Posh Pup and Other Puppy Stories by Jenny Dale

Author:Jenny Dale
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK

“These little chaps are only one week old,” said Mr Scott, affectionately. Neil sensed that he was very proud of them.

The mother lay sleepily in her basket. She lifted her head and her bright brown eyes shone. The three little puppies tumbled over each other and bounced playfully off their mother.

Neil’s father was visibly impressed. “The whole place looks very efficient, Mr Scott. I’ve been working with dogs for twenty years now, and I’ve rarely seen anywhere as well run as Four Gate Farm.”

“Thank you, Mr Parker. I’m sure King Street usually runs very smoothly too. Let’s go back inside and discuss our small . . . problem.”

Bob Parker’s face reddened a little as they followed Mr Scott back into the house.

Mrs Scott announced that the refreshments were ready and led them over to a big wooden kitchen table covered in a summery cloth.

“How long have you been in business, Mr Scott?” said Neil, tucking into a slice of cake. Mr Scott wasn’t at all how Neil had expected him to be.

Mr Scott thought for a moment. “My parents have always kept Labradors. My mother started breeding them, so I could say I’ve been in the business all my life. I managed to get this place started up based on her reputation. We have a good track record for breeding pedigree dogs. I also train them for showing, too. I get a lot of fun out of it, and it helps the business.”

“Are dogs just a business for you, or do you keep any as pets?” Neil wanted to know.

Mr Scott let out a throaty chuckle. “Drop any crumbs under the table and you’ll soon get your answer to that question!”

Emily pulled up the tablecloth and peeped underneath. “Neil, look! It’s a fat dog!” She couldn’t resist pulling off a small chunk of cake and holding it under the table.

The greying muzzle of an elderly black Labrador came into view, and he greedily ate the cake from Emily’s hand.

“We don’t normally let our animals become house dogs – but Barney here’s a bit of an exception, isn’t he, Paul?” Mrs Scott remarked to her husband.

“He was our most successful stud dog. He sired several champions. When we retired him, we just couldn’t let him go. He’s the only one I’ve ever kept. He had such a lovely personality, so we invited him indoors to share our lives. He’s a bit on the heavy side now, as you can see. Cake is his biggest downfall, as Emily has already found out! But we all love him to bits . . . don’t we, Barney?”

Mr Scott fondled the dog’s ears and stroked him under the chin.

“The other dogs all stay outside. They’re well trained, get good diets and have lots of exercise. We spend a fair amount of time just giving them love and attention, too. It’s my secret ingredient, if you like. I have three paid members of staff here most days. Happy dogs breed happy puppies, don’t you think?”

He addressed the remark to Mr Parker, who nodded in agreement.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.