could sometimes hear her in the garden, too. Sophie had a sweet voice and always sounded friendly.
“Poor Buttons, she looks really sad,” Sophie said, wishing she could stroke her. She knew Buttons was friendly, but Mum had made her promise not to stroke dogs without asking the owner first.
“Thinking about it, I did see Mr Jenkins in the supermarket last week, and he was walking with a stick,” Mum said slowly. “I wonder if he hasn’t been able to take Buttons for walks, and that’s why she’s scratching like that. She wants to get out.”
“Sorry, Buttons, we’re going swimming, or else we’d love to take you for a walk. Oh, look, I’m sure she knows what we’re saying, her ears just drooped, and she isn’t wagging her tail any more,” Sophie said as she waved goodbye.
Buttons stared after them with big, sad brown eyes. She hadn’t been on a proper walk in a long time. Mr Jenkins was very good about letting her in and out of the house whenever she wanted, but he just didn’t seem to want to walk her right now. The garden was quite big – it went all round the house from front to back – but it wasn’t the same as walks. Buttons whined sadly, and scratched at the fence again. She thought she might be able to go for a walk byherself, if she could only get over this fence. Or under it, perhaps.
“Buttons! Buttons!” She could hear Mr Jenkins calling, and her ears pricked up immediately. Maybe he was feeling better, and he wanted to go for a walk after all. She shot round to the back door, which Mr Jenkins was holding open for her.
“There you are! You’ve been out a while, Buttons.” Mr Jenkins stooped down to pat her, holding tight to his stick.
Buttons looked up at him hopefully, and then looked over at her lead, which was hanging on a hook above Mr Jenkins’s wellies. She gave an excited little bark, and wagged her tail so fast it blurred.
“Oh, Buttons, I wish we could. I wish we could, poor little girl. Soon, I promise.”
Buttons’s tail sagged, and she trailed slowly into the living room to curl up on her cushion next to Mr Jenkins’s chair. He sat down beside her, and stroked her head lovingly. Buttons licked his hand. She adored Mr Jenkins, even though he couldn’t always take her for walks.
Chapter Two
“If you’re going along the canal path, you have to be really careful,” Mum warned them. “Especially you, Sophie. No going close to the edge, promise?”
“I’m not a baby, Mum! I’m sensible!” Sophie complained. “OK, I promise to be careful.”
“All right then. Tom and Michael, you’ll keep an eye on her, won’t you?Don’t leave her behind.”
Sophie’s older brothers nodded, eager to get out on their ride, even if it did mean taking Sophie, too.
It was a gorgeous, sunny Saturday afternoon, and Mum and Dad were repainting the kitchen, so it was definitely a good time to be out of the house. The canal path was the Martin family’s other favourite place to go on walks and bike rides. They were lucky that it wasn’t far from where they lived.
Despite what they’d said to Mum, Michael and Tom couldn’t resist speeding off ahead. Every so often one of them would double back to check Sophie was OK, and she was – she quite liked riding along on her ownanyway. It meant she could stop and talk to the ginger cat sitting on the fence – he let her stroke him today – and admire the butterflies on a lilac tree that grew on the corner just as she came out on to the canal bank. She could do all these things without the boys telling her to hurry up all the time.
Sophie pedalled along, keeping away from the edge like Mum had told her to. The canal was beautiful, especially with the sun sparkling on it like it was today, but beneath the glitter the water was deep and dark. She rounded the bend, expecting to see Tom and Michael coming back to check on her, but instead she saw a familiar-looking dog.
Buttons!
The pretty little Labrador was sniffing about at
“Poor Buttons, she looks really sad,” Sophie said, wishing she could stroke her. She knew Buttons was friendly, but Mum had made her promise not to stroke dogs without asking the owner first.
“Thinking about it, I did see Mr Jenkins in the supermarket last week, and he was walking with a stick,” Mum said slowly. “I wonder if he hasn’t been able to take Buttons for walks, and that’s why she’s scratching like that. She wants to get out.”
“Sorry, Buttons, we’re going swimming, or else we’d love to take you for a walk. Oh, look, I’m sure she knows what we’re saying, her ears just drooped, and she isn’t wagging her tail any more,” Sophie said as she waved goodbye.
Buttons stared after them with big, sad brown eyes. She hadn’t been on a proper walk in a long time. Mr Jenkins was very good about letting her in and out of the house whenever she wanted, but he just didn’t seem to want to walk her right now. The garden was quite big – it went all round the house from front to back – but it wasn’t the same as walks. Buttons whined sadly, and scratched at the fence again. She thought she might be able to go for a walk byherself, if she could only get over this fence. Or under it, perhaps.
“Buttons! Buttons!” She could hear Mr Jenkins calling, and her ears pricked up immediately. Maybe he was feeling better, and he wanted to go for a walk after all. She shot round to the back door, which Mr Jenkins was holding open for her.
“There you are! You’ve been out a while, Buttons.” Mr Jenkins stooped down to pat her, holding tight to his stick.
Buttons looked up at him hopefully, and then looked over at her lead, which was hanging on a hook above Mr Jenkins’s wellies. She gave an excited little bark, and wagged her tail so fast it blurred.
“Oh, Buttons, I wish we could. I wish we could, poor little girl. Soon, I promise.”
Buttons’s tail sagged, and she trailed slowly into the living room to curl up on her cushion next to Mr Jenkins’s chair. He sat down beside her, and stroked her head lovingly. Buttons licked his hand. She adored Mr Jenkins, even though he couldn’t always take her for walks.
Chapter Two
“If you’re going along the canal path, you have to be really careful,” Mum warned them. “Especially you, Sophie. No going close to the edge, promise?”
“I’m not a baby, Mum! I’m sensible!” Sophie complained. “OK, I promise to be careful.”
“All right then. Tom and Michael, you’ll keep an eye on her, won’t you?Don’t leave her behind.”
Sophie’s older brothers nodded, eager to get out on their ride, even if it did mean taking Sophie, too.
It was a gorgeous, sunny Saturday afternoon, and Mum and Dad were repainting the kitchen, so it was definitely a good time to be out of the house. The canal path was the Martin family’s other favourite place to go on walks and bike rides. They were lucky that it wasn’t far from where they lived.
Despite what they’d said to Mum, Michael and Tom couldn’t resist speeding off ahead. Every so often one of them would double back to check Sophie was OK, and she was – she quite liked riding along on her ownanyway. It meant she could stop and talk to the ginger cat sitting on the fence – he let her stroke him today – and admire the butterflies on a lilac tree that grew on the corner just as she came out on to the canal bank. She could do all these things without the boys telling her to hurry up all the time.
Sophie pedalled along, keeping away from the edge like Mum had told her to. The canal was beautiful, especially with the sun sparkling on it like it was today, but beneath the glitter the water was deep and dark. She rounded the bend, expecting to see Tom and Michael coming back to check on her, but instead she saw a familiar-looking dog.
Buttons!
The pretty little Labrador was sniffing about at
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