Copyright

  First published in Great Britain by Collins in 2001

  Collins

  An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd,

  77–85 Fulham Palace Road,

  Hammersmith, London W6 8JB

  www.harpercollins.co.uk

  Text copyright © Jean Ure 2001

  Illustrations by Maggie Ling 2001

  Jean Ure and Maggie Ling assert the moral right to be identified as author and illustrator of the work.

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  Source ISBN: 9780006755128

  Ebook Edition © SEPTEMBER 2014 ISBN: 9780008116736

  Version: 2014-09-22

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Keep Reading

  Also by the Author

  About the Publisher

  We are the dogs of Munchy Flats. We live here, with our people.

  I am Buster, and I’m the boss dog. I am the leader of the pack.

  We also have two cats. The cats are called Whiskers and Panda, and they were here before any of us. They sometimes complain that we dogs are too loud, or too bouncy. They don’t like it when we jump and bark.

  “So noisy!” they go.

  “So clumsy!” they go.

  But we are all the best of friends.

  I don’t know how our people managed before we came to live with them. Life must have been so dull! No one to take them for walks, no one to play games with them. They love it when we go into the garden and give them a ball to throw! They love it when we walk them to the park and let them meet their friends! Whatever would they do without us?

  Bonnie shivers when I say this. I know what she is thinking. She is thinking, whatever would we do without our people? We would be lost!

  It is true. We all have a story to tell, about how we came to be here. This is Bonnie’s story. It was a long time before Bonnie could bring herself to give us all the details. She was such a sad, frightened little creature when she first came. And yet, like all of us, she had been happy as a pup. She had no idea, then, how badly life would treat her.

  Her earliest memories are of being with her mum, and her brothers and sisters. She can just dimly remember living in a big cosy basket underneath a table. “We all used to roll about together, then we would curl up in a heap and go to sleep.”

  Her next memory is of two people bending down to peer into the basket, and one of the people crying, “Oh, Jake, look! The little sandy one!”

  “That was me,” says Bonnie, big-eyed. She was the little sandy one! Out of all the litter, they had chosen her!

  Her new people were called Alison and Jake. They didn’t have very much money, and they didn’t live in a very grand house, in fact they lived in two and a half rooms of someone else’s house. The only garden was a little bit of yard, covered in concrete, where the dustbins stood. Bonnie had never seen a garden before she came to us. She thought our garden was a park! It seemed so big.

  The Common was too far away for everyday walking, so Bonnie had to make do with street walks, on the lead. It would never have done for dogs like me or Bouncer. We need lots of space to run and play! But Bonnie had never known anything else; and so long as her people loved her, that was all she asked. Just to be loved. It is what most dogs want.

  Every morning, Jake would get up early and take Bonnie round the block. Then he would go off to do his milk round, and Bonnie would creep into bed with Alison. This was one of her favourite moments!

  After Alison had gone to work, Bonnie would be on her own. She didn’t like that very much, but she learnt to curl up on Alison’s pillow and wait patiently for Jake to come home. She knew that Jake would give her her dinner, and then take her for another walk. Maybe round the block, or maybe, if the weather was good, up the road to a patch of green where she could be off the lead and run about. It was always Jake who walked her; never Alison. Alison cuddled her; Jake walked her. That was the pattern.

  Bonnie thought that it would go on for ever.

  Alas, nothing goes on for ever! We older dogs know this. But Bonnie was still just a baby. She didn’t meet many other dogs, or perhaps they might have told her.

  Things started to go wrong for Bonnie when Jake lost his job. To begin with, Bonnie thought this was wonderful! It meant that Jake was at home with her all day long. She never had to be left on her own, wondering when he would come back to her. He was there, all the time. And they went for lots more walks, not only round the block or up to the green, but sometimes as far afield as THE PARK.

  Bonnie was a bit scared of the park the first time Jake took her there. So much space! So many dogs! She kept as close to Jake as she could. When a dog came up to her she clutched at Jake’s legs. But after a while she learnt that most dogs just wanted to be friends, and to exchange a bit of doggy gossip. Quite soon she began to look forward to the days when Jake said, “Come on, then! Let’s go up the park.”

  But Alison started to grumble. She said that Jake wasn’t doing anything.

  “You just sit at home or walk the dog. I thought you were supposed to be looking for work?”

  Bonnie didn’t want Jake to look for work! She wanted him to stay with her. She didn’t understand that if people don’t work, they don’t earn money; and that if people don’t earn money it makes it very difficult to buy food or pay the bills. Bonnie didn’t know about these things. She only knew that Jake and Alison didn’t seem to be happy any more. And if Jake and Alison weren’t happy, then Bonnie wasn’t happy, either.

  Then one day, something horrible happened. Jake and Alison had a fight. They shouted at each other, and threw things. Alison threw her purse at Jake. She screamed, “That’s all I’ve got left to last the month!” Then Jake picked up the purse and hurled it at the wall and yelled, “Don’t blame me, it’s not my fault!”

  Bonnie was so frightened! She ran into the bedroom and hid beneath the bed. In the end, when they had stopped fighting, Jake and Alison came and coaxed her out. They kissed her and cuddled her and told each other, “We must never do that again! It upsets Bonnie.”

  But they did do it again. They kept doing it. They shouted terrible things at each other. Alison cried. Jake scowled. Sometimes, in the morning, Alison went off to work in an angry huff. Sometimes, when she came home again at night, Jake slammed out of the house in a temper. Every time it happened, Bonnie trembled and shook and crept under the bed for safety.

  Either Jake or Alison would always go and find her. They would go down on all fours and call to her to come and be cuddled. They told her they were sorry. They didn’t mean to frighten her.

  “We’re not angry with you!”

  One morning, after Alison had gone to work, a brown envelope came through the door. Jake picked it up and pulled a face, and then he looked at Bonnie and said, “Better not let her see this one, eh?” And he hid the envelope at the back of a drawer, where he hoped that Alison wouldn’t find it.

  “What was in it?” said Bella.

  Bonnie shook her head and said she didn’t know.

  “It was probably a bill,” I told her.

  “He shouldn’t have hidden it,” said Bella. “That was wrong of him!”

  “He just didn’t want to upset her,” said Bonnie. She will never hear anything bad about Jake.

  “So what happened?” demanded Bouncer. He bounced, impatiently. That dog really should learn a little self control. “Tell us what happened!”

  “I suppose she found it?” I said. I tried not to sound too superior, but to me it was obvious. I have been around! I know a thing or two.

  “Did she?” squealed Bouncer. “Did she find it?”

  Bonnie hung her head. “Yes,” she said. “She found it.”

  When Alison discovered the bill, she became very agitated and upset. Jake tried to explain, but Alison wouldn’t listen, and very soon they were having the biggest row of all time. Bonnie was out in the back yard, but she could hear the voices – Jake’s voice, Alison’s voice – raised in anger. She heard Jake thumping the wall, she heard Alison clattering pots and pans in the sink. And then the light went out, and the kitchen door slammed shut. And after that there was silence. No more crashing, no more banging. Jake and Alison had gone!

  Bonnie stood at the back door, her tail between her legs, waiting for someone to come and let her in. But nobody came. It grew dark and cold; it started to rain. And still Bonnie stood there, wet and shivering, and still nobody came.

  Poor Bonnie! She is such a timid little thing. If that had been me, I would have DEMANDED to be let in. But I am quite bold! And Bella, though small, is extremely noisy. She is also very full of herself. Rather too full
, I sometimes think. As for Bouncer, he is – well – Bouncy! But little Bonnie is so meek and modest. It would never occur to her to bark, or make any demands. She just went on waiting, in the cold wet dark.

  Still nobody came.

  She had almost given up hope when she heard the kitchen door open. The light came back on, and she heard the sound of voices. Jake’s voice: Alison’s voice. They had come for her!

  But they hadn’t. They were still quarrelling. Not shouting any more, but hard and angry. Bonnie heard the sound of a tap running. She heard the sound of the kettle being put on the gas. Jake and Alison were getting ready for bed! They had forgotten all about Bonnie!

  And then suddenly Jake’s voice said, “Hang about! Where’s Bonnie?”

  “Don’t ask me,” said Alison. “Run away, probably.”

  “She’s not outside, is she?”

  “How would I know?” said Alison.

  “Well, go and look!”

  “Why should I? You go!”

  How dreadful it is for dogs when their people quarrel! Especially for a little dog like Bonnie.

  Bella says, “Why didn’t she bark? I would have!”

  We know that Bella would have. Bella barks at everything! But not all dogs are the same. Little creatures like Bonnie cannot stick up for themselves the way the rest of us can.

  When at last Jake opened the door, Bonnie was so cold she could hardly move. Jake had to pick her up and carry her in. Alison cried out in horror.

  “Jake, she’s soaking! She’s frozen! What have we done?”

  They gave her a bowl of warm milk and wrapped her in a big fluffy towel and made a great fuss of her. In the end Bonnie stopped shivering and fell asleep, curled up between the two people she loved best in all the world.

  For the moment she felt safe again. But how long would it last?

  When Bonnie was one year old, she had a birthday party. Jake gave her a new squeaky toy, and Alison bought her some of her favourite doggy chews. They played games with her. They played chase, and hunt-the-slipper, and follow-my-leader. Alison hid Bonnie’s squeaky toy and told her to find it. Jake knotted a length of rope for tug-of-war. They played and played until Bonnie was quite worn out!

  In the evening, they all sank down together on the sofa to watch television. Bonnie sat in the middle, as proud as punch, and Jake and Alison didn’t quarrel once. Bonnie’s heart almost burst with joy! She was with her people, and her people loved her. What more could a dog ask?

  But, oh! Poor Bonnie. Little did she know what was in store for her. One of the worst things that can happen to a dog…

  Just two days after her birthday party, Jake took her up to the park for a good long walk. An extra specially long walk. The very best walk she had ever had! When they got home he gave her her dinner, and he kissed her, and said, “Goodbye, little Bonnie! Be happy.” Then he picked up a big bag, slung it over his shoulder, gave Bonnie one last pat – and was gone.

  Bonnie didn’t realize that Jake had kissed her goodbye for ever. She waited faithfully all day for him to come back. Alison arrived home in the evening, and Jake still wasn’t there. He still wasn’t there when it came to bedtime. Bonnie was terribly worried! Where was he? Where had he gone? She whimpered, and snuggled up closer to Alison under the duvet.

  Alison said, “It’s no use crying! He’s gone, and good riddance.”

  Bonnie didn’t understand what Alison meant when she said good riddance. She didn’t understand that Jake wasn’t ever going to come back to them.

  Next morning, Alison took Bonnie round the block then went off to work. Bonnie was left on her own. She was alone all day long. And all day long she waited for Jake. Jake didn’t come.

  In the evening, Alison said she was too tired to take Bonnie for a walk. Alison had never been much of a walker. She said that Bonnie would have to make do with the yard.

  After dinner, Alison went into the bedroom, pulled out all the clothes that Jake had left behind, and tossed them in an angry heap in the corner.

  “Let them stay there and rot!” she said. “For two pins I’d throw them in the dustbin!”

  “What a way to behave,” says Bella, shocked. “What a dreadful person she must have been!”

  But I have heard from other dogs what happens when their people split up. The people are cross and upset, and they do things they would not normally do. It is a bad time for them, and a bad time for their dogs. But still, I think Alison should have been kinder to poor Bonnie. After all, she was only a little dog, and one of the people she loved best in the whole wide world had suddenly disappeared. No wonder she was confused and unhappy.

  She was never taken to the park any more – she was never even taken to the little patch of green. Just a quick walk round the block, then Alison went off to work and Bonnie was left on her own. She was so lonely, all by herself! And frightened, too. She heard strange noises, and thought that burglars were trying to break in.

  If anyone broke into our house I would jump on them and pin them to the floor! I would hold them there until my People came. Bella would bark at them. She has an amazingly big bark for such a tiny dog. A burglar would probably think there was an Irish wolfhound lying in wait for him. That would make him run! Bouncer, of course, would just bounce, and do that silly yipping thing that terriers do. Yip yip yip! Not a proper bark at all. But it would scare off a burglar!

  Little Bonnie is not cut out to be a guard dog. She is far too meek. She would just run away and hide.

  It is not Bonnie’s fault that she is not brave; it is just the way she is. She is sweet and gentle, full of licks and love. Little dogs like Bonnie should be looked after! I’m afraid that Alison-on-her-own did not look after her. She not only left her alone all day, but very often all night as well. That was a cruel thing to do! She should at least have come home and taken Bonnie for a proper walk; but she never did. Bonnie was left in the empty flat, weeping her doggy heart out because one of her people had gone and the other no longer seemed to love her.

  She made a nest for herself in Jake’s clothes, which still lay where Alison had thrown them.

  The clothes still smelt of Jake. Bonnie felt safer when she was curled up amongst them. She had this hope that so long as the clothes were there, Jake could not be too far away. One day he would come back! And then they could all be happy again.

  These are the sort of dreams that dogs have when their people leave them. One day they will come back! And sometimes, of course, they do. Sometimes they have only gone on holiday. Or perhaps they might have had a spell in hospital. But other times, sadly, they have gone away for good.

  Jake had gone away for good.

  Bonnie says, “I think I knew it, really. But I didn’t want to believe it!”

  But one day, she had to believe it. She couldn’t pretend to herself any more. Because one day Alison bundled up Jake’s clothes and took them into the yard and stuffed them in the dustbin.

  “Goodbye, and good riddance!” she said. And she banged down the lid and went back indoors.

  That was when Bonnie finally knew that Jake would not be coming back. He had gone, and she would never see him again! But worse was to come. That night, when she tried to creep into bed beside Alison, Alison pushed her away and told her to go and sleep on the sofa.

  “You can’t come in with me any more! Brian won’t like it. You’ll have to get used to sleeping on your own.”

  Bonnie had heard of Brian before. Brian was Alison’s new boyfriend. But why should it bother him where Bonnie slept?

  Bonnie whimpered, and made another attempt to climb in with Alison. But Alison was firm.

  “No! Bad dog! Down!” She tapped Bonnie on the nose and pointed sternly to the door. “Out there! Go!”

  Bonnie slunk away with her tail between her legs.

  She looked forward all day long to being able to cuddle up with Alison. It was the only real pleasure she had left in her life. Now she couldn’t even do that!

  The very next day, Alison’s boyfriend moved into the flat. Brian had come to live with them!