Too Big to Run Read Free

“She’s almost as big as Lola the pony!”
    Dr. Goldman chuckled. “Believe it or not, Maxi isn’t the largest mastiff I’ve ever seen.The females are usually a little bit smaller than the males.”

    They arrived at the shelter. “Call me when you’re ready to leave,” said Dr. Goldman. “I’ll be at the clinic taking care of some paperwork, so I can pick you up whenever you like.”
    When the kids entered, there were several people in the lobby. Kitty, a worker at the shelter, was handing a piece of paper to an older couple. The husband was holding a crate. A cute dog with a pointy nose was peering out through the mesh door.

    â€œOh, did Peanut get adopted?” Janey exclaimed, rushing over to peer in at the dog. “That’s great! He’s an awesome dog.”
    When Peanut, a dachshund mix with short legs and silky fur, had first arrived at the shelter a couple of weeks earlier, he’d been pretty shy. So Janey spent time with him to help socialize him to new people and situations. He got comfortable and relaxed pretty quickly and then became very friendly and playful.
    â€œWe know.” The wife smiled at all the kids. “He’s a sweetheart.”
    â€œCongratulations on the new addition to your family,” Kitty said. “Just call us if you have any questions or problems, okay?”
    â€œThank you.” The husband leaned downto look at the dog. “Come on, Peanut. Let’s go home.”
    The couple hurried out. Kitty was still smiling.
    â€œI think Peanut is a perfect match for those two,” she said. “They both work from home, so he’ll get lots of attention.”
    â€œThat’s great,” Adam said. “Peanut is a great dog, but he needed just the right home.”
    â€œYeah.” Lolli giggled. “Peanut definitely wouldn’t want to live with Matthew, for instance. No way could he keep up with all that jogging on those short little legs!”
    â€œMatthew is a dog owner we just met at the vet clinic,” Zach told Kitty. “He’s a serious jogger, and he has this huge mastiff named Maxi who runs with him.”
    â€œReally?” Kitty looked surprised. “I didn’t think mastiffs made good running companions.”
    â€œThat’s exactly what my mom said,” Zach told her. “She says all that running wrecked Maxi’s knees.”
    The other kids joined in to tell Kitty all about Maxi and Matthew and their idea to have a fundraiser for them.
    â€œWow,” Kitty said when they finished. “What a great idea! Why don’t you guys brainstorm while you clean some kennels?”
    Adam laughed. “Is that your way of telling us to clean some kennels?”
    Kitty laughed, too. “Yes, it is. Now get to work, kids!”
    â€œPronto!” Janey added, which made everyone laugh again.
    Soon the four members of the Pet Rescue Club were hard at work cleaning kennels in the shelter’s dog room. It wasn’t Janey’s favorite job at the shelter, but she didn’t mind it too much, because she knew it helped the animals that lived there.
    Besides, working in the kennel room gave her a chance to check out the dogs there. “Mrs. Reed wants a medium-sized dog,” she reminded Lolli, who was working beside her. “That gives us plenty of choices. There are lots of medium-sized dogs here.”
    Lolli nodded. “How about Daisy the corgi? She’s pretty friendly.”
    â€œMaybe,” Janey agreed. “Or there’s that terrier mix, or maybe…”
    She cut herself off as the door opened and Kitty hurried in. “Did you guys finishcleaning out Peanut’s kennel?” the shelter worker called. “Because we already have a new resident for it.”
    â€œReally?” Janey stepped into the aisle and saw that Kitty was leading a wiggly black dog with perky ears and a long snout.

    â€œDoesn’t he