The Lost Puppy (6 page)

Ruby nodded. But how could Mum promise that when no one knew where Toby was?

“Hey, pup!”

Toby yawned and opened his eyes. Why was Ruby waking him up, in the dark?

Then he sat up properly, looking around in panic. That wasn’t Ruby!

“Sshh, don’t worry. I just thought you might need a quick trip out to the garden before I go to bed. I’m not sure whether you’re house-trained yet.” Jake opened the back door, and the security light came on, sending an orangey light into the kitchen, and all of a sudden, Toby remembered where he was.

Or actually, where he
wasn’t
. He wasn’t at home in his lovely red basket with Ruby asleep upstairs. He was lost.

He whimpered, staring out at the strange, dark garden.

“I know. We’ll find your owners tomorrow, hopefully. We’ll ring the shelter again in the morning.” Jake picked him up, and carried him out into the garden. “Go on, just a quick wee, then you can go back to sleep.”

Toby wandered out on to the lawn, sniffing the night smell of wet grass. Everything was different, and wrong! Where was Ruby? Why hadn’t he just stayed and waited for her? Then he would be home by now.

He sat down, raised his head to the sky, and howled.

Chapter Seven

“What if someone’s found him and doesn’t know who he belongs to?” Ruby said worriedly, looking back at Dad as they hurried into the woods early the next morning. It was chilly, and leaves were whirling on the cold wind.

“He’s microchipped too, remember,” Dad pointed out. “If someone takes him to a vet or the dog shelter, they’ll
be able to scan his microchip, and then they’ll call us.”

“So why haven’t they?” Ruby wailed. “Maybe he got stuck down a badger hole! Auntie Nell said that ages and ages ago dachshunds were bred to chase badgers down their holes. Are there badgers in Norbury Copse, Dad?”

“Probably,” Dad admitted. “But I don’t think Toby would chase one…”

“He would!” Ruby told him sadly. “He tried to show that German shepherd who was boss, didn’t he?”

“Excuse me…” someone behind them called breathlessly.

Ruby wheeled round in surprise. She’d been so busy imagining Toby stuck down a badger’s sett, that she hadn’t seen the old lady coming up the
path after them. She hadn’t expected anyone else to be here at half-past seven in the morning.

“Have you lost a dog? I’m sorry, I heard you calling…”

“Yes!” Dad replied, and Ruby raced up to the old lady.

“Have you seen my puppy?” she gasped. “Do you know where he is?”

“A little brown-
and-black
dachshund? I saw him yesterday – I come here birdwatching, you see. I did try to catch him, as I thought he might be lost, but he ran off again.”

“That’s Toby,” Ruby whispered. “Did you see which way he went?” she added, rather hopelessly.

“No, but…” the old lady paused thoughtfully. “There was a man jogging, and I saw him again as I went back home. He had a little dog with him, and it might have been the same one…”

“A man’s taken Toby!” Ruby gasped. “He’s stolen him, he must have, or why didn’t he call us?”

Dad hugged her. “Don’t panic. Toby slipped his collar, remember? Perhaps the man took him to the police station. Or the dog shelter in town! That’s more likely. We’ll go home and call them. Thanks so much,” he told the old lady. “You’ve been really helpful.”

“I do hope you find him,” the lady smiled. “He’s a sweet little thing.”

Ruby nodded. She was right – Toby was so little. Far too little to be out on his own.
He’s at the shelter
, she told herself firmly.
He has to be
…

Dad put down the phone, making a face. “Answering machine. But the recorded message says Oakley Shelter opens at nine…”

He checked his watch. Ruby had been up at six wanting to go back to Norbury Copse, and it was still only half-past eight. “It’ll take us twenty minutes or so to get there,” he said thoughtfully.

“Let’s go!” Ruby grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the front door.

They sped off in the car, Ruby waving to Mum and Anya, who were watching from the door. Anya was really missing Toby, too. She’d been up almost as early as Ruby had, and when Ruby and Dad got back from the woods, Ruby had found her little sister sitting in Toby’s basket, looking confused and sad.

As they drove through town to the shelter, Ruby leaned forward, her fists clenched so tightly her arms ached.

“Relax, Ruby,” said Dad. “You’re not making us go any faster. The shelter doesn’t open for another quarter of an hour, anyway, and we’re nearly there.”

Ruby was out of the car the moment they stopped in the car park, and she was off, running towards the doors to the shelter. But it was still locked, and she rattled it uselessly.

“It’s only five to,” Dad called, following her across the car park.

Ruby paced up and down as they waited outside, checking her watch every ten seconds or so, certain each time that it must be nine o’clock by now.

At last, they saw a figure coming towards the glass doors, and a young woman smiled at them as she put the key in the lock.

Ruby hung on to Dad’s arm, as the woman swung the door open. “Wow, you’re keen!” she said cheerfuly. “Have you come to see about adopting a dog?”

Dad shook his head. “I’m afraid not. We’re really hoping that our puppy is here. We lost him yesterday afternoon.”

“Oh, right.” The young woman looked doubtful. “I haven’t heard about a puppy being brought in.” She saw Ruby’s face fall, and added quickly, “But I wasn’t here yesterday, so don’t take my word for it. I’ll have to check with one of the others. Come on in, anyway.”

She led them into the reception area. Ruby could hear the noise of barking from down the passage that led into the main shelter area. She strained her ears, trying to hear Toby’s sharp
dachshund bark. But it was too hard to pick it out. There was a clang of metal too, which she guessed was the food bowls being put out.

“There’s nothing on the computer about a new puppy…” The woman was frowning as she tapped at the keyboard. “Let me go and ask Lucy. She’s the manager, and she was in yesterday.”

Ruby swallowed. It felt as though there was a huge lump stuck in her throat, and she was fighting back tears. “Dad, where can he be, if he’s not here?” she whispered chokily.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Dad murmured, hugging her. “He might be here.” But he didn’t sound all that hopeful.

A dark-haired woman came into the
reception area. “Hi, I’m Lucy Barnes. Bella says you’re looking for a lost puppy? I’m really sorry, but we didn’t have any dogs brought in yesterday.”

“None at all…” Dad murmured worriedly.

“Where can he be, then?” Ruby asked, giving up the fight with the tears, and feeling them trickle down her cheeks.

“It may take a couple of days for him to get to us,” Lucy explained gently. “Don’t give up. Someone may have found him, and they could be holding on to him to see if they can find the owner themselves.”

“That man might have stolen him,” Ruby sobbed. “The old lady said she saw a man carrying a dog.”

“Let me take your number, and the details of your puppy,” Lucy suggested. “Then if someone brings him in to us, we’ll get straight back to you.”

“Thanks. He’s a dachshund puppy, fifteen weeks old, and he’s brown and black,” Dad explained, and Lucy keyed the details into the computer.

“He’s called Toby,” Ruby gulped.

“And he went missing yesterday?”

“Yes, from Norbury Copse. He’s microchipped – that should help, shouldn’t it?” Dad asked hopefully.

Lucy smiled. “That’s great. If he’s brought in to the police, or a vet’s, they’ll call you straight away.”

“Right. Well, thanks, Lucy. Come on, Ruby.” Dad led her out to the car park. “I’m sorry, sweetie. Look, we’ll call in at the police station on the way back. Maybe he got taken there. And if not, we’ll pick up some rolls of sticky tape on the way home, then we can make a poster and put it up on all the lamp posts.”

Ruby nodded, but tears started welling up in her eyes again. If they put up LOST posters, it meant they really had no idea where Toby was at all.