think he’s okay now,” he said as he kissed her good night for the third time.
Lizzie went back to bed and didn’t wake up until early the next morning, when she heard Mom shout, “Oh, no! Look what this puppy has done!”
CHAPTER FOUR
Mom groaned so loudly that Lizzie could hear her all the way upstairs. “Oh, what a mess!” Then Lizzie heard Mom begin to lecture the puppy. “You are a very, very,
very
bad —”
“Wait!” Lizzie jumped out of bed and ran to the top of the stairs. “Don’t yell at him! Don’t punish him!” She did not even know for sure exactly what the new puppy had done to make Mom so upset, but she did know one thing: there was no use in yelling at or punishing a puppy for something he had already done. Unless you caught a puppy in the middle of chewing your shoe, or peeing on the living room carpet, it was too late. If you yelled at him afterward, he wouldn’t understand why you were mad. Aunt Amanda had explained allthat to Lizzie, and it made sense. Puppies had to learn what was right and wrong, and the best way to teach them was to make a fuss over them when they did something right, like going to the bathroom outside, and ignore them when they did something wrong, like eating your favorite socks.
Lizzie ran down to the kitchen. Dad and Charles and the Bean thundered down the stairs behind her. The four of them stood at the kitchen door and stared at the mess Jack had made.
“Uh-oh,” said the Bean.
“Wow!” said Charles.
“Yikes!” said Lizzie.
Dad didn’t say a word. He just burst out laughing.
“It’s not funny!” Mom stood in the middle of the kitchen, hands on her hips. She glared at Jack, who sat near her feet. The puppy cocked his head and gave his tail the tiniest wag as he greeted the newcomers.
Hi there! See what I did? I was so bored, but I found a way to have fun.
Mom and Jack were surrounded by a sea of shredded paper, scraps of milk carton and foil, orange peels, coffee grounds, apple cores, the take-out containers from last night’s Chinese dinner, and the remains of the plastic pumpkins Charles and the Bean had used for trick-or-treating. It was the middle of November, but they still had a little candy left from Halloween.
“Uh-oh,” the Bean said again.
“My candy!” Charles wailed. “I thought it would be safe up on the counter.”
“Was there any chocolate in there?” Lizzie grabbed Charles’s arm.
“Ow, no!” He rubbed his arm and glared at her. “I ate it all the first week. The Bean ate his, too.”
“That’s all right, then,” said Lizzie. “At least there wasn’t any chocolate left. Chocolate can be very bad for dogs. It can make them really sick.”Personally, she always kept her candy on the top shelf of her closet, in her room. It was safer there. She looked around at the mess and tried to think of something positive to say. “What a smartie! Jack figured out how to get into the garbage and up onto the counters.”
“Lizzie!” For some reason, this made Mom even madder. “And, you, stop laughing.” She glared at Dad, who was still chuckling.
“At least he doesn’t seem to have gotten sick from it all.” Dad was obviously trying to see the bright side, too.
Lizzie had just stepped over the baby gate to help clean up when she saw that Jack had stopped wagging his tail. His ears perked up and the fur rose on the back of his thick, muscular neck. He growled, and Lizzie saw his lip curl, showing his teeth.
“Uh-oh,” said the Bean.
Lizzie turned to see Buddy standing near Charles on the other side of the baby gate. In herrush to get downstairs, she’d forgotten to close her bedroom door. Buddy had followed her. “Charles! Grab Buddy and take him outside!”
Charles made a face. “Who made you the boss?”
“I remember reading that some boxers have trouble getting along with other dogs,” Lizzie told him. “We don’t want them to fight, do we?”
“Fine!” said Charles. “But if I do it, you
Lizzie went back to bed and didn’t wake up until early the next morning, when she heard Mom shout, “Oh, no! Look what this puppy has done!”
CHAPTER FOUR
Mom groaned so loudly that Lizzie could hear her all the way upstairs. “Oh, what a mess!” Then Lizzie heard Mom begin to lecture the puppy. “You are a very, very,
very
bad —”
“Wait!” Lizzie jumped out of bed and ran to the top of the stairs. “Don’t yell at him! Don’t punish him!” She did not even know for sure exactly what the new puppy had done to make Mom so upset, but she did know one thing: there was no use in yelling at or punishing a puppy for something he had already done. Unless you caught a puppy in the middle of chewing your shoe, or peeing on the living room carpet, it was too late. If you yelled at him afterward, he wouldn’t understand why you were mad. Aunt Amanda had explained allthat to Lizzie, and it made sense. Puppies had to learn what was right and wrong, and the best way to teach them was to make a fuss over them when they did something right, like going to the bathroom outside, and ignore them when they did something wrong, like eating your favorite socks.
Lizzie ran down to the kitchen. Dad and Charles and the Bean thundered down the stairs behind her. The four of them stood at the kitchen door and stared at the mess Jack had made.
“Uh-oh,” said the Bean.
“Wow!” said Charles.
“Yikes!” said Lizzie.
Dad didn’t say a word. He just burst out laughing.
“It’s not funny!” Mom stood in the middle of the kitchen, hands on her hips. She glared at Jack, who sat near her feet. The puppy cocked his head and gave his tail the tiniest wag as he greeted the newcomers.
Hi there! See what I did? I was so bored, but I found a way to have fun.
Mom and Jack were surrounded by a sea of shredded paper, scraps of milk carton and foil, orange peels, coffee grounds, apple cores, the take-out containers from last night’s Chinese dinner, and the remains of the plastic pumpkins Charles and the Bean had used for trick-or-treating. It was the middle of November, but they still had a little candy left from Halloween.
“Uh-oh,” the Bean said again.
“My candy!” Charles wailed. “I thought it would be safe up on the counter.”
“Was there any chocolate in there?” Lizzie grabbed Charles’s arm.
“Ow, no!” He rubbed his arm and glared at her. “I ate it all the first week. The Bean ate his, too.”
“That’s all right, then,” said Lizzie. “At least there wasn’t any chocolate left. Chocolate can be very bad for dogs. It can make them really sick.”Personally, she always kept her candy on the top shelf of her closet, in her room. It was safer there. She looked around at the mess and tried to think of something positive to say. “What a smartie! Jack figured out how to get into the garbage and up onto the counters.”
“Lizzie!” For some reason, this made Mom even madder. “And, you, stop laughing.” She glared at Dad, who was still chuckling.
“At least he doesn’t seem to have gotten sick from it all.” Dad was obviously trying to see the bright side, too.
Lizzie had just stepped over the baby gate to help clean up when she saw that Jack had stopped wagging his tail. His ears perked up and the fur rose on the back of his thick, muscular neck. He growled, and Lizzie saw his lip curl, showing his teeth.
“Uh-oh,” said the Bean.
Lizzie turned to see Buddy standing near Charles on the other side of the baby gate. In herrush to get downstairs, she’d forgotten to close her bedroom door. Buddy had followed her. “Charles! Grab Buddy and take him outside!”
Charles made a face. “Who made you the boss?”
“I remember reading that some boxers have trouble getting along with other dogs,” Lizzie told him. “We don’t want them to fight, do we?”
“Fine!” said Charles. “But if I do it, you
Similar Books
Dead Giveaway
Leann Sweeney
Intimate Danger (Empire Blue)
D.C. Stone
Strife: Part Two (The Strife Series Book 2)
Sky Corgan
The Detachment
Barry Eisler
The Magpies Nest
Isabel Paterson
Dragons vs. Drones
Wesley King
Lion Heart
A. C. Gaughen
Stormed Fortress
Janny Wurts
Hairy London
Stephen Palmer
