Barking for their Rights

Chapter 1

"Here you go, puppy." Olaf said as he set down a golden doodle puppy in the pen. "Welcome to your temporary home." He then left. Lucky was about to go over and greet him when the puppy ran off.

"I'll go see what the pup's up too." Niblet volunteered, and went over to where the puppy headed.

"What are you doing?" Niblet asked the puppy, who was digging a hole. The puppy looked at him.

"I'm running away." He answered.

"Running away? Why?"

"Because I don't belong here." Niblet was confused.

"Don't belong here? Then, where do you belong?"

"I don't know. Not here. That's for sure." Lucky went over to them.

"What's going on here, Niblet?" He wanted to know.

"He's running away, Lucky. Says he doesn't belong here." The golden doodle looked at the dogs.

"Are you?" He shook his head. "No, it can't be." He started digging again.

"Can't be what, kid?" Lucky asked him. The puppy looked at him again.

"Well, I was thinking you were Lucky of the Pound Puppies, but that's impossible."

"But he is Lucky from the Pound Puppies." Niblet told him. The puppy looked at him, shocked.

"He is?"

"Yeah!"

"Then," He then got excited, and wagged his tail. "Are you Niblet?" Niblet nodded.

"Yup! The one and only!" The young dog couldn't believe it.

"Whoa, you guys help dogs find homes! I heard of you guys from my mama, and that you were from Shelter 17, which is why I got excited when that guy brought me here, but didn't think you guys really existed."

"Well, we do." Lucky said. "Do you need help?" The young dog nodded.

"I need you to find me, my mom, and my twin sister a home." Lucky smiled.

"We'll be happy to help you and you sister. You got a name?" The puppy frowned.

"Well, it's puppy 30,000." Niblet was confused, so was Lucky.

"Puppy 30,000?" The puppy nodded.

"Yeah, but I like Butterscotch better."

"Butterscotch?" Niblet thought about this. "Yeah, I like Butterscotch too." Lucky smiled.

"Okay, Butterscotch it is. Do you want to meet the other dogs, Butterscotch?" Butterscotch beamed.

"Oh boy, do I?"

"Okay, I'll call a meeting down below. Niblet, you take Butterscotch down. I'll go get the others."

"Aye, aye, Lucky!" With that, Lucky went off. Niblet looked at Butterscotch.

"Come on, Butterscotch. Let's go underground to our HQ. That's headquarters."

"Oh, boy!" Butterscotch said with excitement. "The Pound Puppies' Headquarters! I can't believe I'm about to be in the place where you guys work!"

"So, this is HQ?" Butterscotch asked when he and Niblet were down in headquarters.

"Yup!" Niblet replied. "What do you think?"

"This is awesome; I can't believe I'm here!" He ran all around, exploring everything. He ran to the computers.

"You have computers?" He wanted to know. "Why?"

"To place pups like yourselves to loving homes." Strudel answered, coming to him. Butterscotch looked at her, excited. "Greetings young pup, my name is…"

"I know what your name is. It's Strudel, and you make inventions like these." Strudel laughed.

"Well, it's really the squirrels. I can't invent; no thumbs. I just give them orders and they obey." Lucky, Squirt, and Cookie then came in.

"I see you met Strudel." Lucky said. "Butterscotch, allow me to introduce you to the rest of the Pound Puppies. They are…"

"I know." Butterscotch told him. He looked at Squirt and Cookie. "You are Squirt and Cookie."

"Wow, Lucky!" Cookie observed. "Sounds like we have a fan here."

"You got that right! You guys are my biggest idols, as well as my sister."

"It seems like you heard about us." Squirt said.

"My mama told me and my sister stories of you guys. When I grow up, I want to be like all of you!"

"Well, we're very honored."

"So, where is your sister, Butterscotch?" Lucky asked him. "You mentioned her, but I haven't seen her. Is she here?" Butterscotch frowned.

"No."

"Well, where is she then?"

"She and my mama are at a puppy mill." All of the dogs gasped.

"Puppy mill?!" They all said at the same time. Butterscotch nodded sadly.

"Yeah."

"Oh no!" Niblet spoke, "Not the puppy mill!" He then was confused. "What's a puppy mill?"

"It's an awful, awful place."

"It's a facility where they breed dogs for profit." Lucky explained to Niblet. "Only it's not dog-friendly. They neglect dogs, and other inhumane things that are not healthy. Dogs who go there are at risk of never getting out of there."

"Goodness!" Niblet gasped. "That's horrible! Why do they do that?"

"They don't care about dogs." Squirt put in. "They only care about money and money alone."

"Gosh, I can't believe humans can be so cruel."

"Believe it buddy. It's awful, but true." Niblet looked at Butterscotch.

"I'm sorry about your mama and sister."

"Me too. I escaped, and hoped all of you existed, and that I bump into you guys, and I did. Now, you can help me!"

"Sure." Lucky agreed. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well…" A golden retriever then approached the gang.

"New dogs are here. Two of them are handicapped."

"Handicapped?" Lucky asked. "Okay, we'll be right up." The golden receiver left. Lucky looked at Butterscotch.

"We'll continue this later." Butterscotch nodded.

"Okay." He and the other pound puppies went up.

When they arrived, they saw a Yorkshire terrier in a dog wheelchair, a teacup poodle, and a three- legged border collie.

"Hello." Lucky greeted.

"Hello!" the puppies greeted back. Niblet looked at the poodle.

"Wow!" He observed. "You sure are tiny, even for a puppy."

"I know I'm tiny." She responded, and then sighed. "That's the problem." Lucky was confused.

"What do you mean?" He wanted to know.

"Well, my owner's girlfriend gave me as a birthday gift to him."

"Awe!" Niblet cooed. "A birthday gift; that must've been the best gift ever!"

"Well, not according to my owner."

"What do you mean?" Lucky asked. "He didn't want a dog?"

"No; he wanted a dog. Just not a dog my size, he wanted a much bigger dog."

"Awe!" Cookie said. "But, you're so cute; you're an angel!"

"That's the name I call myself." Angel stated.

"And it suits you. That boyfriend doesn't know what's he's missing."

"He was a heartless jerk for not keeping you for what you are." Squirt said.

"Squirt!"

"Well, he was."

Next, Lucky and the gang looked at pup with the wheelchair.

"And why are you here?" Lucky asked. The wheelchair puppy sighed sadly.

"My owner didn't want a dog who's disabled." He answered. "He previously abandoned his former dog because he was blind." The dogs gasped.

"How awful!" Niblet observed. Lucky looked at the collie.

"Let me guess." He stated. "Your owner gave you up because of your three legs, right?" The collie nodded.

"That's right. That, and my owner severely abused me." The dogs gasped again.

"Gosh; that's horrible!"

"Man!" Squirt said. "I can't believe it. All of your owners were just awful, awful human beings."

"Squirt!" Lucky scolded. He looked at the three pups. "I'm sorry about what you all went though."

"Yeah, right, some humans can be really cruel." Lucky sighed.

"Squirt's right. Some humans just don't get that dogs are people too."

"What do you mean?" Niblet wanted to know. "No they're not. We're two different species. We have paws, while humans have hands."

"He means that we all have needs like humans." Cookie told him. "We have feelings just as well and all want to be loved."

"But don't worry." Strudel assured the young dogs. "We'll do whatever it takes to get you all to loving homes."

"I don't think anybody wants dogs like us." The wheelchair dog said.

"Oh, don't say that." Lucky said. "Not all humans are the same."

"Do you really think you'll give us all loving homes?" Angel questioned.

"Of course." Cookie told her. "That is what we specialize in. Giving dogs loving homes."

"That's why we're the Pound Puppies!" Niblet added.

"That's right." Lucky said. "We may have troubles sometimes, but we never, ever, fail." All of the puppies panted in excitement.

"Oh, boy!" Angel cheered. "Loving homes with loving families who'll all love us the way we are. Isn't that awesome? It'll be my dream come true!"

"What do your mean your dream?" The wheelchair dog argued. "I bet it'll be all of our dreams!" He looked at the collie. "Right?" The collie nodded.

"Right!"

"Oh, where are manners?" The wheelchair dog said. "The collie and I never said our names. "My name's Nell."

"And my name's Riley." Lucky smiled.

"Hello!" Butterscotch piped up. "I hate to do this, but we need to go to the Puppy Mill, and hurry before it's too late! I told my mother and sister that I'll get help."

"Right!" Lucky looked at Cookie. "Cookie, you stay with the other pups with the others. I'll be back with Butterscotch and his family." Cookie nodded.

"Understood, Lucky." Cookie responded. Lucky looked at Butterscotch.

"Butterscotch, show me the way." Butterscotch nodded, and the two went out of the dog pound, and took off.

"Mom!" Butterscotch cried when he saw a bigger golden doodle, running. She had another golden doodle puppy in her mouth. The dog put down the pup on the ground so she could talk to her son. She smiled.

"Butterscotch!" She said. She and her son hugged.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Butterscotch asked, withdrawing from her.

"I'm escaping with your sister." His mom answered. "We needed to get out of there as fast as we could. Your sister is getting weaker and weaker." Butterscotch frowned.

"Oh no! Will she make it? Please say she will. I can't live without you guys." His mom sighed.

"It's hard to tell. But, she wouldn't have made it if we stayed in that awful place a moment longer."

"You made the right choice, Mom." His mom smiled, and then looked at Lucky.

"And who's this, son?" Butterscotch got excited again.

"This is Lucky, Mom. He's the leader of the Pound Puppies who are going to help find us loving families."

"Oh, is that, right?" She looked at Lucky. "Is that right? Are you the leader of the famous Pound Puppies?" Lucky smiled and nodded.

"You bet. My gang and I promise to give all of you a loving family. You need it."

"That'll be really nice of you. We'd really appreciate tha…" But, she didn't finish, for she collapsed suddenly. Both Butterscotch's and Lucky's eyes widened.

"MOM!" Butterscotch cried.

"Are you alright?" Lucky wanted to know.

"Mom, what happened?"

"I'm afraid my heart gave out."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"I think I'm fading fast." Butterscotch began to develop tears in his eyes. He sniffed.

"But, Mom, you can't."

"I know it's hard sweetie, but you got to be strong, and promise me that you'll look after your sister."

"I promise." His mother looked at Lucky next.

"Promise me that you and your friends will give Butterscotch and his sister a loving home."

"I will, ma'am." Lucky promised. "You have my word."

"Mom, are you sure you have to go?" Butterscotch asked. "I don't want you to go." His mom looked at him.

"I don't want to leave you and your sister either baby, but life has other plans, and you'll have to accept them no matter what. Remember me in your….heart." She then shut her eyes and now lay lifeless.

"Mom?" No answer. "Mom!" He then realized his mother was never coming back and cried. Lucky felt sorry for the puppy.

"Butterscotch," He began. "I-I'm sorry about your mom." Butterscotch cried and cried.

A few minutes went by until they heard noises. Lucky looked and saw some humans heading towards them.

"They couldn't have gotten far." The one man said. Lucky looked at Butterscotch.

"Come on Butterscotch, we need to go." Butterscotch looked at the men and gasped.

"The Puppy Mill people!"

"Back to Shelter 17; hurry!" Lucky took Butterscotch's sister in his mouth, and the two dogs ran to back to the pound as fast as they could.