Pugsley (4 page)

“Are we almost —”

“Lizzie? What did I tell you?” Aunt Amanda smiled into the rearview mirror. “No more asking if we’re almost there! It won’t be long now, I promise.”

Lizzie smiled back at her aunt and pretended to zip her lips. But she knew it would be hard to keep from asking again. She could not
believe
that she was finally going to Camp Bowser. But there she was, in the backseat of the Bowser Mobile, behind Aunt Amanda and Uncle James. And behind
her
were six dogs, including Aunt Amanda’s three, plus Pugsley, Fiona, and Max, whose owners were away for the weekend.

Lizzie looked out the window at the scenery whizzing by and thought back to Wednesday, when Aunt Amanda invited her and Pugsley to camp. After that, Thursday and Friday seemed to last for years, decades, even centuries! Lizzie had never known two days to go by so slowly, not even the two days before Christmas. But finally, on Friday evening right after supper, the Bowser Mobile pulled up in front of the Petersons’ house.

Everybody came outside to see Lizzie and Pugsley off. Charles was pouting a little because he didn’t get to go. Luckily, the Bean was too young to really understand. If he knew what Camp Bowser was all about, he would have been
sobbing.
While Uncle James loaded Pugsley into the van, Dad and Aunt Amanda did their special secret handshake from when they were kids, and Mom gave Lizzie a big hug. “Have a
great
time!” she whispered into Lizzie’s ear. “And keep an eye on Mr. Pest.”

Lizzie didn’t need to be reminded. She wanted to make sure she got invited back to Camp Bowser again and again. She was going to make sure the pug was on his best behavior all weekend. She planned to keep on giving him plenty of attention, since that really seemed to work wonders.

Now, in the van, Aunt Amanda met Lizzie’s eyes again. “Lizzie,” she said. “Now that Pugsley is behaving so much better, don’t you think it’s time to work on finding him a forever home?”

Lizzie sighed. “I guess so,” she said. “I mean, I know you’re right. But I’m going to hate to see him go. He’s really a great little dog.” She pulled a digital camera out of her backpack. “I’m going to take lots of pictures, so I can make a poster when I get home.” Lizzie was famous in her family for being really good at using the computer to make posters and signs. Whenever they had a foster puppy who needed a home, Lizzie made a creative poster to put up around town.

“Good idea,” said Uncle James, turning to look at Lizzie. “That cute little pug face ought to get some attention.”

“He is awfully cute,” agreed Aunt Amanda. “I mean, all pugs are adorable, but there’s something special about Pugsley.”

Lizzie sat back in her seat and tried to concentrate on ideas for Pugsley’s poster, instead of on when they would get to Camp Bowser. She was almost surprised when the van stopped a little while later and Aunt Amanda announced, “We’re here!”

Lizzie climbed out of the van and took a deep breath of the crisp, cool country air. It was dark out, but a shiny half-moon and thousands of bright stars lit up the sky. Lizzie could smell pine needles and, when she listened for a moment, she could hear the sound of a rushing brook. Aunt Amanda and Uncle James’s cabin stood in a clearing, looking cozy and welcoming. Lizzie
smiled to herself. She knew she was going to love Camp Bowser.

Uncle James opened the back of the van. “Awww!” he said.

Aunt Amanda and Lizzie came to look. All the dogs were fast asleep in their cages. Pugsley and the two other pugs were sharing a cage, and they were tangled up in one warm, soft, pug-pile. When Pugsley heard their voices, he opened one eye and looked sleepily up at them, wrinkling his velvety black forehead.

“Awww!” said Lizzie and Aunt Amanda.

“I’ve never seen Lionel and Jack quite so comfortable around another pug,” Aunt Amanda whispered. “I almost hate to wake them all up.”

But by then, all the dogs were stirring. Lizzie helped Uncle James and Aunt Amanda get all the dogs walked and then settled onto the Pooch Porch, a screened-in sleeping area that was covered wall-to-wall with comfy mattresses, pillows,
and blankets. Then Lizzie got into bed in the guest room, sure that she was too excited about being at camp to
ever
fall asleep — and fell asleep instantly.

Camp Bowser turned out to be just as much fun as Lizzie had always dreamed it would be. Saturday started with homemade banana-walnut muffins for people and meat-loaf muffins for dogs. After breakfast, Lizzie and Aunt Amanda took all the dogs down to the stream. The big dogs swam in the deeper part of the stream while the pugs splashed and played in the shallow area.

Pugsley
loved
chasing sticks that Lizzie threw into the water. He dog-paddled frantically, grunting and snorting happily as he raced Lionel and Jack for his prize. Then all three pugs climbed up onto the bank of the stream and shook off, spraying Lizzie and Aunt Amanda with cold water and making them shriek.

After their swim, Lizzie and Aunt Amanda took all the dogs for a long hike through the big,
fenced-in area around the cottage. By the time they got back, the dogs were nearly dry, and Uncle James had a snack waiting. After that, they did arts and crafts, making paw prints in clay to take home to their owners. Then it was time for doggy massages, followed by naps on the Pooch Porch, followed by lunch.

In the afternoon the dogs took another hike, played some more in the brook, and bounced on the trampoline. While Aunt Amanda made dinner, there was music time, when Uncle James played the guitar and sang songs about dogs. Lizzie kept her camera with her all day and took dozens of pictures of Pugsley enjoying himself with his new best pals.

Pugsley was getting plenty of attention, and all the activities kept him busy. He was behaving perfectly! Lizzie was starting to think that Mr. Pest was really gone for good — until Sunday afternoon.

Pugsley seemed extra-sleepy at nap time, so
Lizzie left him alone on the Pooch Porch while she and Uncle James played with the other dogs. Big mistake. Aunt Amanda was the one who discovered the little pug in the middle of his wild rampage. “Pugsley!” she yelled when she saw what he had done. Lizzie and Uncle James ran in to see.

“Oh, no!” Lizzie could not believe her eyes. How could one little dog make such a huge mess in so short a time? Every blanket and pillow and mattress on the porch had been shredded. Feathers filled the air. And Pugsley lay in the middle of it all, looking up at them with innocent eyes.

I was bored! I was lonely! So I had a little fun. What did you expect
?

Uncle James looked like he wanted to laugh.

Aunt Amanda shook her head. “Mr. Pest returns,” was all she said. Then she handed Lizzie a broom and a garbage bag.

It was a quiet ride home that night in the Bowser Mobile. Lizzie knew that Aunt Amanda was very disappointed in Pugsley. Lizzie was, too. Just when he was starting to seem like the kind of dog that anyone would want, he went back to his old tricks. How was Lizzie
ever
going to find Pugsley a forever home?

Back at home, Lizzie kept a close eye on Pugsley. After school on Monday and Tuesday, he stayed in her room with her while she worked on a poster.
WANTED
! her poster said at the top. In the middle was a big picture of Pugsley, looking innocent and adorable. Underneath the picture it said, “Wanted: a very good home for an occasionally naughty puppy. Name: Pugsley. Sometimes known as Mr. Pest.” Then there were four other pictures of Pugsley playing at camp. Maybe the funny poster would help find the right home for Pugsley, with people who understood that he was just a puppy, and that a puppy wasn’t always perfect.

Lizzie was not planning to take Pugsley to
Bowser’s Backyard on Wednesday. She had a feeling that Aunt Amanda had just about had enough of the pesky pug. Instead, she planned to spend the afternoon putting up posters, with Maria’s help. That was why she was surprised when the phone rang after dinner on Tuesday and Mom said it was Aunt Amanda, calling for Lizzie. “Just checking to make sure you’re bringing Pugsley to day care tomorrow!” her aunt said when Lizzie came to the phone.

“Really? We can come?” Lizzie asked.

“Really,” said Aunt Amanda. “I’m counting on your help here, and — well, to be honest, I miss that little Mr. Pest.”

“I promise he’ll behave,” Lizzie said.

Aunt Amanda laughed. “I’m not sure anybody can promise that. But I will expect you to keep a close eye on him and give him lots of attention.”

“I will,” vowed Lizzie.

And she did. She watched Pugsley like a hawk all afternoon. And she noticed that Aunt Amanda
was watching, too. Every time Lizzie looked up, there was Aunt Amanda, checking on Pugsley. Even though Bowser’s Backyard was very, very busy that day, Aunt Amanda was always watching.

It made Lizzie nervous.

Lizzie knew Pugsley already had more than three strikes against him. If he did something
really
naughty, Aunt Amanda would probably kick him out for good. And if Pugsley couldn’t spend at least one afternoon a week at Bowser’s Backyard, Lizzie knew Mom would probably run out of patience and kick him out of the
house
! Pugsley would end up at Caring Paws, stuck in a cage while he waited for someone to adopt him —
if
the shelter even had room. Lately they had been totally full. Where would Pugsley go then?

It would be so much better if Lizzie could find Pugsley a forever home. She had brought her signs to show Aunt Amanda, but her aunt would be way too busy to look at them until later, after
most of the dogs had been picked up by their owners.

It was a special day at Bowser’s Backyard: bath day! For an extra fee, Amanda and her helpers would give any dog a bath. Lizzie knew better than to let Pugsley anywhere near the tub room. Pugsley plus water usually equaled trouble.

Even so, Mr. Pest showed up a few times before the afternoon was over.

The first time was right after Aunt Amanda had given her own pugs, Lionel and Jack, their baths. While Lizzie was helping to dry Jack off, Pugsley convinced Lionel that it would be fun to run out the doggy door and roll around in the muddy play yard.

Come on! Come on! You smell too good. Don’t you want to smell like a dog again? Let’s go play
!

Then, while Lizzie was helping with Lionel’s
second
bath, Pugsley and Jack got into a wrestling
match underneath the bunk bed in the nap room where it was all dusty.

Ah-choo! Ah-choo! I’b got subthig id by dose. . . .

Lizzie thought it was actually kind of cute that the three pugs seemed to like one another so much. And Aunt Amanda seemed to agree. At least, she didn’t get
too
mad at Pugsley, who could not stop sneezing. She just smiled and shook her head. “Pugs will be pugs!” she said as she picked them up and took them into the tub room for another quick rinse.

After that, Lizzie brought Pugsley into the playroom, where Amanda’s helpers were keeping the other dogs busy with a game of find-the-biscuit. While Lizzie was helping to tuck biscuits here and there under chairs or beneath pillows, Pugsley managed to find the whole
box
of biscuits. Just when Aunt Amanda came in to see how the game
was going, he nudged the box over with his nose, tossing biscuits all over the floor for all the dogs to snap up.

Yay! Look what I did! Aren’t I the smartest little dog ever??
?

It was a long afternoon. Lizzie was exhausted by the time Aunt Amanda turned the sign on the window to
CLOSED
and locked the front door of Bowser’s Backyard.

Lizzie plopped down on a chair, holding Pugsley in her arms. Aunt Amanda came over to sit next to her.

“You saw everything, didn’t you?” Lizzie asked miserably.

Aunt Amanda nodded. “Pugsley isn’t perfect yet,” she said. “He still has some growing up to do. But you found the key to helping him behave better. All he needs is attention, and plenty of it.”

Then she changed the subject. “Didn’t you have something to show me, Lizzie?” she asked. “Some signs you made?”

Lizzie opened her backpack and pulled out the signs. She sighed as she handed one to Aunt Amanda. “I hope we can find Pugsley a home.”

Aunt Amanda looked down at the sign in her hand. “This is cute,” she said. Then, slowly, she ripped it in half and handed the two pieces back to Lizzie. “But I don’t think you should put it up.”

Lizzie gasped. “What? Why not?”

“Because Uncle James and I talked it over last night. We realized that we’ve fallen in love with Pugsley, even if he
is
sometimes a pest. Lionel and Jack love him, too. I was watching him all day today before I made my final decision.”

“You mean, about kicking him out?” Lizzie asked. She was a little confused.

“No, about adopting him. We’ve decided to be a
three-pug
family.” She reached out to gather
Pugsley into her arms. “What do you think about that, Pugsley?”

Pugsley snorted and snuffled and sneezed. Then he licked Aunt Amanda’s chin.

Lizzie laughed. “I think that means ‘yes, please!’” she said. She sat back in her chair and sighed happily as she watched her aunt cuddle with the little pug. Pugsley had found a perfect home with someone who could give him all the attention he needed and deserved. He would have two big pug brothers to play with and teach him manners. And the best part was, Lizzie would get to see him all the time — at Bowser’s Backyard
and
at Camp Bowser!

Some puppies have a LOT of energy! It can be very hard to teach them the manners they need to be good pets and happy family members. Be patient! Sometimes a puppy just needs to grow up a little. Other times he or she needs lots and lots of special attention, just like Pugsley did. All puppies do best when they know they are loved.

It’s also important for everybody in the family to treat the puppy the same way, and with the same rules. If your brother lets the puppy jump up on him when you and your parents are trying to teach the puppy
not
to jump up, the puppy will be confused.

Don’t forget that puppy kindergarten classes can be a great place for your pet to learn manners — and for you and your family to learn how to be good pet owners.