A Forever Home for Pip

  Pip leapt forward and the lead slipped through Grace’s fingers. The twins both tried to grab it but Pip was too fast. He took off, ducking under the barbed wire fence and racing across the field of cows. “Pip, come back!” Jack yelled as the cows scattered in alarm.

  For Lara, who is sassy, smart and full of doggy heart.

  “Jack! Look at that cute Border collie puppy!” said Grace.

  It was a sunny Friday afternoon and Grace and her twin brother were walking Tiny, their family’s enormous dog, in the park. The very fluffy black-and-white puppy raced towards them, yapping excitedly. Tiny flopped to the ground, his tail wagging, as the puppy pounced at him.

  Jack looked around the park. “Who’s he with? The only person I can see is Mum.”

  Their mother was following some way behind with the four dogs she was looking after that day. She ran a doggy day care business called Top Dog.

  “Oh! He must have run into the park from the street,” said Grace.

  A squirrel scampered up a nearby tree trunk. The puppy ran towards it eagerly and tried to climb the tree, its paws scrabbling against the bark.

  “He’s very lively,” said Jack.

  “We’ve got to catch him!” Grace said. “He might run off and get hurt. Take Tiny, Jack.” She handed the lead over and walked towards the puppy. “Come here, pup,” she coaxed.

  The puppy watched her approaching, then sprang up and raced behind the tree.

  “No!” shouted Grace, running after it.

  “Wait!” called Jack. “If you chase it, it might get scared and run further. Slow down and stay calm.”

  Grace sighed. Jack was always telling her to slow down, but she knew her brother was right. She crouched down and called gently, “Here, puppy!”

  To her relief, the puppy stopped running. Its ears relaxed and it came towards her. Grace slowly held out her hand, keeping her fist closed and her palm down, like she knew she was supposed to. The little puppy sniffed her fingers, then huffed and licked her hand all over, its tail wagging. Seeing that it was now happy with her, she stroked its soft back and the puppy jumped into her arms.

  “You are so friendly!” she exclaimed. The puppy wriggled, trying to chew the ends of her brown hair.

  “Has it got a tag on?” Jack asked.

  Grace read the bone-shaped identity tag fastened to the puppy’s blue collar. “Yes. His name’s Pip. Hello, Pip,” she said to the bundle in her arms, feeling her heart melt as she looked into his cheeky dark eyes. Pip had a black face with a narrow white blaze and a cute button nose. The tip of his tail and his paws were white, as if they’d been dipped in paint. One of his ears was pricked but the other wouldn’t stand up and kept flopping over.

  “Is there a phone number?” said Jack. “Should we ask Mum to call it and—”

  “I don’t think we need to,” interrupted Grace as a young couple ran into the park, calling out Pip’s name. “I think his owners have just found us!”

  “Pip!” exclaimed the woman, spotting the puppy in Grace’s arms. “I’m Jess, his owner. Oh, you naughty boy!” she said to the puppy, sounding more worried than cross. The man joined her as Grace handed him over.

  “We thought we’d lost you,” he said, ruffling the puppy’s ears.

  “Thanks for catching him,” said Jess gratefully. “He’s such a nightmare. He keeps going off after other dogs, doesn’t he, Alex?”

  “And birds, squirrels and people,” the man, Alex, added dryly. “We’ve had him for almost a month and we thought he would have calmed down by now, but if anything, he’s getting worse.”

  “We live in a flat,” explained Jess. “We walk him three times a day but it’s never enough. He sleeps for a bit and then he’s up again, tearing around the place, barking like crazy until we take him out.”

  “His barking is upsetting our neighbours,” said Alex. “He’s so friendly, but I’m just not sure we should have got a puppy like him. His parents were both working sheepdogs and he’s got so much energy.”

  Grace and Jack exchanged a look. It was a twin thing – they often knew exactly what the other was thinking. Jack gave Grace a nod and she turned to the couple.

  “It does sound like he might not be the right dog for you. What do you think you will you do?” she asked politely. “Will you keep him or will you try and find him a new home?” She crossed her fingers. It would be wonderful to have a new animal to rehome!

  Jess and Alex looked at each other. “I think a new home would be best,” said Jess with a sigh. She kissed the wriggling puppy. “I love him to bits but he would be much happier somewhere he can run around outside all the time. We’ve also just found out that I’m going to have a baby later in the year. I really don’t know how we’ll cope with a baby and a dog like Pip.”

  “But we don’t like the thought of taking him to a dog shelter,” said Alex. “He loves his cuddles too much.”

  Excitement rushed through Grace. “We might be able to help you,” she said eagerly. “Jack and I run Forever Homes.”

  “We’re experts at finding cats and dogs their forever home,” added Jack. “We always make sure we find them the perfect owner, and until we do, they live with us, so they don’t feel lonely. Our mum’s over there if you want to talk to her.” He pointed to where Mum was letting the dogs sniff a lamppost. “She runs Top Dog.”

  “Oh, that’s the lady with the van that looks like a dog?” said Jess. “It always makes me smile when I see it around town.”

  “Maybe we could have a word with her?” said Alex.

  “Sure,” said Grace. Although she and Jack were completely in charge of the rehoming business, they were used to people wanting to talk to their mum before handing over their animals. “Mum!” she called, beckoning her.

  Mum came over. “Hello,” she said, smiling at Alex and Jess. “I’m Sarah Taylor. What a gorgeous puppy,” she said as Jess put Pip down so he could say hello to the other dogs. Jess explained the situation.

  “Jack and Grace are very good at rehoming animals,” said Mum. “And it does sound like it might be the best thing, the kindest thing, if you don’t feel you can give him what he needs.”

  Jess picked Pip up and gave him a big cuddle. “Don’t you think that I’m not going to miss you because I will, Pip,” she said, her voice sounding squeaky. “But I want you to be happy, that’s all that matters.” Blinking back a few tears, she swallowed and handed him to Grace. “You should take him now. I don’t think I could bear to say goodbye again. We’ll come over to sort the paperwork later.”

  “We promise we’ll find him the perfect home,” said Jack.

  “And we’ll look after him really well until we do,” added Grace.

  The twins watched as Alex put his arm round Jess and they walked away.

  “That was a very hard decision for them to make,” said Mum. “But they’re doing the right thing. It would be difficult for them to cope with a baby as well, and a flat really isn’t a suitable home for a lively Border collie puppy.”

  “You’re a working dog – a sheepdog,” Grace told Pip. “We’ll find you a new home with lots of space outside.”

  “And experienced owners who’ll train you,” Jack added.

  Pip yapped happily as if he agreed.

  When they got home, Jack took Tiny inside while Grace took Pip to the shed in the garden that she and Jack used as their office. Inside the shed, there was a desk and a chair, a pile of pet beds and a crate of cat and dog toys. On the wall there was a cork board full of photos of all the pets she and Jack had successfully rehomed. Grace’s heart swelled with pride as she looked at it. There was nothing that made her happier than finding an animal their forever home!

  “It’ll be your turn nex
t,” Grace told Pip, replacing his identity tag with a Forever Homes one before unclipping his lead. The twins kept a pot of metal identity tags that they used on any animals they were looking after.

  Pip trotted around the office, his bottom wiggling as he investigated every corner. When the door opened and Jack came in, Pip pounced on Jack’s feet and barked.

  Jack shook his head. “No, I’m not going to play with you until you calm down.”

  “I don’t think he wants to play,” said Grace, watching Pip carefully. He pranced around Jack, nudging his legs with his nose. Grace giggled. “I think he’s trying to herd you towards me.”

  Jack grinned. “You’re right. It’s the sheepdog in him! You clever little puppy.” He picked him up. Pip licked his ear, his little tail going crazy.

  “Right, time for you to take a personality test,” said Jack, putting Pip down and sitting at the desk. Opening a large blue notebook, he neatly wrote the date and Pip’s name.

  The Forever Homes personality test helped the twins to find out what an animal was really like so that they could pair them with a suitable person. It gave them an idea how playful the pet was, how bold and how trainable.

  “We already know quite a bit about Pip’s personality,” said Grace. “He’s very friendly, both with people and with other dogs. He’s also energetic, lively and inquisitive, and he seems to like herding things.”

  Jack made some notes. “He doesn’t seem to be trained. Let’s see if he knows the basic commands.” He looked at the puppy, who was sniffing at the crate of toys and called, “Pip, come!”

  Pip looked round and wagged his tail.

  “Pip, come!” said Grace.

  “Grace, don’t!” said Jack quickly. “You’ll confuse him if we both call him.”

  Grace sighed. She knew her brother was right. “Sorry,” she said, poking her tongue out at him when he turned away.

  “Pip, come here!” Jack tried again. Pip ran over to Jack. “Good boy!” Jack made a fuss of him and then took a treat out of a tin on the desk. He held it up. “Now sit.”

  Pip sat at once. Jack gave him the treat. “Down,” said Jack, pointing at the floor.

  As Pip began to lie down, a bird started to sing outside. The little puppy sprang up and raced to the door, barking.

  “No, Pip!” said Jack, picking the puppy up. “You seem to have had some training, but you get distracted very easily.”

  “I bet he likes to play,” said Grace. She picked out some toys from the crate and they took Pip into the garden. They soon found out he absolutely loved games! He played tug with a rope and chased a ball all over the lawn. No matter how many times they threw it, Pip was there, racing after it then dropping it back at their feet so they could throw it again.

  “You’re definitely going to need a very active owner,” said Jack.

  “And someone who doesn’t have close neighbours,” added Grace, as Pip yapped loudly, asking for the ball to be thrown again. “I’ll make some posters to put up in the local shops. There has to be someone who’s right for him.”

  Jack nodded. “His perfect home is out there. We just need to find it!”

  The next day, the twins set out to put Grace’s posters about Pip around town. They stuck them up in the newsagents, the Post Office and the café, and then they stopped at the vet. Carol, the receptionist, knew them well. “Hi, twins. Have you got a new animal in for rehoming then?” she asked, seeing the posters in Jack’s hand.

  “Yes, a Border collie puppy. Please could we put a poster up?” Jack asked.

  “Of course. Go ahead,” said Carol.

  A slim blonde woman in wellies who looked about their mum’s age was sitting next to the noticeboard. An old black Labrador with a grey muzzle was lying beside her. He thumped his tail on the floor and lifted his head stiffly as the twins stopped nearby.

  “Is it OK if I stroke him?” Grace asked the lady as Jack pinned the poster on the board.

  “Oh, yes. He’s not infectious, he’s just here to see the vet because his arthritis is playing up,” said the lady. “He’s called Winston.”

  Grace bent down and stroked him, rubbing behind his ears. He panted happily.

  “I like your poster,” said the lady, looking at the photo of Pip that Grace had printed off and decorated with a border of bones. Underneath it, Jack had neatly written some information about him and the type of home he was looking for. “It makes mine look very old and shabby.” She nodded to the noticeboard, where a tatty poster advertised Apple Tree Farm.

  “Oh, do you live there?” said Grace. “We’re going on a school trip to Apple Tree Farm this Monday.”

  “Ah, so you must go to Greenfield’s Primary School?” said the lady. “I remember taking the booking. Well, it’ll be lovely to see you all. We haven’t had a school visit for a while. I really should make some new posters to try and get some more visitors. We need people coming to the farm to help pay for the upkeep of the animals. I wonder what I should put on the poster.”

  “Cute baby animals!” said Jack immediately. “Lambs, piglets and calves. We can’t wait to see them all on Monday.”

  “And make it really colourful and bright,” said Grace, looking at the faded poster on the board, “so it really stands out.”

  A veterinary nurse came into the waiting room. “Winston Turner, please,” she called.

  “That’s us,” said the lady, getting up. Winston heaved himself stiffly to his feet. “Thanks for the advice on the poster! I’ll see you soon.”

  The twins said goodbye.

  “That’s a gorgeous puppy,” said Carol the receptionist, looking at Pip’s picture on the wall.

  “Are you looking for a dog, Carol?” Grace said hopefully.

  “No, I’ve already got my two Cavalier King Charles spaniels, and I don’t think a Border collie pup would lie quietly under the desk here all day,” said Carol. “But I’ll keep my ears open for anyone who is looking for a puppy like that.”

  “Thanks!” the twins chorused.

  “Have you got everything? Lunch box, sun hats? Did you remember to use sun cream?” asked Mum. Their teacher, Ms Drew, was ticking off names on her clipboard as their class boarded the coach on Monday morning.

  “Yes, yes and yes,” said Jack. “Hurry up, Grace, we don’t want to make everyone wait for us.”

  “Coming,” said Grace. She had Pip on a long lead as the little puppy yapped and tried to herd their class on to the bus.

  “That’s enough herding, Pip!” Grace laughed. “Everyone’s going where they should, don’t worry. Are you going to put Pip in the puppy crate?” she asked her mother.

  “No, I’ll take him straight to Top Dog,” said Mum. “He can come for a walk with the other dogs.”

  Grace and Jack stepped on to the coach.

  “Be good, Pip,” Jack called. “No running off to herd squirrels!”

  Apple Tree Farm was a short coach ride away from school.

  “Poo!” said Jack as he got off the coach. “What a stink.”

  “I think it smells nice,” said Grace, breathing in the rich farmyard smell.

  “Look, there’s Winston!” said Jack as the old Labrador they had met at the vet’s spotted them and ambled over to say hello. He sniffed at Grace and Jack’s legs and wagged his tail.

  “Wouldn’t it be funny if humans greeted each other by sniffing to find out where they’d come from,” giggled Grace.

  A boy, slightly older than them, with light-brown hair and freckles ran over. “Hi, I’m Ben. Winston is my dog.”

  “We met him at the vet’s the other day,” Grace explained.

  “And he can probably smell Pip, the puppy we’re looking after,” said Jack. “I’m Jack and this is Grace. We’re twins.”

  “Winston and I are twins, too!” said Ben. “We’re both eleven and we have the exact same birthday. I don’t have any brothers or sisters and Winston and I do everything together. At least, we used to.” Ben sighed. “Winston always used to get
up early to help me with my farm jobs before school but he doesn’t do that so much since he got arthritis.” Ben stroked Winston’s head. “In dog years Winston’s seventy-seven.”

  “That’s ancient!” said Jack.

  Ben nodded. “He’s really happy today because it’s a teacher-training day at my school and I can stay on the farm with him. Mum’s asked if I can help out with your school trip – she’s busy thinking of ways to advertise the farm.”

  Grace saw Ben’s mum talking to one of their teachers. “When we met her at the vet’s she said she wants to do some new posters.”

  Ben grinned. “We definitely need to. The posters we’ve got are almost as ancient as Winston!”

  Ms Drew waved everyone from school over. Jack and Grace were put in a group with a parent helper. Ben and Winston tagged along with them as they went to the barn where the cows were kept.

  “Did you know that a cow has four stomachs to digest their food with?” he said as they entered the barn and saw a line of cows munching on hay bales.

  “That’s a lot of stomachs,” said Grace. “Imagine having four tummies rumbling when you’re hungry!”

  Ben laughed. “Cows do eat a lot. They’re clever, too. They gather round the gate when it’s time to be fed or milked. The chickens aren’t so clever. They always think it’s food time. Did you know that there are more chickens in the world than there are people?”

  “Wow!” Jack was impressed. “You know loads about animals.”

  Ben beamed. “I love helping out on the farm and talking to visitors. The only job I don’t like so much is looking after the really little kids. They’re always running off then Mum makes me run after them. I could do with a sheepdog to help round them up!”

  “A sheepdog!” gasped Grace, an idea spinning in her head. “Jack,” she whispered, catching her brother’s eye.