Harry the Homeless Puppy (5 page)

“Oh, Grace! I didn’t know you were here yet.” Sally looked at her worriedly. “Grace, I’m sorry, I really wanted to tell you before you saw he was gone.”

Grace nodded.

“A really nice lady’s taken him,” Sally promised. “She has a lovely big garden for him to run in.”

“Oh,” Grace whispered. Then she turned and ran back down the corridor.

Danny was putting a lead on one of the other dogs, a big greyhound that he really liked. He straightened up when Grace brushed past him. “Hey, what’s the matter? Grace? Where are you going?” He stared after her, then followed. He had a horrible feeling he already knew what had happened.

Harry lay in his basket, staring sadly round the kitchen. He’d been at his new home for two days now, and his new owners had both had to go to work today. He was all alone. He hadn’t liked the noise and bustle of the shelter, but it felt very strange for things to be so quiet.

And where was Grace? He had been sure that this was her house and he was going to live with her, but it had been ages and she still hadn’t come. He was beginning to have a horrible feeling that the wrong person had brought him home, and he didn’t know what to do about it.

At least it wasn’t dark now. The
kitchen was very frightening at night, and he howled for someone to come and keep him company. At Beth’s house he had been allowed to sleep on her bed, never shut up on his own all night.

Mrs Jameson had come downstairs and comforted him the first night, but she wasn’t the person he really wanted. Mr Jameson patted him occasionally, but he kept sniffing, and he sneezed whenever Harry came close to him. His sneezes were very loud, and quite scary. Harry was spending an awful lot of time shut up on his own in the kitchen, because he and Mr Jameson didn’t seem to be able to be in the same room together.

Harry sighed. Maybe someone would come and play with him soon.
Maybe even Grace. He really hoped so. But Beth had gone, and not come back. Had Grace left him now, too?

Chapter Five

Danny went to the shelter on his own on Thursday. He tried to get Grace to come with him, but she wouldn’t. When he got back, he went to her room and tried to cheer her up with funny stories about Finn, his current favourite at the shelter. Finn was half Labrador, half no-
one-knew
-what, except that it was very big and
very hungry. Danny had had to own up to Sally that Finn had found half a packet of mints in his pocket, and wolfed them down before Danny could stop him. But luckily, Sally had come to look at Finn, and said she thought it would probably take about six packets of mints to do anything to him; he had an iron stomach.

The story only earned Danny a very small smile. But on Friday after school, he set to work again. “You know, it’s not fair on Sally and all the other dogs if you don’t go,” he pointed out.

“What do you mean?” Grace asked worriedly. She liked Sally a lot; she really didn’t want to upset her.

“Well, she’s used to having you there to help. If we don’t go, the dogs won’t
get as many walks. I’m taking Finn out again today, but what about Bella and Jake and Harrison? I can’t walk all of them, Grace, and not many other people come in to help during the week.”

Grace nodded. He was right. It was just hard to imagine going back to the shelter and Harry not being there.

“And don’t forget how good everyone at the shelter said you were with the dogs. It’d be a real shame if you stopped going.” Danny looked at her hopefully. “Shall I phone Mum, and tell her I’m not dropping you at home, you’re coming with me?” He whipped his mobile out of his pocket.

Grace sighed. “I suppose so.”

“Excellent!” Danny cheered.

Sally said that Jake could really do with a walk, and that Grace and Danny could take him and Finn to the park together.

Grace tried not to be too miserable – it wasn’t fair on Jake for a start; he was a lovely dog, a Westie with a beautiful white coat. It was hard though. She couldn’t help remembering the brilliant walk she’d had with Harry.

Finn dragged Danny off to bark at squirrels in the trees on one side of the park, and Grace wandered slowly round the play area with Jake. He was an elderly dog, whose previous owner had died, and he liked gentle walks.

“Grace! Hello!” Someone was calling from the swings, and Grace looked over and saw Maya. Grace smiled and waved at her, but then her smile faded. How was she going to explain Jake?

“Did you miss me at ballet last week?” Maya called, slipping off the swing and running over. “I had a tummy bug, and Mum said if I was missing school, I couldn’t go to ballet.” Maya looked down at Jake, and then up again, confused. “That’s not the same dog you had last time, is it? The other one had a pointier nose, and – and stuff.”

“Um, yes…” Grace muttered.

“Wow, have you got two dogs now?” Maya asked excitedly.

Grace stared down at Jake and shook her head. She was too embarrassed to look at Maya. “I haven’t got a dog, they aren’t mine. Neither of them.” Then she pulled on Jake’s lead and suddenly dragged him off across the park.

Maya stood staring after them, looking surprised and rather upset.

Grace found Danny trying to persuade Finn to leave the squirrels alone, and told him what had happened. She was almost crying.

“So you just ran off?” Danny asked disbelievingly.

“Yes…” Grace admitted.

“You muppet. Why didn’t you explain? I bet she would’ve understood.”

“No, she wouldn’t. I’d have to admit I lied to her when I met her that time with Harry. I let her think he was mine, Danny. I never actually said it, but I didn’t tell her no when she said he was.”

Danny blinked as he worked that one out. “I still think she’d understand if you explained it properly. You’ll have to anyway. She’s bound to ask you at ballet. Or else she’ll be really off with you, and you’ll be all miserable every Tuesday.”

“I could stop going to ballet…” Grace suggested desperately.

“Like Mum’s going to let you do that, silly! How can you be so good at getting dogs to understand you, but too shy to talk to people properly?” Danny shook his head. “Nope, you’ll just have to explain. Is she still here?”

They looked over at the play area. Maya was there, talking to her sister.

“Come on!” And Danny grabbed Grace’s arms and marched her and Finn and Jake across the park.

Grace slowly approached Maya, looking embarrassed.

“Go on!” Danny nudged her.

“I’m so sorry,” Grace muttered. “I didn’t mean to pretend Harry was mine, but when you thought he was, it was so nice. I really, really wanted him to belong to me, you see.”

Maya gave her a confused look, confused and slightly suspicious. “So neither of them are yours? Who do they belong to then?”

Grace sighed sadly. “The animal shelter. Me and Danny go and help there after school. We take the dogs for walks.”

“Ohhh.” Maya nodded.

“I didn’t mean to run off, it’s just that I suddenly realized you’d know I’d lied to you and I didn’t know how to explain everything.” Grace looked at Maya, hopefully. Danny had been so sure that if she explained, Maya would be OK with it. Was he right?

“If you liked Harry so much, why didn’t you take him home?” Maya asked.

“Mum says we can’t fit a dog in our flat.” Grace sighed. “But Harry was so sad when he first came to the shelter. I spent ages trying to cheer him up, and it was almost like he was mine. When you thought he actually belonged to me, it was like my wish come true.”

“At least you can see him at the shelter,” Maya said. “It sounds like fun.”

Grace sighed. “I can’t any more. Someone else adopted him at the weekend; that’s why I’ve got Jake today instead. Harry’s gone.”

“Oh, Grace! That’s so sad.” They were silent for a minute, then Maya looked at her and Danny shyly. “So you still go to the shelter? Could I maybe come with you one day? I love dogs too; I’d really like to see them all.”

“Oh, yes! Why don’t you meet us there tomorrow?” Grace smiled. “Mum said we could definitely go on Saturday morning, didn’t she, Danny? And they’re always wanting more help.”

Grace never even noticed that someone else was there in the park. Mrs Jameson was working from home, and had taken Harry out for a quick walk. He was enjoying the smells – the park was full of interesting litter bins, and squirrels, and the scents of other dogs – but he wished he was with Grace. He plodded slowly round the path, watching the other dogs, and the children playing. He wondered where Grace was now.

And then he saw her. Grace was over on the other side of the park – with another dog. Harry stopped dead, and ignored Mrs Jameson gently pulling at his lead. Had she forgotten him already? Harry barked and barked, pulling on his lead as hard as he could, but she was too far away to hear him.

Did Grace have another dog now? He missed her so much, as much as he’d missed Beth when she went away. Why did everyone go away? Harry sat down in the middle of the path and howled broken-heartedly.

Mrs Jameson was worried that he might be hurt somehow. She picked him up and hurried him home, where he curled up in his basket and wouldn’t be played with all evening. He even refused to eat. He felt so lonely and he wanted Grace to come back for him so much. Why did she have another dog now? Didn’t she love him any more?