The Scruffy Puppy by Holly Webb Page B

staff, but he wants space to run in. A bit of time in the exercise yard just isn’t enough.”
    “My dad really wants a dog who could go running with him,” Bella said hopefully. “And my mum just wants adog who isn’t too massive. Sid doesn’t look that big. Is he?” She wrapped her fingers round the wire, staring in, and wishing Sid would wake up. The fuzzy white back twitched and wriggled a bit.
    “No, he’s some sort of terrier cross. Medium-sized, but with longish legs. And even though he’s still very young, I don’t think he’ll get much bigger.”
    “You mean he’s a puppy?” Bella asked excitedly. She hadn’t expected they’d be able to get a young dog. Mum and Dad had explained that most of the dogs at the shelter would already have had one owner.
    Jo smiled. “Well, let’s just say he’s a teenager.”
    “Oh, I wish he’d wake up and come and see me,” Bella sighed.

    Inside the pen, Sid heard the voices. The nice one, who always stroked him even more than the others when she brought his food. She always scratched his ears, and chatted, and he could tell she liked him. She was talking to someone that he hadn’t heard before, though. His ears twitched thoughtfully,and he wondered if it was one of the people who took dogs away. Someone had taken the young Staffie in the opposite pen only yesterday. But even though people looked into his enclosure, they didn’t usually want the door opened so they could meet him. He’d stopped bothering to wag his tail and give them hopeful looks. None of them really seemed to see him anyway.
    His ears flattened and he wriggled round in his basket a bit. He would go back to sleep, until it was time for food.
    “Oh! I thought he was going to wake up!” the young girl said.
    The voice sounded sad, and Sid’s ears pricked up again. He couldn’t help it. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the nice woman there with a girl beside her, crouched by the wire and staring at him.

    “He
is
awake!” the girl said excitedly. “Oh, how could anyone not find him cute? He’s gorgeous! Look at his beautiful ears!”
    The brown and white dog looked like a sort of wiry-haired terrier, but his mad, frizzy ears had come from somewhere else entirely. Maybe a spaniel, or something little and fluffy like a Papillon? The ones with the ears like butterflies? Or maybe a poodle? Bella wasn’t sure, but she loved them. Theymade him look like a dog who’d been put together from bits. As he got up and came cautiously towards them, she saw that he had a mad plumy tail as well. He walked over to the wire, slowly, and his tail began to waft from side to side.
    “Hello!” Bella breathed. “Oh, aren’t you lovely?” She glanced up at Jo. “Is it OK to put my fingers through the wire? So I can stroke him?” she asked.
    “Sure, as long as you’re gentle – Sid’s very friendly,” Jo answered.
    Bella slipped her fingers through the netting, and giggled as Sid came closer and licked at them curiously. “That tickles! Hello, sweetheart.” Carefully, slowly, she reached her fingers round to rub under his chin. All the dogs she’d met before loved that. It seemed that Sid did, too. He closed his eyes and sighed blissfully.

    “Please can we open the pen? So I can meet him properly?” Bella whispered to Jo.
    Jo smiled at her. “Hadn’t we better see what your mum and dad think first?” she said.
    “Oh! Oh, yes, I forgot. I’ll get them! I’m sure they’ll love him. I’ll be back in a minute, Sid.” And Bella jumped up, hurrying away between the pens. The lady on reception had told themnot to run, in case it upset the dogs, but she just couldn’t help going fast.
    Sid sighed and his tail dropped down. His ears sagged as well and he turned to trail back to his basket. It had been stupid to think that the girl had liked him. She had fussed over him and rubbed his chin in just his favourite place, but then she had vanished.
    “Hey…” Jo called gently. “She’s