Her mum smiled at her. “I don’t mind. Actually, Lauren, I was going to say, if you’re ever stuck, I know Zoe would love to walk him. She hasn’t stopped talking about how gorgeous Scout is since she met him. We’d quite happily exercise him for you after school if it would help. We could do most days, I think. Zoe has football after school on a Wednesday, that’s all. We really miss having a dog around.”
“Yes!” Zoe nodded. “It would be like we were borrowing him.” She crouched down to run her hand along Scout’s back and he nudged her chin lovingly.
“You really wouldn’t mind?” Lauren asked. “It would be great for him to have a bit more exercise. I think it would help a lot with him being lonely at home if he was tired out!” She looked worriedly at Zoe’s mum. “I don’t want us to be a bother, though. It’s a lot to ask. I feel like we ought to be able to look after him by ourselves.”
“It would be great for us, honestly,” Zoe’s mum promised, and Zoe smiled at Scout, who was leaning against her heavily as she scratched his back.
“How could anyone ever think you were a bother?” she whispered in his ear.
Scout pulled a little against his lead, looking up at Zoe hopefully. He felt bouncy, full of energy, as if he could just run and run. Was Zoe going to let him race across the park with her, the way they had before? She had dashed back and forth, laughing and panting and chasing after him, and she’d never once had to stop and tie him up to a fence, or walk slowly to match the pushchair. It had just been fun.
“Shall we go for a run?” Zoe asked him, crouching down to give his ears a rub.
Scout barked. He knew that word. He skittered backwards, telling Zoe to come on, and Zoe laughed at him.
Chapter Five
“Morning, sweetie.” Zoe’s dad pushed the cereal box across the table towards her. Then he laughed. “I had to wake you up three times this morning and you still don’t look awake.”
“Nnnngh.” Zoe sighed and poured herself some cornflakes. “I can’t believe it’s only Friday. It has to be the weekend.”
Her dad shook his head sadly. “Nope. Definitely Friday, sorry. Eat up fast, Zoe, you have breakfast club today. You don’t want to be late for your second breakfast!”
Zoe made a face as she poured on some milk.
“What? Don’t you like breakfast club? I thought it was OK. Lucy goes, too, doesn’t she?”
“Mmmm. It’s just if I go to school early I don’t get to watch out for Jack and Lauren bringing Scout with them.” She smiled at her dad. “He keeps an eye out for me, you know? He looks all round the school playground and when he sees me his tail speeds up like a … like a ceiling fan.”
Her dad nodded. “Ah… Sorry, Zoe. You really like that dog, don’t you?” he added, stirring his cereal thoughtfully.
“He’s the best.” Zoe looked across at her dad and realized that she was stirring her bowl just like he was. “But I’m worried about him, Dad…”
“Why?”
Zoe sighed, trying to work out how to say it. “Jack really loves Scout, and so does Lauren, but he gets into trouble loads. He chewed their sofa to bits and Jack’s always telling me about how he knocked something over, or chewed something else. Jack’s mum’s so busy with looking after Tilly and working and everything. And his dad works really long hours, so he’s not home a lot.” She hesitated. “It’s like Scout’s always the thing that comes last.”
Her dad frowned. “I don’t know if that’s fair, Zoe. They take him for walks – we see them in the park with him nearly every day.”
“Yes, but that’s not a proper walk! He just gets to come along on the way to school! He needs long walks. He’s such a big dog – and he’s still only a puppy, he’ll need more when he’s bigger.”
Her dad nodded slowly. “You really are worried about this, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Zoe heaved a massive sigh. “But we can’t actually do anything about it. I mean, except help out by taking him for walks when we can. Mum said to Lauren yesterday that I could take him for a run if we see them in the park after school.”
“Mmmm…” Her dad swallowed a mouthful of tea. “Those Bernese mountain dogs do need a lot of exercise. Not just walks, either. Their brains need exercise. Obedience classes, or agility.”
“How do you know?” Zoe asked, very surprised. She was pretty sure her dad hadn’t known what a Bernese was until she’d told him.
Her dad looked a little embarrassed. “Ummm. I might have looked them up. A couple of websites… Stop laughing at me! He’s such a nice dog, I just wondered about them, that’s all.”
Zoe stared at her dad, feeling as though pieces in her brain were clicking into place. “You mean, maybe one day we could get one? You’re thinking about it?”
“Maybe. And I haven’t even mentioned it to your mum, Zoe, so you’d better not.”
Zoe grinned at him.
“Finish your cereal!”
Scout peered into the hallway. He could hear people passing on the street outside – children’s voices, high and squeaky, like Jack. He was sure that Lauren and Jack and Tilly would be coming home soon. It felt like way past time for a walk.
Since the day Scout had chewed the sofa to shreds, when he was home alone he had to stay in the kitchen. Lauren and Ben had bought him a special toy to keep him busy while they were gone, and he loved it. It wobbled about, bouncing over the floor as he nudged it with his nose or whopped it with a paw. He had to hit it just right to get the food out. But it was empty now, and it had been for hours, it felt like. Restlessly, Scout paced around the table again, and then again.
Then he stopped, his ears twitching eagerly. Was that voices? Footsteps outside the front door? It was hard to tell through two shut doors, but he was almost sure… Scout started to bark frantically, jumping and scrabbling at the kitchen door. It was already scarred with long scratches, the wood shredding under his claws. He could hear the front door opening now and Lauren heaving in the pushchair. Jack was laughing. Oh, how he wanted to get out of there!
“Listen to that dog! Go and let him out, Jack. I wish I’d been able to pick him up before I came to get you, but I couldn’t get out of work in time.”
Scout jumped and barked even louder, desperate to see his family. As Jack opened the kitchen door Scout flung himself forwards, wanting to lick them all over – to show them how much he’d missed them.
He hurled himself through the door, not realizing that Jack was standing just behind it. Scout went straight into him, his front paws right on the little boy’s chest, and Jack flew backwards, landing on the hallway floor with a thump.
“Jack!”
Jack was silent for a moment, until he caught his breath, and then he howled.
Scout stared at him, horrified by the noise. He wasn’t entirely sure what had happened – was Jack playing? They did roll on the floor together sometimes. He leaned over and nudged Jack’s cheek with his nose.
“Bad dog! Get away!” Lauren scolded and Scout flinched. He crept along the wall to hide in the corner by the front door where the wellies were. He wasn’t really sure what had happened. It had all been so quick. He’d only wanted to say hello – it had been such a long day shut in the kitchen all by himself…
Scout watched as Lauren picked Jack up, fussing over him and stroking his head anxiously. Jack was still crying and now Tilly was wailing, too. Scout pressed further into the corner, trying to make himself small enough that no one would see him and shout.