Buddy by Ellen Miles Read Free Book Online Page A

kitchen.
    “You’re going to stay right here with us,” Lizzie told Buddy. She reached out to touch the heart on his chest, smiling and crying at the same time.
    Buddy looked from one happy face to the other. What was everybody so excited about? He had known it all along. He belonged here in this house, with this family. Buddy had found the perfect forever home.

PUPPY TIPS
    When puppies are first born, they are very little. Their eyes are shut and they can hardly walk. Then, very soon, they begin to expore the world around them. Puppies need to stay with their mothers in a safe, warm place until they are old enough to eat by themselves.
    It’s also important for puppies to be held and played with, so they start to feel comfortable around people. That’s why Skipper and her puppies were very lucky to find a foster home with the Petersons.
    Have you ever held a newborn puppy? If you ever get the chance, be sure to be gentle and quiet. Puppies need a lot of love!

Dear Reader,
    The first time I saw my dog, Django, he was just a tiny puppy who still lived with his mother. He had ten brothers and sisters! They were all black Labs, just like Django. It was not easy to tell them apart. Django’s mother had a big job, keeping track of all those puppies
    Django was not the smallest, like Buddy, but he wasn’t the biggest, either. It was fun to watch all the puppies tumble and play. But the most fun was taking Django home and helping him grow up into a big, strong dog.
    Yours from the Puppy Place,
Ellen Miles

Who will be the next puppy to come to
THE PUPPY PLACE
    Find out in this special sneak preview of FLASH!
    When Charles and Lizzie visit their cousins in the country, they make a special new friend….
    As soon as dinner was over, Charles and his cousin Becky asked to be excused. “We’ll take Buddy for a walk,” offered Charles. The puppy jumped up as soon as he heard that word. He wagged his tail so hard that his whole body wriggled. “Hold on, hold on!” Charles laughed as Buddy licked his face while he tried to clip on the squirmy pup’s leash. Outside, Buddy pulled Charles this way and that as he ran to sniff all the new, exciting smells. It was already almost dark, and the air was cold and clear.
    “Let’s pretend Buddy is a pirate and he’s leading us to where his treasure is buried,” said Becky.
    “Because we captured his ship,” Charles added, getting into the game. “And now he has to show us the hiding place, or we’ll make him walk the plank.”
    Buddy made a pretty silly pirate. He kept sniffing every bush and fence post he came across. His leash was getting all tangled as he darted here and there through the yard. “Wait up!” said Charles as Buddy circled back toward the house.
    “Look! It’s another pirate ship!” Becky said, pointing to a car that was coming up the long dirt road that led to the farm. Its headlights lit up the house as it drew closer. It pulled right up to where Charles and Becky were standing, near the front door.
    The car stopped, and a lady got out. She was holding a bundle in her arms, a bundle that wriggled and moved. It was something wrapped in a blanket. Charles couldn’t figure out what it might be.
    The lady started talking —
fast.
“Sorry to drop Flash off in such a hurry, but we’re in a terrible rush,” she said, her words tumbling over one another. “Murray’s father got sick, so we’re leaving much sooner than we thought. We’ll be driving all night long as it is! Of course Flash has had all his shots and everything, as you can tell by his tags — oops! I forgot his collar. Oh, well. Anyway, I’m sure he’ll be a big help to you and we sure do appreciate that he has a good place to stay and all, and —”
    “Dot! Let’s go already!” said a man’s voice from inside the car.
    “Okay, okay!” The woman gave the bundle in her arms a big kiss. “We’ll miss you,” she said. Then she gently put it down on the ground and hopped back into