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  Go Fetch!

  My name is Bo, and there’s one very important thing you should know about me.

  I love playing games! Especially the ones where humans throw something for us pups to fetch.

  But do you know what makes fetch even more special?

  Playing with my best pup pal, Scrapper.

  We like to do pretty much everything together. We roll in mud, bury treats for later, and chase after squirrels.

  Luckily, Scrapper’s house is near the Davis family farm. That’s where I live with my human mom, dad, sister, and brother. I get to live with all my farm animal friends, too!

  Sometimes, when I visit Scrapper’s house, his human brother, Hank, plays with us. And Hank is great at fetch.

  Today he waved a perfect stick in the air and asked, “Are you pups ready?”

  “We were born ready!” I barked, lowering myself to the ground.

  Beside me, Scrapper wagged his tail.

  “Ready… set… and… FETCH!” Hank shouted. He threw the stick, and it soared in the air.

  Scrapper took off in a rush. He shouted, “I’m going to catch it! I’m going to catch it!”

  “No way!” I called as I ran after him. “That stick is all mine!”

  We ran and ran, the soft grass tickling our paws.

  Can you guess what happens when two pups are running for the same stick at the same time? You’re about to find out!

  “I’ve got it!” we both shouted.

  We leaped into the air at the same time…

  … and we opened our mouths to catch the stick…

  … and CRASH! We bumped right into each other in midair!

  “WOW-WOOF!” we yelped, landing in a soft pile of grass.

  “Whoa!” Hank said as he ran over. “Are you pups okay?”

  Scrapper and I looked up. That’s when I realized we were both holding the stick! We started laughing and rolling all over the ground.

  I said, “Scrapper, we are just too good at this game!”

  “Of course we are,” he replied. “We’ve been playing all morning. This stick will never get away from us!”

  “And we’ll keep going until dinnertime!” I said. Fetch is just that much fun.

  But the fun was cut short when Hank’s mom peeked out from the window. “Hank!” she called. “If you want to take Scrapper to the park today, it’s best to go now!”

  “Okay!” Hank replied, then smiled at us. “I’ll be right back, boys. Mom’s right. We better make use of the beautiful day.”

  As Hank dashed inside, Scrapper began hopping up and down excitedly.

  “Oh boy!” he woofed. “The Bark Park! The Bark Park! The Bark Park!”

  The Bark what? I tilted my head to the side in confusion.

  What was the Bark Park?

  2

  Puppy Eyes Magic

  Boing! Boing! Boing!

  Scrapper was so excited, he couldn’t stop hopping up and down.

  Meanwhile, I was still confused about this park thing. So I hopped up and down with him. It was easier to speak to him this way.

  “What’s the Bark Park?” I asked. “Is it a place where you go bark?”

  “It’s… the… best… place… EVER!” Scrapper shouted happily.

  “Will you be gone for a long time?” I asked, still hopping with him. “What about our game?”

  He finally stopped moving around and sat. “I’ve only been once. This park’s pretty new. But it was so much fun last time, we didn’t come home until dinnertime!”

  Oh, I thought sadly. Dinnertime was a long time from now. By then I’d probably need to go home to eat with the Davis family.

  But Scrapper’s tail started wagging. “Wait a minute. I have a paw-some idea. Bo—you should come with us! We can play together and meet new friends!”

  Now my tail was wagging! “Really?” I asked.

  “Yes!” Scrapper replied. “We just have to convince Hank. Oh, and them, too.”

  Scrapper pointed his nose toward the path leading to the Davis farm. Imani and Wyatt, my human siblings, were skipping toward us.

  “What if I need to go home?” I whispered. “Maybe they need help herding the sheep.”

  “Follow my lead,” Scrapper said.

  He sat beside me, letting his ears fall back against his head. Then he wrapped his tail around his legs. For the final touch, Scrapper’s eyes grew big and gooey.

  I recognized this look. This was what humans call “puppy eyes.”

  “Smart move!” I said, then copied him. I even added a tiny whimper. This was a move I call “begging.”

  Wyatt and Imani finally reached us. They looked at us suspiciously, then at each other.

  “Whatever those two want,” Wyatt said, “they want it bad.”

  Hank returned, wearing a baseball cap and carrying a small backpack. “Hey, guys! What are you two doing here?”

  “We’re trying to figure out what our pups want so badly,” Imani said, giggling.

  They all turned to look at us again. Scrapper and I scooted even closer together. Our eyes became bigger and cuter! Our whines became more adorable!

  Hank scratched his head. “Well… I’m taking Scrapper to the dog park not too far from here. Maybe you guys should come with us.”

  Scrapper and I barked happily. That had been pretty easy!

  3

  The Park that Barks

  One of the best things about living on a farm is that there’s lots of space. You can run around with other animal friends. You can dash through the corn maze. Or you can explore a brand-new path through the woods with your best friend.

  Scrapper and I were doing that now. Hank, Imani, and Wyatt walked with us too.

  “I’ve never been this way before,” I said, looking around at the trees. There were so many new smells, my nose couldn’t stop twitching. “How will we know when we’ve reached the park?”

  “Oh, you’ll know when you see it. There’s a sign with a great big bow,” Scrapper explained. “That’s how you know it’s a pretty special place.”

  Usually, big bows are for special things like presents. And this park sounded like a very special present!

  “Wow,” I sighed. “It must be amazing.”

  “Just you wait and see!” Scrapper said.

  After a few more twists and turns along the path, Hank called out, “Here we are!”

  We came into an open field, where there was a sign that had a big bow on it—just like Scrapper had promised.

  “Whoa,” Imani said. “This is every dog’s dream.”

  Imani wasn’t kidding. Pups were running free all over the place, rolling in the grass and playing chase.

  I saw small hills to climb and a few tires to hop on. Dogs sat on seesaws, jumped over a small pond, and even napped inside a pup-sized gazebo. And was that a tunnel to race through?

  “This is even better than I imagined!” I woofed. “This is… This is…”

  “This is the place for a pup to play freely,” Wyatt said. “Go play!”

  Scrapper and I looked at each other, then broke into a run.

  4

  A New Pack of Friends

  I chased Scrapper around the park excitedly, and it wasn’t too long before two other dogs ran over.

  “Oh!” I barked. “Hello!”

  A tall dog with shaggy white hair waved a paw at me. She said, “We haven’t seen you around before.”

  A smaller dog with big, pointy ears asked us, “What’s your name?”

  “I’m Bo,” I said, waving a paw back. “And this is Scrapper.”

  “My name is Snowy,” the tall dog said. “And this here is Mouse. See that dog over there, next to the treat bowl? That’s Blizzard, my brother.”

  We all looked. There was another white dog, though he was a little smaller than Snowy. He was busy sniffing just about everything around him. But he seemed to especially like smelling a bowl of treats.

  “Everything around here does smell pretty good, I guess,” Scrapper said.

  Snowy barked out a laugh. “Blizzard really likes to smell things.”

  We trotted over to join the curious pup.

  “Hi, I’m Blizzard,” he said, still smelling the treats. “I would look up, but… these just smell too good!”

  I didn’t blame him. There were all kinds of different snacks in the bowl. I found mini bones, pup-friendly cookies, and even peanut butter chunks.

  They all looked so yummy, I couldn’t decide on just one treat to try! So I had two… and then another one.

  “Do you guys want to play a game of tag?” Mouse asked. “We were just about to play another round. Bo, since you’re new, you can be it!”

  “Okay!” I barked. “Ready or not, here I come!”

  Scrapper, Snowy, and Mouse ran off in different directions.

  Blizzard looked up, blinking in surprise. “Huh? Oh! We’re playing!”

  He burst into a run.

  “Ready or not!” I called out. “Here… I…”

  But before I could say the word “come,” a familiar sound distracted me.

  Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

  It was a squeaker toy! And I really love those. I searched and searched for where the sound was coming from.

  Finally I spotted a brown-and-white pup with a pink bow above her ear. She had a squeaky bunny plush in her mouth.

  I just had to run over and say hello.

  “Hi!” I barked. “That’s a nice toy you have there. Should we play tug-of-war with it? My friends would love to

join!”

  The pup looked at me, then down at her bunny plush, and back at me again. Without another word, she turned and sprinted away.

  Whoa—I couldn’t believe I’d found another friend to play with! I ran right after her.

  We ducked under a large dog, hopped over a tiny one, and dashed right through a pack of howling pups.

  But then the pup turned around so quickly, I barely had time to stop running to keep from crashing into her.

  “You are a great runner,” I said, trying to catch my breath. “My name is—”

  “Why are you following me?” she growled.

  5

  Maisie’s Way

  I stopped in my tracks and tilted my head. For a moment I was confused.

  “What do you mean? Aren’t we playing chase?” I asked.

  “Woof! No!” The pup took a big step back. She did not look happy. “Bunny isn’t for playing with! She’s my nap buddy.”

  “Ohhhh,” I replied. “That’s nice too. Well, what about a race without Bunny? Do you know Snowy, Blizzard, Scrapper, and Mouse?”

  She looked behind me to where my new friends stood with Scrapper. Snowy waved, Scrapper barked, Mouse wagged his tail, and Blizzard had his nose buried in a patch of daisies.

  The pup shook her head. “I don’t really come here to run around. And I wasn’t trying to play with you either. You just started chasing after me!”

  “Why don’t you want to play?” I asked, still a little confused. Didn’t everyone want to play?

  The pup lifted a paw and pointed to her bow. “Because I don’t like getting dirty,” she explained. “Plus, I just got groomed. It takes a lot of work to look this cute!”

  “But getting dirty is so much fun!” I barked playfully. “Don’t you like mud baths? Have you ever felt how gushy the mud feels beneath your paws?”

  “Ick! No!” she replied loudly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Bunny and I are going to take a quiet nap on a hill. Alone.”

  “Oh… okay.” My tail fell, and I sat down.

  The pup grabbed her bunny in her mouth and trotted away.

  Mouse ran up to me. “Hey, don’t feel too bad, Bo. Maisie doesn’t like to play with anyone. That’s just her way, so no one really tries to play with her.”

  “But isn’t she lonely?” I asked. “What does she like to do besides take naps with Bunny?”

  Mouse shrugged. “No one really knows. Maisie always comes here, but she likes to just be by herself. But don’t worry about her! Now, come on. My human mom brought mini hot dogs for us to share!”

  That sounded too delicious to pass up.

  I went back to playing with my friends after a quick treat break, but I couldn’t help but feel a little bad for Maisie.

  6

  Made with Love

  It wasn’t until the sun began to sink that we said goodbye to our new friends.

  I thought I wouldn’t think much about Maisie once we left, but I couldn’t help but feel a little sad.

  Had I said something wrong? Were my paws too muddy? Was my breath too stinky?

  I needed to clear my head, so I went outside to take a walk.

  As I strolled past the chicken coop, Nanny Sheep came over. She is the head sheep and always gives the best advice. Puffs, one of the fluffy younger sheep, was with her.

  “Bo,” Nanny Sheep said, “why do you look so down?”

  My tail hung low. “I tried making a new friend today,” I said. “But I think I did it all wrong. She didn’t want to play with me, not even a little bit.”

  Puffs leaped to my side. “But you’re great at loads of games, Bo!”

  “Thanks.” I smiled, but I didn’t really feel any better.

  Nanny Sheep came closer so I could lean against her soft white fleece. “Whenever we meet new friends, it’s always important to ask what they like to do too. That way you can take turns doing what you like, and no one feels left out.”

  I nodded. “That makes sense.”

  “And bring a gift!” Puffs added. “Presents always make me feel better.”

  Nanny Sheep laughed. “Come along, little one. Bo, you’ll tell us about your new friend later, okay?”

  I smiled and barked. “You bet! Thank you, Nanny Sheep! Thanks, Puffs!”

  Hmmm. What kind of gift would Maisie like?

  I didn’t think she’d really be into chasing squirrels, and I knew mud baths weren’t her thing. I wasn’t sure where I could find a new bunny plush.

  But maybe she’d like… a new bow!

  I hopped up and ran around the barn until I found Comet. She is a young foal and my favorite friend to race around the farm. “Hey, Comet!”

  “Hiya, Bo!” she whinnied. “What’s going on?”

  “Do you know if there are any hay bales around here?” I asked. “I need some of the string that’s wrapped around them.”

  Together we found a great big hay bale that had been rolled up and tied. I used my teeth to tear off a small piece of the string wrapped around it.

  Comet asked, “Are you going to make a finish line for a race?”

  “No, but that is a great idea,” I said. “Actually, I’m going to make the most perfect bow ever!”

  “Oooh! That sounds fun!” Comet neighed. “Can I help?”

  “Sure! Thanks!” I barked. “That would be great!”

  Comet and I worked on the bow together. She put a hoof down on the string, and I used my paws to fold it into a shape that kind of looked like a homegrown bow!

  7

  A Happy Puprise

  After lunch the next day, I raced back to the Bark Park.

  I had to be extra careful while running down the path. Maisie’s gift was in my mouth, and I didn’t want to splash through any puddles.

  As soon as I arrived, I spotted Scrapper and our new friends playing on a giant tire. I barked as I ran by but didn’t stop.

  I headed straight toward Maisie, who sat by herself on one of the little hills. Bunny lay against her paw. The best part was that her bows today weren’t small. She would love the big one I’d made!

  “Hi!” I greeted her happily.

  Maisie looked surprised to see me again. “Hello…” she said back.

  I placed her bow on the ground. “I never got a chance to really introduce myself yesterday. I’m Bo, and I live on the Davis family farm. And I made something for you.”

  Without wasting another second, I plopped the bow right on top of Maisie’s head.

  “Agh!” Maisie called out in surprise. “What is that?”

  “It’s a new bow for you! My friend Comet helped me make it,” I said. “I feel like we started things off on the wrong paw last time. And this is me trying to be your friend!”

  Maisie was silent for a moment, but then she slowly smiled. “That’s very nice of you, Bo. Thank you.”

  My tail started wagging. “Do you want to try to play with my friends and me today?” I asked. “I promise we won’t do anything muddy.”

  “I don’t know.…” Maisie looked a little nervous. “The other pups have never asked me to play before.”

  “Well, I am asking now!” I barked, leaning down excitedly. “Come on! Give it a try!”

  “Yeah, Maisie, come on!” I heard Mouse say behind me. My other friends had gathered around us.

  “I bet you can’t run as fast as me!” Snowy teased.

  “I bet you can,” I whispered to Maisie. “Snowy can’t really see where she’s going with all that hair in her eyes. And Blizzard gets distracted by smells.”

 

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