Sam the Stolen Puppy Read Free Page B

minute, Emily, we’re just chatting.” He frowned at her in a way that said “Behave!” and Emily scowled back. Couldn’t Dad see these weren’t nice people?
    The woman crouched down to stroke Sam, and he backed away up against Emily and growled.
    “Sam!” Dad sounded shocked, but Emily was glad. She didn’t want them touching him!

    The woman smiled. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I probably smell of Bertie, and he doesn’t like it.”
    Sam huddled close to Emily, still growling, but faintly so that only she could hear him. The woman didn’t smell of Bertie, she smelled of lots of dogs. Lots of unhappy dogs, and he didn’t want to be anywhere near her. He didn’t want to end up like Bertie.
    Dad and Emily set off for home with Sam trotting along, walking to heel, like he’d been taught. Occasionally Emily had to remind him, but not very often.
    Dad wasn’t noticing how well Sam was doing though. “Emily, that was very rude just now. You know better than that. What on earth’s the matter with you?”
    Emily shrugged. It sounded a bit stupid, now they’d left the strange couple behind. “They just didn’t seem very nice,” she muttered. “I didn’t like them being so interested in Sam.”
    “Emily, those people were perfectly nice. Don’t be so silly,” Dad snapped.
    “But Sam didn’t like them either!” Emily protested. “Dogs are good at telling what people are really like!”
    “Sam just picked up on your bad behaviour,” Dad said sternly. “I don’t want either of you being like that again. Now let’s get home.”
    Emily walked along, glaring at the pavement as they turned into their road. Dad was being unfair, she was sure. She knew she was right not to trust them.
    Sam looked up at her anxiously, sensing that something was wrong. Then suddenly the fur prickled on the back of his neck, and he looked behind him. His low growl jolted Emily out of her sulk, and she turned to see what Sam had seen.
    The couple with the pointer were just walking past the end of Emily’s road, watching them…

Chapter Three
    Now that Sam was walking so well on the lead, Mum let Emily take him on their walk to school on Monday morning. She said it wouldn’t be every day, though, she couldn’t cope with Sam and Jack!
    They met lots of Emily’s school friends on the way, and they all fussed over Sam.
    “He’s so cute!” Emily’s friend Ruby murmured, stroking Sam behind his ears. “You’re so lucky, Emily, my parents would never let me have a dog.”
    Emily grinned, and gave Mum a quick, grateful look. She knew she was lucky. Then she stiffened, her heart jumping in surprise. It was those people again! The ones with Bertie! The Watsons, Dad had said they were called. She watched as they walked past on the other side of the road. Bertie looked even more sad than he had on Saturday – his head hung low and his tail drooped.

    “What’s the matter, Emily?” Mum asked curiously, watching them too.
    “N-nothing…” Emily didn’t want to sound silly, especially not with Ruby there. “I just saw someone from dog-training , that’s all.” She supposed they had every right to walk around the town. Maybe they just happened to live in a street near school, and Emily’s house, and the park… But she still had the strangest feeling that they were watching her. And Sam.

    Emily tried not to worry about the man and woman with the pointer. Dad had been so sure she was being silly. But she couldn’t help looking over hershoulder every so often on the walk home from school, and the drive to her ballet class.
    She gave Sam an extra-big cuddle that night as they settled down to sleep. Mum had been a bit worried about Sam sleeping on Emily’s bed, but he was really well house-trained now – and he howled if he was left downstairs! Emily was sure she slept much better with Sam curled up on her toes, although Dad had commented that they might need to get her a bigger bed when Sam was a fully-grown dog!
    Sam