Timmy in Trouble

Chapter Two

Dad refused to say anything else about dogs that weekend. Katie tried asking a couple of times if he and Mum had had time to think about it yet, but she didn’t want to get on his nerves right now. She couldn’t believe that they actually might be getting a puppy! She’d hoped, of course, but hadn’t really expected them to say yes, or even half-yes. It was so exciting!

She spent ages on Sunday afternoon looking at her favourite dog websites on the computer, wondering what sort of puppy they might be able to get, and reading all the advice for new dog-owners. There was an awful lot to learn. Especially if you already had another pet, like Misty.

Katie dreamed of dogs that night. She was running through the woods with a gorgeous puppy, just like Dad had described. When she woke up she had a huge smile on her face, although she couldn’t quite remember what the puppy had looked like. Brown and white, she thought vaguely, with big, floppy ears. But she could remember his happy, excited little bark, and the soft feel of his springy fur under her hand. It was a wonderful dream. And it might, just possibly, be about to come true!

She was still smiling as she wandered downstairs for breakfast, with her school uniform on all anyhow and her curly hair still full of tangles.

Mum took one look and sent her back upstairs again. “Brush your hair, Katie, for goodness’ sake. And put it in bunches, you’ve got PE today, remember.” She smiled. “I’d hurry up, if I were you. Dad and I have got something to tell you both!”

Katie raced back up to the bathroom. As she galloped up the stairs, she could hear Jess asking what was going on.

Less than two minutes later, Katie was back. Her hair was in bunches, although the bands didn’t match and one was higher than the other. “What is it?What do you want to tell us?” she gasped, as she dashed into the kitchen.

Dad chewed a mouthful of cereal very, very slowly, and winked. He was obviously enjoying keeping them in suspense.

Mum shook her head. “Don’t tease Katie, Gareth! It isn’t fair!” She gave Jess a slightly anxious look as she said it.

“OK, OK!” Dad put down his cereal bowl, and beamed at Katie. “Yes.”

“Yes? Really?” Katie jumped up and down excitedly and ran to hug her dad. “When? This Christmas? We’re getting a puppy for Christmas!”

“But you can’t!” Jess cried. She pushed her plate away and stood up. “You just can’t, Dad! What about Misty? Katie can’t look after a dog properly, anyway! And what about all those adverts on TV about not giving dogs as presents? A dog is for life, not just for Christmas. All those poor puppies get abandoned every year, it’s wrong!”

Dad nodded seriously. “I know, Jess, sit down. You too, Katie. I haven’t finished explaining.”

Jess sat down, looking worried, and Katie sat too, though she was so happy she could hardly keep still.

Dad leaned towards them. “We’re not giving you a puppy for Christmas, Katie—”

Katie’s eyes opened wide with horror. “But you said…”

“We are getting a puppy, but he or she will be a family dog. Like Misty’s a family cat, Jess. You’re right that Katie’s a bit too young to have all the responsibility of a dog by herself.” Dad smiled at Katie. “There’s a lot of looking after, so don’t worry, there’ll still be plenty for you to do.”

Katie felt like butting in and saying that actually, she was sure she was old enough, but she decided it was best not to.

Mum leaned over to touch Jess’s hand. “Try not to worry, Jess. We know we’re going to need to be really careful when Misty meets the puppy. We’ll all do our best to make sure she doesn’t get upset.”

“And the puppy won’t arrive at Christmas, Katie,” Dad added. “We’re going to try and get one before Christmas, if we can, or maybe afterwards. Christmas is just too busy – it’s not a good time to bring a new dog into the house. Mum and I have agreed we’ll look around for someone with puppies for sale locally. Happy now?” Dad beamed.

Katie nodded blissfully, but Jess was staring at the table, twisting her fingers together. “I still think Misty’s going to hate it,” she muttered. She looked anxiously over at Misty, snoozing by the kitchen radiator on her favourite pink blanket. It had been Jess’s when she was little, and Misty had adopted it.

“What sort of dog shall we get?” Katie asked, ignoring her grumpy big sister.

She wished she could remember the puppy in her dream better.

“Nothing too big!” Mum said quickly.

“But not too small, either. We want to be able to go on some good long walks.” Dad sounded as though he was really looking forward to it. “Maybe a terrier? An Airedale, they’re great dogs, really friendly.”

“I’ve always liked pugs,” Mum said thoughtfully.

“The ones with the squished-up faces?” Katie asked, giggling.

Mum nodded. “I like the way their tails curl up,” she said, smiling. “What about you, Katie? This was your idea. What kind of dog would you like?”

Katie thought back to her dream. “What sort of dog has long ears?” she asked, wrinkling her nose as she tried to remember more. “A brown and white puppy with long ears. I dreamed about one like that last night.”

Jess sniffed, as though she thought that was silly. “You can’t get a dog because of a dream.”

“Why not?” Mum asked gently. “Katie’s been thinking about it a lot, Jess. That’s probably why she dreamed about a puppy.”

“Maybe it was a spaniel?” Dad suggested. He got up and disappeared into the living room. They could hear him muttering to himself as he searched the bookcase, and he came back with Katie’s dog sticker book. “Was he anything like this, Katie?”

Katie took the book and gasped with delight. There he was. A little brown and white dog, staring impishly out of the page at her, his eyes bright and alert. “A cocker spaniel,” she murmured, reading the caption. “Oh, yes! I mean, I’d love any dog – even one with a squished face, Mum! But I’d really, really love one of those…”