Hero by Jennifer Li Shotz

Author:Jennifer Li Shotz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2016-09-02T04:00:00+00:00

12

THE NEXT DAY AFTER SCHOOL, BEN spent the afternoon hauling junk out of the garage. He had a plan. A vision.

It was Friday, tryouts were over, and he was all caught up on his homework, at last. Ben was looking forward to spending the weekend with his dogs and this . . . contraption.

Ben stood back to admire his handiwork, hands resting on his hips. It wasn’t pretty, but it should work. He had built a training course for Hero—a homemade version of the one at the police station. He had seen the joy in Hero’s eyes when he was on the course, and it had occurred to Ben that maybe Hero missed his old life.

Ben knew that the best police dogs have a drive that can’t be taught. They’re born to be trackers and rescuers. Ben didn’t want Hero to get bored by civilian life—Hero deserved to be happy, even if that meant turning their backyard into a ridiculous-looking doggie amusement park. He was sure that his parents would understand. . . .

The first section of the course was a plastic tube from his sister’s waterslide. Hero would have to run through it. Next was an A-frame ramp made from two boards leaning against a stack of old file boxes from the garage. Then there was a pile of loose gravel that Ben had poured on the grass. From there, Hero would jump up onto a narrow bridge made out of a long, skinny piece of plywood and four overturned buckets. He would run across the beam and jump down onto a bouncy air mattress. Then he would have to wade through a kiddie pool full of water. After that, Ben would towel him off and give him a treat.

Ben was also hoping that he and Hero could convince Scout to try the course. He was pushing Scout hard, he knew. But this could be just what Scout needed to overcome his nerves.

Hero loved the training course. He shimmied right through the plastic tube, scrambled up the ramp and slid down the other side, and happily tromped through the gravel. He practically flew over the beam like a trained gymnast. He danced across the air mattress, bobbing and weaving as the surface moved underneath him, then flung himself into the water with a giant splash. When he was done, he ran back to the beginning, his tail wagging like crazy. Ben gave him a scratch behind the ears and a treat while he dried him off.

Scout’s first trip through the homemade course, however, was a disaster. He wouldn’t set one paw into the tube. Hero had to go in after him and push him through to the other side. Scout climbed up the first half of the ramp, plopped onto his belly at the top, and rested his head on his paws. Hero had to nudge him up and over that too.

When Scout got to the gravel, he put one paw down and instantly jumped backward, yelping. Ben squatted down and scratched Scout under the chin.

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