Mum looked confused. “Why not? They’re all so beautiful. Can you really tell now whether they won’t be show dogs?”
Hannah looked round, her eyes shining. “It’s this puppy, isn’t it? Please say it’s this one!”
The puppy stared up at Lisa too, as though he wanted to hear the news. He wagged his little whip-like tail, with the pretty patch round the base.
“Yes.” Lisa smiled at her. “How did you know?”
Hannah looked shy. She’d read so much about Dalmatians, but she was sure that Lisa knew loads more, and she didn’t want to sound silly. “They aren’t really supposed to have patches, are they?” she murmured. Lisa nodded encouragingly, so she went on. “The puppies are supposed to be born snow-white, and then the spots grow when they’re a couple of weeks old and they keep on growing for ages – until they’re about a year old even.” She looked over at all the puppies. They were still mostly white, and their spots were only the size of currants. “But sometimes you get puppies born with black patches.” She stroked the puppy’s ears again. “But I’ve never seen a picture of a puppy with a patch on his tail!”
“Neither have I!” Lisa laughed. “He’s really special. But he’d be no good in the show ring – they don’t allow patches. So he can only ever be a pet.” She reached over the wire netting, and gently picked up the puppy, and then she held him close to Hannah. “Would you like him on your lap?”
Hannah nodded. She held out her arms to cuddle the puppy, and he snuggled on to her lap. Zak sat next to her, patting the puppy on the bottom.
But Dad was looking worried. “If there’s something wrong with him, maybe we ought to wait…”
“There’s nothing wrong with him!” Hannah protested. Her voice was sharp with fear that Dad might say no, and the puppy’s eyes widened. He whimpered, unsure what was wrong.
“Try not to speak too loudly,” Lisa said, her voice soothing. “Dalmatians are quite highly-strung; you need to be very calm and gentle.”
“Sorry,” Hannah whispered, half to Lisa and half to the puppy.
“You’re doing really well,” Lisa said reassuringly. Then she looked over at Hannah’s dad. “He’s perfectly healthy. You weren’t planning to take him to shows, I thought?”
Hannah looked hopefully at her dad. “We just want him for a pet. And he might even be better than a normal Dalmatian,” she whispered. “Sometimes they can be deaf, but ones with patches usually hear fine.”
Lisa laughed in surprise. “You really have been doing your homework.”
“I love Dalmatians,” Hannah told her. “I’ve been dreaming of having one, ever since I can remember.”
“Hannah’s right about the deafness,” Lisa explained to Hannah’s mum and dad. “But Chrissie and Robby both scored well on the hearing tests, and the pups are going to be tested next week.”
“I know they need lots of exercise too, and they need to be around people. But Dad’s going to take me and the puppy on long walks every day,” Hannah explained. “And Mum and Zak are at home, even when I’m at school.”
“That’s great! Dalmatians have loads of energy, and they get bored very easily, because they’re so clever. You’ll need to take him to training classes. I can recommend a good trainer close to you.”
“So we can have him?” Hannah asked, cuddling the puppy close, and looking anxiously between Lisa, and her mum and dad.
Lisa smiled. “I think you’d give him a lovely home. He’s really settled with you, and he’s been quite nervous with some of the other visitors.”
Dad nodded slowly, and Hannah laid her cheek gently against the puppy’s soft head. He made a happy little cooing growl, and she giggled. “You’re pleased too, aren’t you, little pup?”
The puppy yawned hugely, showing his little pointy teeth, and curled up in Hannah’s lap. He looked as though he wasn’t going anywhere.
Mum reached down to stroke him. “I don’t think it’s up to us at all. He’s definitely chosen you, Hannah!”
Chapter Three
“We’re bringing the puppy home the weekend after next!” Hannah whispered to her best friend Lucy at school on Monday.
“You’re so lucky! I wish we could have a dog, but my mum just says we don’t have time to look after one properly.”
“You can come on walks with us,” Hannah offered.
“Oh, I think it’s nearly our turn!” Lucy looked over at their teacher, Mr Byford, who was standing behind them at the back of the hall. “There’s only Izzy and Ben before us.”
Their class were auditioning for the school Christmas play. Hannah was hoping for a big part this year. She loved being in plays, but she always felt really nervous when they had to try out, and she’d never been given much to say before. She and Lucy had to read a scene from the play from up on the stage, so Mr Byford could hear how loudly and clearly they could speak.
“Are you nervous?” Lucy muttered. “I am!”
Hannah smiled. Lucy was a brilliant dancer and had done loads of ballet exams. She was bound to be given a part with some dancing. “You know, I’m so excited about our puppy, I actually don’t feel nervous at all!” she said. Usually nerves made her tummy feel funny.
“Right, Lucy and Hannah!” Mr Byford called, looking at his list.
“Break a leg!” Hannah told Lucy, and they both crossed their fingers for luck.
Two days later, Hannah dashed out of school to tell her mum the good news.
Mum was waiting in the playground with Zak in his pushchair. “Did you get a good part?” she asked, seeing Hannah’s beaming face. The girls had had to wait for Mr Byford to make up his mind. It was lucky that Hannah had been so excited about the puppy, or it would have been torture.
“I’m going to be the angel!” Hannah told Mum. “It’s the main part, I do all the storytelling! And Lucy’s the innkeeper’s daughter. She gets to dance.”
“Well done, Hannah!” Her mum gave her a hug. “You’ll have to tell Gran when she comes round for tea tonight.”
“Dog?” Zak asked, seeing that everyone was happy and hoping it meant more puppies.
“Oh, sweetie, not yet. Soon,” Mum promised, as they headed out of the gate. Zak was just as desperate as Hannah for their puppy to come home, and he’d even taking to curling up on the lovely blue dog cushion they had bought. They’d had to do a huge shopping trip at the pet store to get everything the puppy would need.
“Only another ten days!” Hannah beamed. “And the puppy’s bringing me luck already. Maybe I’m going to be an Oscar-winning actress!” She stopped dead in the middle of the pavement. “Oscar! Mum, can we call the puppy Oscar? That’s such a cute name.”
Mum looked at her thoughtfully. “Mmm. I like it. Definitely better than Freckles, and all those other spotty names we were thinking of.”
“He looks like an Oscar,” Hannah said. Oscar. Her puppy. It was only a little while longer until he came home!
Hannah carried the puppy carefully into the kitchen. “Look, this is your bed.” She gently set Oscar down next to the big blue cushion. The puppy looked at it thoughtfully. It was huge, but it looked comfy. He hopped his front paws up on to the edge of the cushion, and then scrabbled to get his back paws on too. He sniffed round the cushion, interested in the smell of newness. Then he looked hopefully at Hannah. The cushion was too big for him all by himself. Would she come and snuggle up with him?