Sweetie (4 page)

“It’ll be okay, Cheese,” Sammy said as he and Charles stood outside David’s front door the next day, waiting for someone to answer the doorbell. Charles glanced down at the puppy in his arms. He hoped more than anything that David’s cousin Ducky would want to adopt Sweetie. That was the plan, wasn’t it? The whole reason they had practiced all those circus routines?

But now that he knew Ducky was a clown, Charles was nervous about meeting him. In fact, he was so worried about it that he had barely slept a wink the night before. What was it about clowns? Charles had never liked them. Their scary white faces and big red mouths . . . their alarmingly bright, baggy costumes . . . their terrifying
giant shoes . . . And the hair! That bright yellow or orange hair that stuck out in crazy directions! It could give you nightmares.

“He won’t be dressed in his costume,” Sammy reminded Charles. “No makeup either, I’m sure.”

“I know.” Charles looked down at his hands. He should probably be embarrassed that Sammy knew his secret, but really it just felt good to know that his best friend would be there when he met his first real, live clown in person. “Thanks, Salami,” he added. There was nothing like an old friend you could trust with your secrets.

The door flew open. “Hey there. You must be Sammy and Charles. And that’s Sweetie! She’s even cuter than David’s description.”

Charles stared at the person who had opened the door. He had the hugest hands and feet Charles had ever seen and a smile so wide you could practically see his back teeth. His ears stuck straight out from his head, and his curly
red hair was wild and unruly. He wore sneakers, jeans, and a black T-shirt that said
CLANCY’S CIRCUS
in red block letters.

“I’m Ducky.” He stuck out a gigantic hand for a shake.

Charles took it. Ducky’s hand swallowed up his hand whole. Charles knew he should say, “I’m Charles,” but he couldn’t seem to get the words out.

“I know, I know, I look like a clown even
without
my costume.” Ducky grinned a wide grin as he shook Sammy’s hand. “Guess I’m a natural for the job.” He let out a big belly laugh.

And then, just like that, Charles couldn’t help laughing, too. There was something about Ducky that just made you want to smile and laugh. Maybe he
was
a natural for the job. And maybe — just maybe! — all clowns weren’t so scary once you knew them.

David appeared behind Ducky. “Hi,” he said. He looked almost back to normal, except for the
bandage on his head. “Let’s go downstairs and show Ducky our big surprise.”

The boys had agreed that David would not tell Ducky that Sweetie needed a forever home. They wanted him to see her in action. Then he would know that she was perfect for the circus.

Down in the basement, Charles put Sweetie on the floor so she could run around for a while. Ducky spotted the Nerf ball and the Wiffle bat. He picked them up, looked around the room, grabbed the hula hoop, and started to juggle the three completely different items. “Yee-haw!” he yelled. “Oops! Duck!” The Wiffle bat flew straight at Charles.

Charles ducked as the bat flew over his head.

Ducky laughed. “That’s how I got my nickname,” he said. “In clown school, I was always losing track of something I was juggling. They started calling me Ducky after I yelled, ‘Duck!’ one too many times.”

“Clown school?” Charles had never heard of that. An hour ago he would have thought clown school sounded like the scariest place in the world, but now he wasn’t so sure. In fact, as Ducky started to tell the boys more about it, clown school sounded like a pretty cool place.

At clown school Ducky had learned more than how to juggle. He’d learned how to walk on a tightrope, and how to drive a funny little car, and how to do twenty somersaults in a row without getting dizzy. “Oh, and I learned some magic, too.” He reached down to ruffle Sweetie’s ears and pulled a nickel out of one of them. Then he flipped the nickel into the air, and it turned into a dime. Then he closed his hand over the dime, and when he opened it back up again, there were three dimes! He gave one to each of the boys.

“Wow,” said Sammy.

David beamed. “And you didn’t even believe that my cousin was in the circus,” he said.

“I — I —” Sammy blushed. “Well, I do now.”

Ducky picked up the Wiffle bat again and pointed it at the white wipe-off board. “What’s a Grand Boodjerino?” he asked.

The boys explained about base-boodja.

“Pitch to me,” Ducky said. “Let me try.”

Sweetie perched on the weight bench to watch as the boys took up their positions and David pitched to his cousin.
Bam!
On the very first swing, Ducky connected and the boodja screamed past the rowing machine. “I did it! I did it!” Ducky picked Sweetie up and danced her around happily as the boys cheered his Grand Boodjerino.

Then Ducky put his hand over his mouth. “Oops. Your mom said we were supposed to take it easy down here. We promised her that David would sit down and stay quiet after his night in the hospital.”

“Let’s do our show,” said Charles. He and Sammy would have to do it all, but that was okay.

Sammy ran for his ringmaster’s hat and megaphone while Charles grabbed the hula hoop and got Sweetie ready to do her tricks.

“Ladeeez and gentleclowns!” Sammy announced. “Welcome to the greatest show on earth! Meet Sweetie, the amazingly acrobatic wonder dog!”

Charles held up the hoop. “Up, Sweetie!” he said, and Sweetie sailed through the hoop. Then Sammy got on his hands and knees and Sweetie jumped through again, right up onto Sammy’s back.

“Woo-hoo!” Ducky yelled and clapped.

They ran through all Sweetie’s tricks, or at least the ones they could do without David. They explained about the human pyramid, and how Sweetie could climb all the way to the top.

“She really is a wonder dog,” said Ducky. He scooped up Sweetie and gave her a big hug and kiss. She licked his chin.

I’m glad you liked the show!

It was now or never. “She needs a home. Would you like to adopt her?” asked Charles. “She could be the star of your circus.”

“Great idea,” said Ducky, “except for one thing. My circus doesn’t have any animals in it.”

Charles stared at him. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Circuses always have animals. Horses, lions, elephants . . . isn’t that part of what a circus is?”

“Not necessarily,” said Ducky. He was still petting Sweetie. “A lot of people believe now that circuses are not the best places for wild animals, or tame ones, either. Milton Clancy, who runs my circus, feels that way. Our circus is all people: jugglers, acrobats, tightrope walkers, and clowns.”

“Maybe you could adopt Sweetie anyway, just as a pet,” said Charles. He still thought Ducky would be the perfect owner for Sweetie.

Ducky shook his head. “I don’t think she’d be very happy living in my one-room trailer and traveling every other day to a new town.” He gave Sweetie one more kiss. Then he flashed that huge grin at Charles. “Don’t look so disappointed,” he said. “There must be somebody around who would want to adopt such a smart, funny dog.”

Dad cooked up a big pot of firehouse-style chili and Mom made a salad. Charles set the table. Lizzie vacuumed the living room while Buddy and Sweetie chased the vacuum everywhere it went. They played together all the time now, and Buddy didn’t even seem to notice anymore when Sweetie was close to one of his people. Even the Bean had a job: He went around and collected all of Buddy’s dog toys, then put them into the big basket where they belonged.

The Petersons were having a Valentine’s Day party, in honor of Sweetie.

On the guest list were:

•David and Sammy

•Ducky

•Rick the rookie

•and last, but not least, Jamie, the therapy-dog lady.

After Ducky had explained why he couldn’t adopt Sweetie, Charles had come up with another idea. He remembered Jamie and her excellent dog, Tate. Jamie was a dog trainer. Maybe she would know somebody who was looking for a puppy.

With Mom’s help, Charles found Jamie’s phone number and called her up. After he said hello and reminded her who he was, he said, “Remember that miniature poodle puppy we told you about? You said she might be a good therapy dog when she’s older?”

Jamie remembered.

“Well,” said Charles, “my family is fostering that puppy. Her name is Sweetie, and as a matter of fact, she needs a home.”

“Well,” said Jamie, “as a matter of fact, I might know someone who’s looking for a puppy.”

With his mom’s permission, Charles invited Jamie over for dinner the next night so she could meet Sweetie. Then he thought it might be good to have Sammy and David come, too, so they could show off Sweetie’s tricks. And of course Ducky had to be invited, too, since Charles had told his family all about him and they wanted to meet the famous juggler. Then Dad asked if Rick could come, because Rick was still kind of sad about breaking up with his girlfriend, plus he missed Sweetie and would love to see her.

Now the house was clean, the chili simmered on the stove, and the table was set. Party time!

Rick was the first to arrive. He trudged in gloomily, but he beamed when Sweetie scampered over to greet him. “Hey there, little girl.” He scooped her up into his big arms.

Sweetie wriggled happily and shook her fluffy ears.

I remember you!

“Wait till you see all the tricks she’s learned,” Charles told him.

“I always knew she was a smart one,” said Rick. He petted the top of Sweetie’s head.

Next came David and Ducky.

“Can you really find nickels in people’s ears?” Lizzie asked Ducky.

As an answer, Ducky peered into Lizzie’s ear. “No nickels today.” But he pulled something out. “Will a quarter do?” He held up a quarter.

The Bean stared. “Look in my ear!” he demanded.

Ducky knelt down and checked the Bean’s ear. “Nothing in this one,” he said. He checked the other one. “Well, look at that.” He pulled out another quarter, flipped it high into the air, caught it, and handed it to the Bean. Mom took it from him before he could put it into his mouth.

Everybody was clapping when the doorbell rang again. This time it was Jamie. “Wow, it’s a
party,” she said. “I brought Tate with me, but maybe I should leave him in the car.”

“The more, the merrier, as long as he gets along with Buddy and Sweetie,” said Dad. “Bring him in and we’ll see how it goes.”

Sammy showed up just as Buddy, Sweetie, and Tate were romping around the living room, getting to know each other. The two bigger dogs looked like giants next to Sweetie, but they were gentle with her. “Maybe I should go get Rufus and Goldie, too,” Sammy suggested.

“Um, I don’t think so,” Mom said quickly. “We’re just about to have dinner.”

They sat down and ate until everybody was full, and then, because everything was so delicious, they ate some more. Then Mom brought out a special surprise: brownies and ice cream. Charles noticed that Rick scooped Jamie’s ice cream for her, and that Jamie saved Rick a seat when they moved into the living room after
dessert. Rick looked happier than he had for a while.

Afterward, Charles asked everyone to get ready for a show. Out in the hallway, Sammy put on his top hat and grabbed his megaphone. Charles tied a sparkly pink ribbon around Sweetie’s neck. But David didn’t move. He looked terrified, and Charles remembered how shy he could be in groups.

Sammy must have remembered, too. “C’mon, Donut,” he said. “This is what we practiced for.”

Charles could tell by David’s smile that he liked his new nickname. He picked up the hula hoop he’d brought. “Ready, Salami,” he said. The boys trooped into the living room.

“Ladeeeeez and chilibeans!” cried Sammy. “Welcome to the Sam-Char-Da Circus! Presenting, for your entertainment, tonight’s special star, Sweetie, the amazing and adorable wonder dog!” And the show began.

Sweetie did all her tricks perfectly. She jumped through the hoop. She sat up pretty. She even walked for ten whole steps on her hind legs. The crowd went wild. Everybody clapped and clapped, except for Lizzie, who held Buddy on her lap the whole time. She petted him and talked to him in case he got jealous again when Sweetie got all the attention.

Jamie clapped hardest of all. “She’s wonderful,” she said when the show was over. “So cute, so smart. Sweetie is exactly the kind of dog I have been looking for.”

“You?” Charles asked. “You mean
you’re
the person who was looking for a dog?”

“That’s right,” said Jamie. “Tate and I have been wishing for another member of the family, and I think Sweetie would be the perfect addition.”

“Really?” Charles felt a smile spread across his face. “You want to adopt Sweetie?”

Jamie nodded. “I’d like to train her for
therapy work, when she’s old enough. Sweetie will be the star of any hospital I bring her to. And because she’s a poodle, I don’t have to worry as much about patients being allergic to her.”

“Do you know she’ll need to be groomed regularly?” Lizzie asked.

Jamie nodded. “I’m used to that. I’ve learned how to do it myself, because Tate needs grooming, too.” Jamie reached out to pet Tate. “So, is it okay if I adopt her?”

“It’s more than okay!” Charles beamed. He knew that Jamie would be a wonderful owner for Sweetie. She would train her and love her and take excellent care of her. And Sweetie would love being a therapy dog. Every day she would meet and perform for new people — people who really appreciated her. It would be even better than being a circus dog. And who knew? Judging by the way Jamie and Rick were smiling at each other, Charles thought maybe
Rick would get to be part of Sweetie’s life after all.

Jamie patted her knee. “Up, Sweetie,” she called. And Sweetie scampered over and leapt, as light as a feather, into her new owner’s lap.

Did you know that petting a dog can make people healthier? Studies have shown that people’s blood pressure goes down when they stroke a dog. That’s just one of the many benefits therapy dogs bring to the people they visit.

Your dog does not have to be any special breed to be a therapy dog. Any dog over one year old can become certified to visit hospitals and nursing homes. The most important thing is for the dog to have the right personality. A good therapy dog loves to be around people. A therapy dog should be friendly, calm, confident, and gentle. Some therapy dogs do tricks or wear costumes, and others just give kisses or sit quietly with someone who needs company.

Most therapy dog organizations require a dog to pass its Canine Good Citizen test, then do some more special training and testing.