The Lost Puppy

Chapter Six

“I wish I knew what your name was,” the man said to Toby, as he carried him down the lane and back towards the town. “I suppose I’m going to have to keep calling you pup. I’m Jake, by the way,” he added, smiling down at Toby, who was curled into his elbow, watching everything they passed with anxious eyes. “And we’re going back to my place, just for a bit, and then we’ll take you to the shelter. Then hopefully your owners will come and find you…”

Toby glanced up at Jake’s face, his ears flattening a little. There was a worried tone to the man’s voice again, and he didn’t like it.

“Yes, I know. No one would leave you behind on purpose, surely…” He sighed. “Anyway, we’re nearly home. You’re going to meet Mickey.” He laughed. “Mickey’s going to get a shock when he sees you. I only went out for a quick jog.”

He searched in the pockets of his tracksuit trousers for the keys, as they came up to a little white-painted house. Toby leaned forward, listening intently. He could hear the clicking of claws on a hard floor, and a curious snuffling. There was another dog in there! It had to be the one that the man smelled of. He shifted a little nervously in Jake’s arms. Usually he barked and barked at other dogs, but then he’d been with Ruby. Toby wanted everyone to know that she was his, and he was looking after her and Anya.

As the door swung open, a golden-brown head peered slowly round it, and stared suspiciously up at Toby.

“Hey, boy. I’ve brought a visitor. Don’t panic, I don’t think he’s staying that long.” Jake tucked Toby tightly under his arm, and crouched down to make a big fuss of his old golden retriever, murmuring a stream of reassuring words.

“It’s lucky you’re such a good boy, Mickey. You’re not jealous. The pup’s lost, poor little thing. We’re going to help him get back home, that’s all.”

Mickey eyed Toby thoughtfully, as the dachshund puppy stared back. Then he wagged his long, feathery tail a couple of times, very slowly, and turned round, pacing back towards the kitchen and his cushion.

“You’re going to have to be gentle with Mickey,” Jake told Toby. “He’s an old gentleman. Twelve years old, and he’s a bit lame now. Don’t go teasing him!” He put Toby down, watching carefully to see how he and Mickey were going to get along. Jake knew Mickey was really gentle, but he wasn’t used to having other dogs in his house.

Toby looked around nervously, and then sidled after Jake as he headed into the kitchen, too.

“I know there’s a leaflet from Oakley Shelter here somewhere. I was going to send them some money…” Jake muttered, searching through a pile of papers. “And now I’m sending them a sausage dog instead!” He pulled out a leaflet covered in photos of dogs. “Ah, good. You two all right?” He looked down at Mickey, now curled up in his basket. Toby was sniffing thoroughly round the kitchen cupboards, and keeping his distance from the bigger dog. “OK. Let’s call them.” He tapped in the number, and then sighed. “I might’ve known. It’s six o’clock already. No one’s answering the phone.” He put the phone back in its cradle slowly, and stared at Toby. “Now what do we do with you, pup? We’d better feed you, I suppose. That cereal bar won’t keep you going for long.”

He fetched a small bowl out of a cupboard, and put it down a little way from Mickey’s big dog bowl, then poured food into both of them from a huge bag.

Toby flung himself at it as though he was starved, and gulped it down.

“Hopefully senior dog mixture won’t do you any harm this once,” Jake murmured, watching with a smile as Toby gobbled the dry food. “Let’s get you some water as well.”

Toby finished his food, and had a long drink of water. Then he watched Mickey, who was still slowly eating his bowlful. He edged a little closer, and Mickey turned round and gave him a very meaningful stare. Don’t come near my dinner.

Toby wriggled backwards on his bottom, and then scuttled under the kitchen table until Mickey had finished and paced back to his bed for an after-dinner snooze.

“You need to be a bit careful, pup,” Jake told him, stroking his head. “Mickey’s a lot bigger than you, and this is his house.”

But Toby was a naturally confident little dog, and he didn’t really understand how small he was, either. He was starting to feel a bit more at home now, and he pranced up to Mickey, and eyed the bigger dog with his head on one side.

Mickey stared back, his muzzle resting on the edge of his cushion. He was a beautiful tawny golden colour, but his coat was turning silvery now, all around his mouth and eyes. He yawned, showing his very large teeth, and Toby took a step back again, looking a bit more respectful.

Even the teeth didn’t stop him for long, though. Toby wasn’t used to being ignored, and he didn’t like it. He pattered right up to Mickey, and yapped sharply at him.

Mickey laid his ears back. The strange little dog was barking at him now, when he was trying to sleep.

Jake took a few steps closer. He trusted Mickey, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

Toby wagged his tail excitedly and barked again, even louder, wanting to get a reaction out of the bigger dog.

Mickey looked over at Jake, his eyes wide, as if he was saying, Rescue me from this thing! But Jake only watched, smiling a little.

Toby crept closer, head down with his front paws flat against the kitchen floor, yapping and whining, his tail wagging. He was starting to enjoy this now. Maybe the big dog was scared of him!

Mickey huffed out a deep, irritable breath, and stood up, towering over the cheeky puppy. He put out a massive golden paw, and stood on one of Toby’s too-long dachshund ears.

Toby wriggled and whined, but Mickey had him pinned. It was a clear message. This is my house. You do as you’re told.

The puppy rolled over – as far as he could with Mickey holding his ear down – waving his paws in the air to show he gave in, and at last Mickey removed his paw. Toby stayed on his back, showing off his tummy apologetically, until Mickey sat down in his bed.

Finally, Toby turned over and wriggled forwards, creeping closer to the cushion as Mickey watched him. At the edge of the cushion, the puppy looked up hopefully, and the old dog nuzzled him. With a pleased little squeak, Toby hustled on to the cushion, and sat down next to Mickey. He did keep glancing up at the big dog, though, making sure he wasn’t about to get the ear treatment again.

Jake laughed. “Taught him his place, have you, Mickey? Can he share your bed for tonight then?”

Mickey sighed, and slumped down on the cushion, squishing Toby up against the edge. But the puppy didn’t seem to mind. He closed his eyes, and snuggled himself up to Mickey’s broad back, so he was half lying on top of the bigger dog – and then the pair of them went to sleep.

“Where’s Toby?” Anya asked, as Ruby pushed open the kitchen door, the lead dangling from her hand.

Her little sister was sitting at the table with their mum, eating a boiled egg and toast soldiers, her favourite tea. There was a big white gauze square over her grazed face, but she looked much more cheerful.

Ruby gulped, and then turned round and raced upstairs to her bedroom. She couldn’t face explaining to Anya. And then she was going to have to tell Auntie Nell that they’d lost her precious puppy, as well!

She sat down on her floor, leaning against the warm radiator and sniffing. Toby liked to snuggle up here, too. He wasn’t allowed to sleep in her room, but she carried him up to play sometimes.

Her bedroom door creaked open slowly, and Anya peered round it. “Are you cross?” she whispered.

Ruby shook her head. She hadn’t thought to be cross with Anya – her little sister hadn’t meant to fall over.

“Did Toby run away cos I fell over?” Anya said sadly.

Ruby put out her arms for Anya to come and hug her. “It wasn’t your fault. I should have looked after him better.”

“Oh, Ruby! You were helping me look after Anya.” She hadn’t seen her mum come in too. “It was just a horrible accident. I’m sure we’ll find him. Dad can take you back to the woods really early in the morning.”

Ruby nodded, but tears were sliding down her cheeks. “He’ll be scared out there, Mum. It’s so dark, and there’s street lights here, there aren’t any out there in the woods! And he’ll be cold and hungry.” She hugged Anya tighter, and her sister snuggled against her.

“We’ll find him tomorrow, Ruby, I promise,” Mum said.

Ruby nodded. But how could Mum promise that when no one knew where Toby was?

“Hey, pup!”

Toby yawned and opened his eyes. Why was Ruby waking him up, in the dark?

Then he sat up properly, looking around in panic. That wasn’t Ruby!

“Sshh, don’t worry. I just thought you might need a quick trip out to the garden before I go to bed. I’m not sure whether you’re house-trained yet.” Jake opened the back door, and the security light came on, sending an orangey light into the kitchen, and all of a sudden, Toby remembered where he was.

Or actually, where he wasn’t. He wasn’t at home in his lovely red basket with Ruby asleep upstairs. He was lost.

He whimpered, staring out at the strange, dark garden.

“I know. We’ll find your owners tomorrow, hopefully. We’ll ring the shelter again in the morning.” Jake picked him up, and carried him out into the garden. “Go on, just a quick wee, then you can go back to sleep.”

Toby wandered out on to the lawn, sniffing the night smell of wet grass. Everything was different, and wrong! Where was Ruby? Why hadn’t he just stayed and waited for her? Then he would be home by now.

He sat down, raised his head to the sky, and howled.