Patches Read Free Page A

see an animal being mistreated.”
    “So?” Lizzie asked. “What can we do?”
    “Maybe our family can foster Patches.” Charles had been thinking about that the whole time. Wouldn’t it be great if Patches could come to stay with the Petersons? He wouldn’t be lonely or bored at all. He and Buddy could play all day, andthen Patches could sleep in Charles’s room, just like Buddy always did.
    But Ms. Dobbins was shaking her head. “I don’t think so,” she said. “We can’t just swoop in and take Patches away from his family. Not unless they’re doing something that’s against the law, like hitting him.”
    “But —” Sammy began.
    “Our state law makes it hard to take a dog away,” Ms. Dobbins went on. “If Patches has shelter, water, and a leash that’s at least four times as long as he is, then there’s nothing we can do. If he has those things, he has the basic necessities.”
    Charles and Sammy looked at each other. Patches had all those things.
    “But he couldn’t
get
to his water, because he was tangled!” Charles said. “Plus it’s just so
mean
to leave him alone out there!”
    “It’s not against the law for a dog to be lonely,” Ms. Dobbins said gently. “And the people probablyaren’t being mean on purpose. Lots of people just don’t understand that dogs need human companionship, playtime, and love. That’s part of our job here at the shelter — to teach people about how to be good pet owners.”
    “But how do you do that?” Charles asked.
    “Sometimes we talk to the owners,” Ms. Dobbins told him. “But we also try to educate the public in general. We write newspaper articles and letters to the editor, and we sponsor special events.”
    “Remember when Meg Parker and Sergeant Frost and their dogs came to school to do that demonstration about dogs who help people?” Lizzie asked. “Ms. Dobbins helped to set that up.”
    Ms. Dobbins put down her pen. “I will drive by the house a few times and see how things look,” she promised. “I imagine you’ll keep an eye on Patches, too. If you see something happen that you think is really wrong, you can call me or just call the police. Don’t try to talk to the owners yourselves, okay?”
    Charles and Sammy nodded. “Okay,” they said together.
    “I want to thank both of you for coming to me about this,” Ms. Dobbins said. “It’s nice to know that there are people out there who really care about animals.”
    “A puppy like Patches needs somebody to stand up for him,” said Charles. “He’s too little to take care of himself.”
    “Well, I’m sure he’s very happy to have found such good friends.” Ms. Dobbins stood up and shook Charles’s hand, then Sammy’s.
    Charles wasn’t sure whether they had really done anything to help Patches. But at least they had tried.

CHAPTER FIVE
    “So then Dagwood says, ‘But, Blondie, I want to take a nap!’” It was Sunday morning, and Charles was reading the comics to Buddy, who lay on his lap. Charles
always
read the comics to Buddy on Sundays. It was their tradition. Snoopy was Buddy’s favorite character, but he liked all the comics, not just Peanuts. The Bean was listening, too. He was curled up next to Charles, with his head on Charles’s shoulder. The Bean loved Garfield best.
    Dad and Lizzie were off doing some errands. But before he’d left, Dad had made blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Charles had eaten five, an all-time record. He was
stuffed.
Even Buddyhad gotten a pancake — one that fell out of the pan when Dad was flipping it.
    Mmmm, that pancake was so good. Buddy
loved
special treats like that. But the best treat of all was just being with Charles. Buddy loved the way Charles patted his ears while he read out loud. Maybe later they would go outside and play ball! Life was good.
    “Charles!” Mom called. “Sammy is here!”
    When Charles came into the kitchen, he found Sammy already sitting at the table, finishing off a pancake. Sammy almost always