“I’ll walk him more!” Evie cried out. “Every day! Twice a day. I’ve just been taken up with having Sam around, that’s all.”
“We all have,” her dad agreed. “But that’s not fair on Alfie – he needs a home where he doesn’t get forgotten about.”
“I didn’t mean to!” Evie wailed, so loudly that Alfie woke up, his little white head suddenly popping up at the table, making them all giggle hopelessly. He gave them a happy, doggy smile, showing lots of long pink tongue. What was the joke? Then he looked again, turning to sniff at Evie. Maybe there wasn’t a joke at all. Something felt wrong. Had he done something bad again? He hunched down on to Evie’s lap, looking scared.
“Evie, look at him. He’s upset. It’s not fair to put him through that,” Evie’s mum said gently.
Evie sniffed. “If – if we’re not going to keep him, what are we going to do? Are you going to give him back to Mrs Wilson?” She gulped, imagining Alfie sitting sadly in the puppy room all on his own, his brother and sisters already gone to new homes.
“No.” Dad looked thoughtful. “It would have been the best option, but she’s stopped breeding dogs now. She’s retired to the seaside, remember?”
“I suppose she might take just Alfie back…” Mum said. “Oh, but we don’t have her new address.”
“I think the sensible thing would be to take him to Riverside,” Dad said firmly, as though he was trying to convince himself.
“Riverside?” Evie’s eyes filled with tears again. “Where Gran got Ben and Tigger? But that’s for dogs that people don’t want! We do want Alfie!”
“Dogs that people can’t keep, Evie.” Mum’s voice sounded so sorry that Evie knew there was no point arguing. Hugging Alfie to her, she jumped up and raced up the stairs to her room.
Evie didn’t come down for dinner. Alfie had already had his huge tea, and he was delighted to stay upstairs with Evie all evening. She was paying him loads of attention, teasing and tickling him, and playing all his favourite games. At bedtime he was allowed to snuggle up on her bed again. Alfie heaved a deep, happy sigh. This was where he was meant to be, not down in the kitchen on his own. Everything was the way it should be. He fell asleep at once, worn out from all the playing – so he didn’t notice that Evie lay awake half the night, tears rolling silently down her cheeks.
“Evie, you don’t have to come.”
Alfie looked interestedly back and forth between Evie and Dad. They were going somewhere! Excellent! He pattered off to fetch his lead, and jumped up with his paws on Evie’s knees to give it to her.
Evie gulped, and tears started to seep from the corners of her eyes again. He was such a lovely dog! How could they be doing this? Hurriedly she wiped the tears away – she didn’t want Alfie to know what was going on. “I’m coming,” she said firmly, her voice hardly shaking at all. “I’m not having Alfie think I didn’t say goodbye.”
Dad sighed. “OK. Hey, Alfie, come on, boy. You’re going on a car ride,” he said, trying to sound cheerful.
But Alfie laid his ears back. Something odd was going on. He jumped into the car and saw that Evie’s hands were trembling as she did up his harness. Usually Evie would beg her dad to have the radio on and they’d sing along, but today they hardly spoke at all.
When the car stopped, Alfie thought Evie would put his lead on and let him walk, but for some reason she was carrying him up in front of her so she could nuzzle into his fur. Alfie licked her face gratefully. He liked being carried, so he could see what was going on. Evie was walking very slowly though – Dad kept stopping and looking back for her as they headed towards the building. Alfie wasn’t surprised. It didn’t smell good, too clean, a bit like the vet’s that he’d been taken to a few weeks before.
What was this place?
Evie stood by the reception desk, while Dad explained quietly to a girl in a green uniform. She was nodding sympathetically, and she gave Alfie a considering look.
“I’m sure he’ll be rehomed very quickly. He’s a lovely little dog.” She came round the reception desk and held out her arms. “Come on, sweetie,” she crooned to Alfie.
Alfie felt suddenly scared. Who was this girl? Why were they here? All at once he knew that the lovely, cuddly time he’d been having with Evie over the last day hadn’t been real. In fact, nothing had been right since he’d snapped at that fly on Sam’s arm. But he still didn’t understand!What should he have done? He scrabbled helplessly as the girl in green lifted him from Evie’s arms. He was squealing with fright, desperately trying to get away.
“Come on, Evie.” Her dad quickly marched Evie away, before she grabbed Alfie back again. Alfie’s last sight of Evie was as her dad hustled her out of the door, hugging her tightly against him, so that she couldn’t turn and see her little dog howling for her to come back.
Chapter Seven
As Evie trailed up the front path, she heard someone calling her, and excited woofs. She spun round immediately, thinking that somehow it was Alfie.
“Hello, Evie! Ben and Tigger and I are just out for our walk. We thought we’d see if you and Alfie wanted to come with us. I know you haven’t had a lot of time to walk him recently.”
Gran was beaming at Evie, but then she noticed Evie’s dad, who was shaking his head and holding his finger to lips.
“Jack, are you all right?” Gran asked worriedly, as Tigger and Ben towed her through the gate.
Evie’s dad sighed. “Not really.”
Evie crouched down to pat Ben and Tigger. “We just took Alfie to Riverside,” she told them quietly. Somehow it was easier to tell the dogs than Gran. Suddenly she remembered. “You were right, Gran, you said we wouldn’t be able to manage.”
“Oh, sweetheart, I’m really sorry.” Gran’s face crumpled. “I hadn’t realized it was that bad. Why didn’t you say?” she asked Evie’s dad.
He shrugged. “It was one of those difficult decisions…” he said sadly. “I’m sure someone really nice will take Alfie home. You know that, Evie, don’t you?”
Evie was fighting back tears. She didn’t want anybody else taking Alfie anywhere, even if they fed him out of a solid gold bowl! He was her dog – only he wasn’t. Not any more. In fact, she suddenly realized, she was never going to see him again. She gasped, and then she scrambled up and dashed into the house, tears stinging her eyes.
“That little Westie’s still not eating.”
“Really? He’s only been here three days. He’ll change his mind soon.”
The two girls in the green Riverside uniform leaned against the wall, sipping their tea, and staring thoughtfully into Alfie’s run. He was curled up at the back, a miserable little ball, not even looking at his overflowing food bowl.
“He’s really taking it hard, poor little thing.”
“Yeah, I was here when they brought him in – the little girl he belonged to was really upset too.”
Alfie snuggled his paws further round his ears to shut out their voices. If he kept his eyes shut tight, he could almost pretend that he was back home.