The Secret Puppy Read online

  “Why not?” Daisy swallowed hard. She couldn’t cry now. She needed to persuade them, and they’d never listen if she was crying.

  “Well, our garden isn’t big enough. The house isn’t big enough either, come to that! Imagine a huge dog in our living room, Daisy. He’d take up the whole sofa.”

  “He wouldn’t be allowed on the sofa, Mum. We’d train him properly, like Julie said. So he wouldn’t make a mess and stuff. He wouldn’t be like Millie’s dog.” Daisy dug her nails into the palms of her hands, forcing herself to sound calm and sensible. “There’s a dog-training class that meets in the same hall as Brownies, I’ve seen a poster. And we’re so close to the park. I’m nearly old enough to take him there on my own.”

  Her mum shook her head. “I’m not sure about that.”

  “Well, OK, with Oliver then. And I will be old enough soon.” She turned to her dad. “You said you wanted to go for walks with a dog, Dad!”

  Dad sighed. “I do, Daisy. This is all just a bit sudden. And your mum’s right. We never thought of having such a big dog. German shepherds need loads of exercise, and they’re bred to be working dogs. I’m not sure they’re great pets.”

  “But you don’t know Barney,” Daisy pleaded. “Not like I do. He’d be a wonderful pet.” She was losing, she could tell. Mum and Dad didn’t understand, they weren’t listening. Tears started to stream down her face.

  “Don’t cry, Daisy.” Mum went to put an arm round her, but Daisy pulled away and ran off back to the tent.

  How could this be happening? Barney could be hers, after all, but she was going to lose him.

  Barney prowled up and down the run, the fur on the back of his neck prickling. He hated being back in his pen, even though he’d been pleased to see the other puppies again. He wanted to be back up at the campsite with Daisy.

  Especially now. It was still raining heavily, and the wind was rising too. He didn’t like the feel of it. It was really howling through the pen, and whistling round the yard too, rattling all the doors and making the puppies jump and whimper.

  He needed to go back to Daisy, and make sure she was all right. But Julie had carefully blocked up the hole under the wire fence, digging a board in so he couldn’t get out that way again.

  He was stuck.

  “You’ll just have to share Otto with me instead,” Oliver said, grinning. “I’ll let you feed him, if you like. Spiders don’t need walking all the time.”

  He was smirking at her over his bowl of soup, and suddenly Daisy couldn’t stand it any longer. They’d been stuck in the tent in the pouring rain for ages, and Oliver was driving her mad. She’d tried being calm and persuasive and sensible, and everyone had treated her like a silly little girl who didn’t know what she was talking about.

  Right. So she would be a silly little girl. It didn’t matter, anyway. Mum and Dad had refused to listen to any more discussion about Barney. Mum had said that no meant no, as though Daisy was about three. She had even gone to see Julie, and explained that much as they’d love a dog, they just couldn’t have one as big and demanding as a German shepherd.

  “I hate you and your stupid spider!” Daisy screamed. She flung herself at Oliver, not even noticing that she’d spilt the tomato soup all down his front. His folding chair tipped over and they both fell to the ground.

  “Daisy, stop it!” Mum yelled, and Dad pulled her off Oliver, looking furious.

  “Look at the state of you both!” he snapped. “You’d better go to bed, Daisy. And you too!” he added, as Oliver sniggered. “You were teasing her. I’m going to be really glad to get out of this tent and get home tomorrow.”

  Daisy zipped herself into her pod, changed out of her tomatoey hoodie and shorts, and crawled into her sleeping bag. She buried her face in the fleecy blanket she’d used to cover up Barney. It still smelled of him. She couldn’t stop crying now. She hated it that Oliver and Mum and Dad could hear her. Maybe the drumming of the rain on the tent and the howling of the wind would hide the crying a little.

  Barney was so close. That was the awful thing. Just across the river and down the path. He would be curling up to go to sleep with the other puppies now. She could almost see him…

  But they were going home tomorrow, and then she’d never see him again.

  Barney shook his ears worriedly. Julie had closed the door out to the run when she’d come to bring the puppies’ supper, as it was raining so hard. But he could still hear it hammering on the roof, and the wind battering around the yard. All the puppies hated the eerie noises.

  But he was the only one left awake now. The others had settled into an uneasy sleep, huddled together for comfort. Barney sat down by the wire fence of the pen and whined miserably. Something was wrong, he was sure of it. All this wind and rain. More than ever, Barney wanted to be with Daisy. He was scared and she would make him feel better, but that wasn’t the real reason he wanted to be with her. He was scared for her. The wind had been blowing round the tent even that morning, and he hadn’t liked the way it shook and juddered about. He needed to be there to guard her and keep her safe.

  He jumped in fright as a particularly strong gust of wind whistled round the yard and blew the door of the puppy room off its latch. The bottom of the door creaked open, clattering against the wall. It was usually locked at night, but the horrible weather had meant that Julie was racing about, distracted, and she’d forgotten to lock it when she brought the puppies’ food over from the farmhouse.

  The other puppies wriggled and whimpered in their sleep, but none of them woke up. Barney shivered as the cold wind cut through the room, but then his ears pricked up – or one of them did, anyway.

  The door was open now! He could go and find Daisy!

  If he could get out of the wire pen…

  He scratched at it uselessly, but he only hurt his paws. And it was no good trying to dig under it, as he’d done outside. This was a solid floor. He would have to go over the top of the wire.

  Barney stood on his hind paws, reaching up as far as he could. To his surprise, he was actually as tall as the fence now. His front paws hung over the top, and he could get his head over it, just. He kicked and scrabbled at the floor, trying to push himself up, but he wasn’t quite tall enough. Then his claws caught on the bar across the top, and he kicked harder – he was climbing! He scrabbled again, getting the other back paw up, and heaved himself over the edge of the pen, teetering on the top for a few seconds. Then, almost without realizing how he’d done it, Barney was on the floor – on the other side of the wire.

  He looked nervously at the door. It was still banging to and fro, and it was dark and wet outside. For a moment he wished that he was back inside with his brothers and sisters, where it was warm and safe.

  Then he shook himself. He needed to find Daisy. He marched across the floor, and nudged the swinging door hard with his nose.

  Out in the yard the rain was hammering down so hard he could barely see. Barney shrank back against the wall, trying to think how to get to Daisy. When he’d found her before, he’d gone out of the side of the run instead, straight on to the path.

  Ears laid back against the driving rain, Barney set out across the yard to where he thought he remembered the entrance was, his tail tucked between his legs. He’d never seen anything like this before. It had been a hot summer – so hot that all the ground was dry, and as he reached the path there were huge puddles where the water couldn’t soak in fast enough. Barney hurried round them, shivering as the rain soaked through his thick fur. He was fairly sure he knew where he was going now, but as he came closer to the river his ears laid back even further than before.

  It hadn’t looked like this yesterday.

  The hot weather had left it low and sluggish, but now the torrential rain had filled the river up again, so that it was racing along, sticks and debris jostling about in the dark water. It was starting to overflow its banks, too.

  Barney hesitated at the end of the bridge. Water was lapping around his paw
s, but he knew that to get to Daisy, he had to go across. The river just seemed so much bigger and scarier now than it had before. It stretched out beyond the bridge on the other side too, and that was what made Barney move at last.

  On the other side of the bridge was Daisy’s tent – and the water had almost reached it.

  Barney raced across the bridge, splashing through the water at the end, which was halfway up his legs. The ground sloped up from the river to the tents, but only a little. Snatches of moonlight shone on the dark water that was rising slowly but surely towards Daisy’s pod.

  He reached the tent and barked as loud as he could, right outside Daisy’s secret door. He hated this water – it was black and scary, and he didn’t want it anywhere near Daisy.

  Inside the tent, Daisy whimpered and turned over in her sleep as she heard Barney. The barking just merged into her dreams, making them even more terribly real. Barney was racing along behind the car as they drove away, barking and barking. He didn’t understand why she wasn’t taking him with her.

  Neither did Daisy.

  He was out of sight now. Although Daisy was still staring out of the car window, she couldn’t see him at all. So why could she still hear him barking?

  Daisy sat up suddenly, clutching her sleeping bag around her. That wasn’t part of her dream! That was actually Barney! He’d come to find her again. Smiling, she unzipped her back door.

  “Barney, ssshhh! You’ll wake up Mum and Dad – oh, wow!” Daisy gasped as she saw the flood water rising up towards the tent.

  Barney whined crossly. Why was she still sitting there? She needed to get out, and the others too! He darted into her tent pod and grabbed her sleeve in his teeth, pulling her.

  “Barney, you came to rescue us!” Daisy whispered, staring at him in amazement. “How did you know? OK, OK.” She reached out to unzip her front door, the one that led into the living area. “Mum! Dad! Oliver! The river’s flooding, we have to get out of the tent!”

  “What?” There was a scuffling noise, then the zip opened and Dad’s head appeared round the door.

  “It really is! Barney came to tell us, Dad, he’s outside. He barked to wake me up!”

  Dad dashed across the living area into Daisy’s pod, and stared out silently for a moment. Then he turned round and dashed back, grabbing his wellies. “I don’t how that dog knew, or how he got here, but it’s lucky he did. Your mum’s just getting dressed. The water will be in the tent any minute. Oliver, up, now! We need to get out of the tent!”

  “Where are we going?” Daisy asked, pattering across the living area to grab her wellies and waterproof.

  Dad frowned. “The farmhouse. We need to let them know the river’s flooding. I’m sure they’ll find somewhere for us to sleep. And help us get our stuff out too. But I’m going to go and tell the people in the tents closest first.” He hurried out, pulling on his raincoat over his pyjamas as he unzipped the front of the tent.

  Barney was standing in the doorway of Daisy’s pod, watching anxiously. He wanted her out of there now, before that black water came any closer.

  “He really came to tell you what was happening?” Oliver said, as he struggled out of his pod, still sounding sleepy.

  Daisy nodded proudly. “He must have got out of the puppy room again.”

  “That’s amazing.” Oliver patted Barney, but he hardly noticed. The water was getting closer and closer. He barked warningly at Daisy, and pulled at the leg of her pyjamas with his teeth.

  “He wants you to get out of here,” Mum said appearing from her pod. “Get your boots on, Oliver. We’d better go.”

  Daisy patted her leg and stepped outside. “Come on, Barney.”

  It was eerie watching the water creeping up the grass towards the tents. Dad had woken up the families in all the tents nearest the water, and they were starting to come out, dressed in boots and waterproofs.

  Barney stood in front of Daisy’s tent, looking nervously at the water. They needed to get back across the bridge, but he hated the thought of going across the flooded bank. It would be high up his legs by now. He glanced up at Daisy, her face white in the darkness. She looked scared too. He whined and took a couple of steps towards the bridge. He had to get her to the farmhouse, where she’d be safe.

  Dad came hurrying back with his torch. “Good dog. We’re coming now.”

  Daisy could hear the other families coming along behind him, the children pointing Barney out as the dog who’d woken everyone up to rescue them.

  “Is he your dog?” one of the boys that Oliver played football with asked her admiringly.

  Daisy caught her breath, staring hopefully up at her dad. He nodded. “After this, I think he is,” he muttered. “I don’t care how big he’s going to get. He’s a little star.”

  “They’re trained to be rescue dogs, aren’t they?” Mum said. “I suppose you can see why. Come on. We’ll work out how we’re going to manage when we’re in the dry.”

  Daisy put her hand on Barney’s back. Her puppy’s back. Dad was holding her other hand tightly, as though he didn’t want to let her go.

  Barney looked up at Daisy, and splashed forward into the water, head down, determined. He was going to make sure Daisy was safe, even if it meant going back across the river.

  “It’s almost coming over the bridge,” Daisy said to Dad.

  Dad nodded. “We need to tell them at the farm, fast. Then they can get round in the Land Rover over the other bridge, and make sure everyone’s OK.” He grinned at Daisy as they followed Barney off the bridge, through the water again to the path on the other side. “We’d better tell them we’ve got this little one, as well.”

  “And that we’re keeping him?” Daisy said, hesitantly. Had Mum and Dad really meant it?

  But her dad nodded. “And that we’re keeping him,” he agreed.

  Daisy gripped the thick fur under her fingers even tighter. Barney looked up at her, his ears twitching with relief as they came out of the water at last. Holding his head up high, he set off down the path, leading them all the way to somewhere safe and dry.

  “Look!” Daisy pointed further down the path – lights were coming towards them from the farmhouse, and anxious voices were calling. “It must be Julie. They’re coming to get us.”

  Dad hugged her. “We’ll have to tell her she’s too late, Daisy. We’ve already been rescued!”

  “I still can’t believe the river rose that quickly.” Julie shook her head. “It’s never been that high. We were lucky there were only a few tents close enough to be flooded.”

  “Did everyone manage to get their stuff out?” Daisy’s mum asked.

  Julie nodded. “It’s all drying in the stables. And most people are heading home today, like you, so they only had one night squashed up in our spare rooms, and the empty holiday cottage. I don’t think we’ll use that end of the field for camping again, though – it could have been so much worse.”

  Daisy yawned, leaning against Mum’s arm. She’d spent the rest of last night sleeping on Julie’s living-room floor, wrapped up in spare blankets. She’d let Oliver have the sofa – she wanted Barney next to her, and she didn’t want him to get into bad habits. She wasn’t going to do anything that might put Mum and Dad off.

  Barney didn’t look tired at all. His eyes were sparkling, and he kept twisting his head round to look at the collar and lead that Julie had given Daisy for him. She said they’d need them when they stopped to let him out on the way home.

  Home! Daisy smiled to herself. She still could hardly believe it. Dad was packing the car now, carefully making a safe space in the boot for Barney. It meant Daisy and Oliver would have loads of bags round their legs, but they didn’t mind.

  “I think we’re ready,” Dad said. “Julie, do you reckon he’s got enough room in here?”

  Julie looked over. “He should be fine.” She smiled at Daisy. “I’m so glad he’s going home with you. It’s perfect.”

  Daisy lifted Barney into the car, patting him
gently as she took off his lead. “I can’t believe he’s really ours,” she told Julie, giggling as Barney licked her cheek. “Not just for the holiday, but for ever.”

  “Shall we head down to the field now?” Amelie suggested. “Then we can give Monty a really good run.” She laughed. “Look, he heard me!”

  Monty’s soft black ears had suddenly pricked up and he was staring hopefully at Amelie. He was only a puppy but he already had long Labrador legs and he loved to run.

  Her brother checked the time on his phone. “Yeah, OK, but not for too long. We’ve already been out twenty minutes and he’s only supposed to walk for about twenty-five.”

  Amelie sighed. “I know the leaflet said that but look at him, Josh! He’s desperate! He wants a proper run, don’t you, Monty?”

  The little black Labrador frisked round her feet with an excited bark. “It’s just not fair, is it? You love walks so much and so do we!”

  Amelie crouched down to rub his head and run his ears through her fingers. His ears were so silky, and she loved the way he closed his eyes and stuck his nose in the air every time she did it.

  “Well, it won’t be that long till he can go on really big walks,” Josh said and then grinned. “He’s already five months old – so that’s only another seven months to go!”

  Amelie rolled her eyes. Josh thought he was so funny sometimes – she and Mum reckoned it was a teenage boy thing. “Come on, Josh, pleeease? If we go to the field then we can take the alley and go the quick way home.”

  When they’d first got Monty, three months earlier, the breeder had given them a leaflet of tips on how to look after a Labrador puppy properly. She’d explained that Monty couldn’t go out for walks at all till he’d had his vaccinations. And even then, they’d have to be careful not to overwalk him while he was still under a year. The information leaflet suggested a five-minute rule – only five minutes of proper exercise for every month of Monty’s age, so as not to injure his growing legs.