read all the adorable stories in the Puppy Place series!

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

Copyright © 2010 by Ellen Miles.
Cover art by Tim O’Brien
Cover design by Steve Scott

All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. SCHOLASTIC, LITTLE APPLE, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. Lexile is a registered trademark of MetaMetrics, Inc.

First printing, June 2010

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e-ISBN: 978-0-545-32451-9