The Scruffy Puppy

Chapter Eight

Bella jumped up and down, clapping, and Sarah hurried back to her with scarlet cheeks, clutching another red rosette. “You won!” Bella hugged her. “You see, I knew I was right to get you to go in. Sid’s a champion. Two firsts!”

“What’s the next class, Bella?” Tom asked. “Whatever it is, I think your friend Megan’s in it.” He pointed across the ring to where Megan was lining up with Coco. “Oh, ‘Cutest Puppy Under Nine Months’. Well, she is cute. She doesn’t look very happy about it, though.”

Coco was pulling, and pawing at her lead, as though she wanted to get away. Megan was trying to calm her down, but she looked worried, too, and Coco was whimpering.

“Poor thing, I don’t think she likes how noisy it is,” Bella said anxiously. “Oh no!”

Coco had been pulling and scrabbling at her collar so much, and now she slipped right out of it. She stood there for a second, looking bewildered by her sudden freedom and the noise. Megan tried to grab her, but a little boy screamed because he’d dropped his ice cream, and Coco shot away with a squeak. She bolted along the side of the ring towards Bella and Sarah, and then darted out through a forest of feet and off into the rest of the field.

“Coco!” Megan wailed, dashing after her, but she was blocked by all the other handlers and dogs going into the ring.

“We have to help catch her!” Bella gasped. “Look after Sid, Sarah.” She pushed and squeezed her way through the crowd of people and looked around anxiously for Coco.

The little spaniel was cowering by the side of an ice-cream van, obviously terrified. Bella walked over to her, trying to be slow and gentle – she really wanted to grab Coco before she ran off again, but if she moved too fast, she’d just frighten her away.

“Dog treats!” Bella gasped, realizing she still had half the pack in her pocket. “Hey, Coco… Look what I’ve got.” She held out a few, rattling them gently and murmuring some soothing words to the nervous little spaniel. “Pretty girl, yes, look. Yummy treats. Pretty Coco, come on then…”

Coco eyed her worriedly, but she could smell the treats, and the girl’s voice was gentle, not cross. She wanted Megan, but she was frightened of all the noise, and she didn’t dare go back and find her. She crept slowly forward and sniffed at Bella’s hand, and then she started to nibble at the crunchy biscuits.

Bella ran a gentle hand over Coco’s head, still murmuring soothing words, and then as the puppy munched the last of the treats, Bella picked her up.

Coco wriggled a little, but Bella was holding her carefully, tight enough that she couldn’t squirm away.

“We need to find Megan, and your collar,” she whispered. “Hey, look, Coco, there she is!”

Megan was racing towards them, with tears running down her cheeks. As soon as Coco saw her, she wriggled eagerly, stretching out of Bella’s arms to reach her. Megan hugged her, and Coco licked her chin, and nuzzled at her neck. Bella laughed – Coco might not like the dog show, but it was obvious she adored Megan.

“I thought I’d never find her!” Megan said gratefully, looking at Bella. “You must have run after her really fast. I was worried she might get into the car park.” She shuddered, and Bella put an arm round her shoulders.

“It’s OK, we got her back. Here, let’s put her collar on again.” Bella helped Megan to fasten it, and Bella put Coco down gently. Then she glanced back up at Megan.

“I’m really sorry I agreed with Lara about Sid,” Megan said. “I was so horrible. And to Sarah, too. It’s just, I never thought we wouldn’t be friends, and then suddenly you were with her all the time…”

“She’s nice. A lot nicer than Lara and Chloe,” Bella said. “I still like you, but I don’t want to hang around with them any more.”

Megan looked at her feet. “I know. I don’t like them much either. But if you aren’t friends with Lara, she says bad things about you…”

Bella shrugged. “I don’t care.” And she didn’t, she realized. She probably would, when Lara started up again, but she would tell herself that it didn’t really matter. “We can just walk away,” she pointed out to Megan.

“I suppose so. I’ll say sorry to Sarah.” Megan looked at her hopefully. “Do you think we can go back to being friends?”

Bella smiled. “We could try…”

“How did you get Sid to do that amazing walking on his hind paws?” Megan asked, as they wandered along the path through the park.

It was Sunday afternoon, and Bella had arranged for her and Megan and Sarah and their mums to meet up. She was a bit worried about Megan and Sarah not getting on, so she wanted them to try and get to know each other, before they all had to go back to school on Monday.

“You saw that?” Bella asked, feeling pleased. “It’s all about dog treats. Sid’s really greedy. He’d do anything for them.”

“I wonder if Coco could.” Megan sighed. “She’s lovely, but I’m not very good at getting her to do what she’s told.”

“She is only little,” Sarah pointed out. “She’ll probably get more sensible as she gets older.”

“Maybe… But I wish she’d hurry up,” Megan sighed. “She keeps eating things. One of my mum’s shoes yesterday.”

“Why don’t you bring her to the dog-training classes at the church hall?” Bella suggested. “We’re starting to go next week.”

Megan looked hopeful. “That’s a good idea. Is the class OK for beginners, too? I mean, Sid’s already so good.”

Bella glowed. He was good. He was fabulous, actually. “I’m sure it’s all right,” she agreed proudly, watching Sid and Coco walking sweetly next to each other.

“They look like friends already,” Sarah said, laughing at them. “Look, they’re chatting.”

Bella looked over. It was true. Sid and Coco were standing with their heads together, watching a jogger speeding down the path towards them. They looked so cute beside each other.

“I don’t think they like his orange trainers,” Megan whispered, and Bella tried not to laugh. It felt good, being with Megan and Sarah. And Coco and Sid obviously loved walking together, as well.

“They’re definitely friends,” Bella said, smiling at Megan. She didn’t need to say it, but what she really meant was, We all are…