Pugsley (5 page)

When Django was a little puppy, I took him to puppy kindergarten. He learned to play well with other puppies and he also learned things like how to sit, lie down, and walk on a leash. But he was a naughty puppy sometimes! Once he chewed a hole in my favorite rug. He would also steal food whenever he had the chance! Still, when Django got older, he turned into a very good dog.

Yours from the Puppy Place,

Ellen Miles

P.S. If you enjoyed reading about a dog who loves to chew things, check out CODY, another pup whose teeth take charge!

DON’T MISS THE NEXT PUPPY PLACE ADVENTURE!

Here’s a peek at
MAGGIE AND MAX!

“Eatalotta, eatalotta, eatalotta pizza!”

“Pepperoni, mushrooms, anchovies on the pizza,”

“Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan, too!” “Mmmm, mmmm, good!”

Charles shouted happily with the group. He loved the pizza chant. He loved his bright yellow T-shirt. He loved working toward his Wolf rank. In fact, Charles loved just about everything about being in Cub Scouts.

It was cool that his best friend Sammy was in his den. It was awesome that they would both soon become Wolves. And Charles thought it was most especially super cool
and
awesome that his mom and dad were Akelas — that is, den leaders. That meant that all six Cub Scouts in Charles’s den came to the Petersons’ house for their meeting every week, and it also meant that both Mom and Dad came along to the Scout’s monthly pack meeting.

After Charles’s dad finished leading the pizza chant, his mom shooed the pack out to the backyard so they could practice for the “Feats of Skill” they would have to perform as part of their Wolf Badge requirements. Charles and Sammy were practicing their front and back rolls when Charles looked up and saw a furry brown face watching from a window in the house. “Hi, Buddy!” he yelled, waving to his puppy.

Charles loved Buddy so much. More than ice cream, more than Cub Scouts, maybe even more than Christmas, which was only a few weeks away — that’s how much Charles loved his puppy. Buddy was brown with a white, heart-shaped patch on his chest. He was the cutest, smartest, funniest, softest, sweetest puppy ever, and — best of all — he belonged to the Petersons for ever and ever.

Now, in the upstairs window, another little face popped up next to Buddy’s. That was the Bean, Charles’s little brother. (His name was really Adam, but nobody
ever
called him that.) The Bean had a fuzzy green stuffed turtle hanging from his mouth. Mr. Turtle came from the pet store, and he had a squeaker inside. He was really a toy for dogs, not for little boys. But the Bean was not exactly a regular little boy. The Bean loved to pretend that he was a dog.

Then, a third face popped up. It was Lizzie, Charles’s older sister. She was keeping an eye on Buddy and the Bean while the den had its meeting. Charles figured that Lizzie was probably a little jealous of all the special time he got with Mom and Dad during Scout meetings, and all the fun things the Scouts got to do, like crafts and skits and games.

Sure enough, Lizzie stuck her tongue out at Charles. He stuck his tongue out back at her. Lizzie put her pinkies in the corners of her mouth and pulled it into a jack-o'-lantern shape. Charles did the same back at her. Charles was thinking about trying a new face with crossed eyes and a dangling tongue, when he heard Mom’s voice.

“Okay, Scouts, let’s head inside!” Mom was by the back door, waving her arms. “Our visitor has arrived and it’s time to sit down and put on our listening ears.”

The den often had special visitors who talked about their jobs or about how the Scouts could make a difference. Last month, the chief of police had come! He had made all the Scouts “official deputies.” That was cool.

Back in the living room, Dad was standing next to the Christmas tree talking to a tall man with a big, round stomach. Dad must have said something funny because just as Charles and the others came in, the man burst into a loud, happy laugh. Dad was laughing, too.

But both men got more serious once the Scouts had settled down and were sitting in a circle on the floor. “This is Mr. Baker,” Dad said, introducing the man. “He is the director of the Nest, which is a shelter for families who need temporary homes.”

“You mean, like the puppies we take care of?” Charles asked.

Dad nodded. “Sort of. Does everybody remember the big fire at Pinewood Apartments last week?”

Charles nodded along with all the other boys. He sure did remember. He remembered Dad’s beeper going off in the middle of dinner. Dad was a fireman, and he was always ready to go in an emergency. The Pinewood fire had kept him busy until very late that night.

“Fortunately, nobody was hurt by that fire,” Mr. Baker said. “But three families lost their homes. So they are staying with us at the Nest. We have two other families staying there, too, families that need a little help. With five families, we’re full to the brim.”

Sammy raised his hand. “How long do the people stay?”

“Usually only for a month or two,” answered Mr. Baker. “Just until they get back on their feet. Sometimes a mom or dad needs some help with finding a job, or with learning English if they are from another country. We can help with that. We also help the kids with their homework, and make sure they get to school every day.”

Now another Scout spoke up. “Do the families help out at the Nest?”

“They sure do,” said Mr. Baker. “We all work together to keep the Nest going, just like you all help out with chores at home. In return, the families get a safe, warm place to live, and three meals a day until they can find new homes.”

Now Mom spoke up. “Three
delicious
meals,” she said. “I had dinner there once when I was writing an article about the Nest.” Charles’s mom was a reporter for the
Littleton News
, the local newspaper.

“We do have a good cook,” agreed Mr. Baker. “And I must admit I enjoy helping out in the kitchen, too. I wonder if you boys can guess what kind of things I like to make? I’ll give you a hint. My name says it all.”

Charles got the hint. “Cookies!” he yelled.

“Cake!” yelled Sammy.

“That’s right, I’m a baker,” said Mr. Baker. “And when you come to the Nest next week, you can sample some of my treats.”

Dad spoke up again. “Remember how we agreed at our last meeting that we wanted to volunteer somewhere, to help others in our community? Well, Mr. Baker has invited us to help serve dinner at the Nest one night a week. We’ll even be there for Christmas Eve!”

Charles thought it sounded like fun. Until he heard what came next.

Mr. Baker was nodding and smiling. “We can’t wait to have you,” he said. “Especially on Christmas Eve. That’s when we put on our annual showcase — you know, singing, dancing, all that stuff. And our volunteers are the stars!”

Charles gulped. Performing in front of a group of people was
not
his idea of fun. Just the thought of it made his hands feel all hot and sweaty. But there wasn’t time to worry about that now. It was time to say good-bye to Mr. Baker and finish up their meeting with a song. Mom turned out all the lights except for the Christmas tree lights. Then, Charles and the other Scouts sang
“Show Akela we stand tall, we are Cub Scouts after all”
to the tune of “It’s a Small World After All.” Singing was fun, as long as it wasn’t for an audience.

They were on the last verse when Charles heard the phone ring. A moment later, Lizzie rushed into the room. “Ms. Dobbins just called!” she said to Mom. “She wants us to come over right away. She says she needs a foster family
tonight
.”

Ms. Dobbins was the director of Caring Paws, the animal shelter where Lizzie volunteered one day a week. She and her staff took care of lots of dogs and cats, but sometimes they needed help. That’s where the Petersons came in.

As soon as the last Cub Scout had been picked up by his parents, the Petersons piled into their van and headed for Caring Paws. When they arrived at the animal shelter, Ms. Dobbins greeted them at the door. Then, without wasting any time, she led them down the hall. Charles thought they were going to the dog room, but instead she brought them into her office. There, in the corner, was an enormous cardboard box. It was wrapped in bright green shiny paper, and a big red floppy bow hung down one side.

“Look what just arrived,” said Ms. Dobbins.

“I was working late and I didn’t even hear a car pull up, but when I went to lock the front door I found this box on the steps.”

Charles and Lizzie and the Bean moved closer to the box and peeked inside. Their parents were right behind them.

Charles caught a glimpse of a wide, shaggy, white-and-brown face with big eyes that looked like melting chocolate kisses. A puppy! A puppy with floppy brown ears and a long feathery tail and the biggest paws Charles had ever seen.

“Wow!” Dad was staring into the box. “That is one
huge
puppy!”

“Ohh!” said Lizzie. “How cute! Is it a Saint Bernard?”

“Uppy!” whispered the Bean, who had to stand on his tiptoes to look into the box.

“Keep looking,” said Ms. Dobbins.

“Oh, my!” said Mom suddenly. “There’s a kitten in there, too!”

Ellen Miles likes to write about the different personalities of dogs. She is the author of more than 28 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!

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Copyright © 2007 by Ellen Miles
Cover art by Tim O’Brien
Cover Designed 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.

First printing, September 2007

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e-ISBN: 978-0-545-41522-4