that,” he said, coming over.
“It’s OK, I’m fine,” Ellie blurted out. But it was too late…
“Have you seen what he’s doing?” Dad yelled, as he spotted Rascal through the window. He flung open the back door, and hared off down the path.
Ellie watched anxiously as Dad grabbed Rascal and stomped back indoors with the puppy tucked under his arm.
“He’s dug up every single one of my courgette seedlings! I only planted them out yesterday!” Dad snapped.
“Sorry,” Ellie whispered. “He just likes digging. He doesn’t understand…”
Dad put Rascal down, and the puppy cowered under Ellie’s chair.
“I know, Ellie. But he can’t be allowed to dig everything up.”
“He hasn’t had as many walks today as usual, because I was at school,” Ellie explained. “He was working off all his energy.”
“We’ll talk about this later,” Dad said, and stormed off to have a shower.
Ellie looked down at Rascal, who was sitting under her chair. “What are we goingto do, Rascal? That’s Mum, Dad and Max, all cross with you.”
Just then, Max came into the kitchen. He crouched down next to Rascal, and held out his hand solemnly. “Shake a paw, Rascal. All is forgiven.”
“What are you doing?” Ellie asked, as Rascal licked Max’s hand instead.
“He dug up all Dad’s courgettes, Ellie! I hate courgettes! Do you think you could get him to work on the beetroot next?”
At least Max wasn’t cross with Ellie and Rascal any more. But Dad had had a serious talk with Ellie that night, and Ellie was starting to feel quite worried. What if Mum and Dad did decide that Rascal was too naughty? Would they really send him back, like Max had said? She knew that Rascal had already had another home before they got him, with an elderly couple who’d found him too much of a handful.
“You’re only a little bit naughty,” Ellie told Rascal, as she brushed him out in the garden after school the next day. She’d noticed a lot of white hairs around, and she didn’t want Mum and Dad to have anything else to be grumpy with Rascal about.
But as she let Rascal back into thekitchen and put the grooming brush away, Ellie heard a howl of horror from upstairs.
Mum looked up from the vegetables she was chopping. “Was that Lila?”
Ellie stared down at Rascal. “Please tell me that’s not because of you!” she whispered.
About ten seconds later, Lila burst into the kitchen. Her eyes were glittering with fury, and she pointed at Rascal, who backed behind Ellie.
“He ate my new pink lipstick!”
Ellie’s eyes widened. “Oh, no—”
“And then ,” Lila went on, “he was sick all over my carpet!”
Ellie felt a terrible urge to giggle. It was awful but funny at the same time.
“I’ll clean it up,” she volunteered, hoping that might make Lila feel better. “And I’ll buy you a new lipstick!” She gave a sigh. She had wanted to use her pocket money to buy Rascal a squeaky bone toy to distract him from digging.
“Clean it up together,” Mum said. “And please be quick, girls. Your grandad’s coming over for dinner, remember.”
Lila grabbed the carpet cleaner and headed upstairs, muttering about horrible, smelly dogs. Ellie set off after Lila, closing the kitchen door firmly as Rascal tried to follow. Rascal gave a hurt little whimper, but Ellie didn’t give in. He definitely wouldn’t be welcome in Lila’s room!
Mum passed Grandad a slice of cake, and gave him a serious look. “Have you any ideas how we can get Rascal to behave, Dad? He’s being a bit of a nightmare.”
Grandad bit into his cake and looked over at Rascal, who was sitting next to Ellie’s chair and hopefully eyeing her portion. “Jack Russells can be tricky. They’re really determined, which is what makes them such little characters, but it means it’s hard to train them. I think you might need some help. Have you thought about puppy-training classes?”
Ellie smiled at Grandad. Puppy-training classes
“It’s OK, I’m fine,” Ellie blurted out. But it was too late…
“Have you seen what he’s doing?” Dad yelled, as he spotted Rascal through the window. He flung open the back door, and hared off down the path.
Ellie watched anxiously as Dad grabbed Rascal and stomped back indoors with the puppy tucked under his arm.
“He’s dug up every single one of my courgette seedlings! I only planted them out yesterday!” Dad snapped.
“Sorry,” Ellie whispered. “He just likes digging. He doesn’t understand…”
Dad put Rascal down, and the puppy cowered under Ellie’s chair.
“I know, Ellie. But he can’t be allowed to dig everything up.”
“He hasn’t had as many walks today as usual, because I was at school,” Ellie explained. “He was working off all his energy.”
“We’ll talk about this later,” Dad said, and stormed off to have a shower.
Ellie looked down at Rascal, who was sitting under her chair. “What are we goingto do, Rascal? That’s Mum, Dad and Max, all cross with you.”
Just then, Max came into the kitchen. He crouched down next to Rascal, and held out his hand solemnly. “Shake a paw, Rascal. All is forgiven.”
“What are you doing?” Ellie asked, as Rascal licked Max’s hand instead.
“He dug up all Dad’s courgettes, Ellie! I hate courgettes! Do you think you could get him to work on the beetroot next?”
At least Max wasn’t cross with Ellie and Rascal any more. But Dad had had a serious talk with Ellie that night, and Ellie was starting to feel quite worried. What if Mum and Dad did decide that Rascal was too naughty? Would they really send him back, like Max had said? She knew that Rascal had already had another home before they got him, with an elderly couple who’d found him too much of a handful.
“You’re only a little bit naughty,” Ellie told Rascal, as she brushed him out in the garden after school the next day. She’d noticed a lot of white hairs around, and she didn’t want Mum and Dad to have anything else to be grumpy with Rascal about.
But as she let Rascal back into thekitchen and put the grooming brush away, Ellie heard a howl of horror from upstairs.
Mum looked up from the vegetables she was chopping. “Was that Lila?”
Ellie stared down at Rascal. “Please tell me that’s not because of you!” she whispered.
About ten seconds later, Lila burst into the kitchen. Her eyes were glittering with fury, and she pointed at Rascal, who backed behind Ellie.
“He ate my new pink lipstick!”
Ellie’s eyes widened. “Oh, no—”
“And then ,” Lila went on, “he was sick all over my carpet!”
Ellie felt a terrible urge to giggle. It was awful but funny at the same time.
“I’ll clean it up,” she volunteered, hoping that might make Lila feel better. “And I’ll buy you a new lipstick!” She gave a sigh. She had wanted to use her pocket money to buy Rascal a squeaky bone toy to distract him from digging.
“Clean it up together,” Mum said. “And please be quick, girls. Your grandad’s coming over for dinner, remember.”
Lila grabbed the carpet cleaner and headed upstairs, muttering about horrible, smelly dogs. Ellie set off after Lila, closing the kitchen door firmly as Rascal tried to follow. Rascal gave a hurt little whimper, but Ellie didn’t give in. He definitely wouldn’t be welcome in Lila’s room!
Mum passed Grandad a slice of cake, and gave him a serious look. “Have you any ideas how we can get Rascal to behave, Dad? He’s being a bit of a nightmare.”
Grandad bit into his cake and looked over at Rascal, who was sitting next to Ellie’s chair and hopefully eyeing her portion. “Jack Russells can be tricky. They’re really determined, which is what makes them such little characters, but it means it’s hard to train them. I think you might need some help. Have you thought about puppy-training classes?”
Ellie smiled at Grandad. Puppy-training classes
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