Too Big to Run (3 page)

“Matthew is a dog owner we just met at the vet clinic,” Zach told Kitty. “He's a serious jogger, and he has this huge mastiff named Maxi who runs with him.”

“Really?” Kitty looked surprised. “I didn't think mastiffs made good running companions.”

“That's exactly what my mom said,” Zach told her. “She says all that running wrecked Maxi's knees.”

The other kids joined in to tell Kitty all about Maxi and Matthew and their idea to have a fundraiser for them.

“Wow,” Kitty said when they finished. “What a great idea! Why don't you guys brainstorm while you clean some kennels?”

Adam laughed. “Is that your way of telling us to clean some kennels?”

Kitty laughed, too. “Yes, it is. Now get to work, kids!”

“Pronto!” Janey added, which made everyone laugh again.

Soon the four members of the Pet Rescue Club were hard at work cleaning kennels in the shelter's dog room. It wasn't Janey's favorite job at the shelter, but she didn't mind it too much, because she knew it helped the animals that lived there.

Besides, working in the kennel room gave her a chance to check out the dogs there. “Mrs. Reed wants a medium-sized dog,” she reminded Lolli, who was working beside her. “That gives us plenty of choices. There are lots of medium-sized dogs here.”

Lolli nodded. “How about Daisy the corgi? She's pretty friendly.”

“Maybe,” Janey agreed. “Or there's that terrier mix, or maybe…”

She cut herself off as the door opened and Kitty hurried in. “Did you guys finish
cleaning out Peanut's kennel?” the shelter worker called. “Because we already have a new resident for it.”

“Really?” Janey stepped into the aisle and saw that Kitty was leading a wiggly black dog with perky ears and a long snout.

“Doesn't he have to go in the quarantine room first?” Adam asked.

“The quarantine room is full right now,” Kitty replied. “Besides, this dog's former owners brought his vet records. He's up-to-date
on everything.” She sighed. “They can't keep him because they're moving.”

Janey traded a sad look with her friends. She couldn't believe so many people gave up their pets when they moved, or for other reasons that didn't seem very important to Janey.

The dog sniffed at Zach, his tail wagging nonstop. Then he barked and leaped against his legs, as if trying to climb right up into Zach's arms.

Zach laughed and hoisted him up for a hug. “Aw, he's really friendly!” he exclaimed as the dog eagerly licked his face from chin to forehead. “What's his name?”

“Ace,” Kitty said. “He's a Lab mix.”

“He's small for a Lab mix,” Adam commented.

“Yes,” Janey said with a thoughtful smile. “I'd definitely call him medium-sized, wouldn't you?”

“I suppose so.” Kitty took Ace back from Zach and led him to the empty kennel. “Here you go, boy. I hope you like your new home.”

“Don't worry,” Janey said, still smiling. “I doubt he'll be there for long.”

“Hope not.” Kitty headed for the door. “Well, I'd better go finish his paperwork.”

She hurried out. Zach kneeled and poked his fingers in through the bars so Ace could lick them. Meanwhile, Lolli stared at Janey.

“Let me guess,” she said. “You think Ace should be Mrs. Reed's new therapy dog?”

“He's perfect!” Janey stuck her fingers
in beside Zach's and giggled as Ace licked them, then leaped away to sniff at his new water dish. “He's definitely friendly, right? And he's medium-sized.”

Adam looked dubious as he watched Ace race over to stare at the dog in the next kennel. “He seems pretty hyper,” he said. “I'm not sure that's going to work for a therapy dog.”

Janey shrugged. “He's just excited to meet us. I'm sure he'll be fine once he has a new owner and a new job as a therapy dog to keep him busy.” She straightened up and looked at her friends. “Okay, that's one animal helped!” she declared. “Now let's talk about Maxi's fundraiser.”

By Monday at lunchtime, the Pet Rescue Club still hadn't settled on what kind of fundraiser to have for Maxi. They'd been too busy to talk much at the shelter on Saturday. On Sunday, Janey had plans with her family and Adam had several extra dog-sitting clients. So the kids hadn't been able to meet then.

“How about a bake sale?” Janey licked some crumbs off her fingers. “My mom's gardening club had one last year. It was fun.”

“A bake sale?” Zach wrinkled his nose. “Sounds kind of girly.”

“What's wrong with being girly?” Janey shot back.

“It could be a bake sale where we just sold dog treats, maybe,” Adam suggested.

“Do you know how to make dog treats?” Lolli asked.

Adam shrugged. “No. But we could look up recipes on the Internet.”

“Sounds complicated,” Zach said. “Anyway, buying all those ingredients would be expensive. We'd have to sell a whole lot of dog treats to make enough to pay for Maxi's surgery.”

“Maybe he's right.” Lolli sipped her drink “We need something simpler.”

“And something that will make a lot of money,” Janey added.

Adam shrugged. “Okay. What about an auction? We could ask businesses to donate stuff and then auction it off.”

“That sounds pretty complicated, too,” Zach said.

Janey nodded. “And it would take too long,” she said. “Maxi needs help pronto, remember?”

By the time the bell rang to end lunch,
nobody had come up with a good plan. Janey felt frustrated.

“We need to think of something,” she said. “Let's meet after school.”

“I can't,” Adam said. “I'm going to the dentist.”

“And I told my mom I'd help update the computers at the clinic right after school,” Zach said.

Janey frowned. How were they going to help Maxi if they couldn't even find a time to meet, let alone come up with a good idea for a fundraiser? “Okay, what about tomorrow after school?” she said.

“That's fine with me,” Lolli agreed.

Adam shrugged. “I only have a couple of clients,” he said. “I could meet you guys right after that.”

“I'm in,” Zach said. “But wait—shouldn't we tell Matthew about all this?”

“Definitely,” Lolli agreed as she gathered up her lunch bag. “Maybe he'll have some fundraising ideas.”

“Matthew's supposed to stop by and pick up more medicine today, remember?” Zach said. “Maybe I'll see him while I'm at the clinic.”

“If you do, tell him about our plan,” Janey said. “In the meantime, everyone keep thinking.”

After school, Janey and Lolli walked to the animal shelter. Lolli's father had agreed to pick them up there later.

“Is Ace still here?” Janey asked Kitty when they walked in.

Kitty nodded. “Yes, he's here,” she said. “I haven't even had time to put his picture on the website yet.”

“We could take his picture if you want,” Lolli offered.

“Thanks, that would be great.” Kitty reached under the desk for a digital camera. “You could take him for a walk in the courtyard and try to get some pictures there.” She laughed. “Good luck getting him to stay still long enough to get a good shot!”

Janey grabbed a leash off the rack near the dog room door. Volunteers at the shelter weren't allowed to take animals off the property without a staff person along. But they could take dogs into the enclosed courtyard at the back of the building.

“Hi there, Acey-Wacey!” Janey sang
out as she and Lolli reached the new dog's kennel. “Ready for your close-up? We're going to make you look adorable!”

“I'm surprised you're so excited about taking his picture,” Lolli said. “What if someone sees him on the website and adopts him before Mrs. Reed gets to meet him?”

“Don't worry, I already thought of that.” Janey opened the kennel door and smiled as Ace rushed out and leaped against her legs. “I'm going to e-mail the pictures we take to Zach's mom and ask her to forward them to Mrs. Reed.”

“Oh!” Lolli's eyes widened. “Good idea.”

Ace pulled eagerly on the leash as they headed out of the dog room. “Hang on, Ace,” Janey said with a giggle. “Wait for us!”

Ace barked and spun around, getting the
leash tangled around his legs. Janey untangled it, then hurried toward the door.

The courtyard was small but sunny. It was paved around the outside, but the middle part was grass. The shelter building's walls surrounded it on three sides, with a high brick wall at the back.

Ace barked as he dashed onto the grass. After that, he hardly stopped moving. He leaped up to snap at a passing butterfly, dug at the ground, and sniffed at everything.

“Wow,” Lolli said. “He sure has a lot of energy.”

“He'll need it to be a therapy dog,” Janey said. “It sounds like Mrs. Reed goes to a lot of places. Now hand me the camera and let's get started on our photo shoot!”