Chapter 1
"GET OUT OF HERE YOU STEAK-THIEVING DOGS!" The restaurant manager yelled at us. He chased us down the alley. My mama, brother, Diego, sister, Ana, and I all ran as fast as our paws could carry us, steaks in our mouths.
We ran to the alleyway on the other side of the street, dodging the cars and hearing the angry shouts of drivers and honks of cars as we went. When we were on the other side, the manager shook an angry fist at us.
"I'LL GET YOU DOGS YET!" He threatened. He then went back inside his restaurant.
"Okay kids," Mama told us. "Eat up." We gobbled up our steaks.
My friends, Enrique and Pedro then came up to us.
"Hey, Gabriel," Enrique said (Yes, my name was Gabriel before it got changed to Pinky). "Want to play?" I looked at mama.
"Can I?" My mother nodded.
"Be back home when I call." I started to run with my friends when my mama cleared her throat.
"Forgetting something, dear?" She asked.
"Oh yeah." I ran back to my mom and cuddled up affectionately. "Love you, Mama!"
"Love you too, dear." We then rubbed noses and I was off with my friends.
"So, what are we going to do?" I wanted to know.
"Enrique found a great place to play futbol!" Pedro explained.
"Let me guess," I said. "Is it in an alley where we kick the can and use the walls for goals?"
"Nope!" Enrique said. I was then puzzled.
"You mean you found an actual futbol field and actual goals with actual balls?"
"Yup!" He answered. I was puzzled again.
"But aren't there humans practicing and games there?"
"It's Sunday. Now, my mami, papi and I pass there every Sunday and every Sunday, the field is empty. And if we're lucky, usually the coach forgets one ball and leaves it on the field out in the open."
"You sure? All day?"
"We'll soon see."
We walked by Antonio, the English Mastiff. Grr, Antonio. He brags about how big he is and teases us about being small. He also calls me 'Shakes' because of my uncontrollable shaking condition I had when I was born. Ana and Diego also used to tease me about it but Mama told them it was just something I was born with and can't help. Diego and Ana never complained about me shaking after that. He was outside behind his iron gate his squeaky toy, a hamburger, by his side. His large doghouse was behind him. He got up as we approached.
"Well, well, well," he began. "Look who we have here, Shakes and the shrimps. Where are you going?"
"We're going over to the Futbal field and play." I informed him.
"Well, last I heard there was a game going on there."
"But it's Sunday." Enrique said. "Whenever my family and I pass there on Sundays, there're no games there."
"Well, there is a game on there today." He then chucked. "Hey, good thing you shrimps aren't playing basketball. You have to be tall to play. I should know, my owner plays basketball. You shrimps wouldn't stand a chance!"
"Hey!" I snapped. "For your information, my mama says that 'good things come in small packages'."
"And my mama says 'you're big as you feel.' Pedro added.
"Whatever." Antonio said, lying on his paws. "I still say you're too small."
I growled at him. I was tired of how he thinks of us because of our size.
"Let's just go, Gabriel." Pedro said to me. "Forget about it."
"But how can we forget about it? It's not our fault that we're small."
"Come on, we know." My friends started for the field. I started after them and looked back with a glare. If only I was big enough, then I'd show him!
"Gabriel!" My friends called.
"Coming!" I called back and ran to catch up to them.
When we got there, there was a game going on, just as Antonio said there would be.
"Shoot!" Pedro said. He looked at Enrique. "Enrique, I thought you said there wasn't going to be a game today."
"Well, we didn't watch the field every single minute." He admitted. "Maybe they'll be done soon. Let's go wait under the bleachers."
"Well okay Enrique, you better be right." He and Enrique went for the bleachers. I was about to follow, when someone grabbed me. I looked at my captive.
"Where'd you come from, little fella?" The man asked. "Do you have a collar?" He noticed me shaking, "Why are you shaking? Why are you shaking?" He was skinny, tall and had a mustache (I could tell you more but it's hard when you can only see in black and white). When he saw that I didn't have a collar, he looked at me again. "Well, this game is almost over. Do you want to watch the end of the game with me?"
"Hey, Ricardo!" A second man said. He was also tall.
"Look Raoul, I found this Chihuahua here." He showed me to his friend. He had hair all around and a little beard. "I didn't see a collar. Must be a stray. I'm going to the pound after the game and drop him off." I struggled in my captor's grasp, barking madly. LET ME GO, LET ME GO!
"Isn't your wife and daughter coming for your daughter's birthday?" Raoul asked. "Why don't you give her a dog? I think she'll really like that."
"Sorry Raoul, I don't think she and Viv can afford a dog. I'll have to get Isabella something else."
"Well, okay."
"Whoa, don't worry, little fella." My captor said, patting my head as I still struggled. "We'll find you a home." No! I already have a home! I struggled and struggled.
"I think he want to watch the game." Ricardo's friend suggested. Ricardo chuckled.
"I think you're right." I barked again. No! If you could only understand me, you'd know that's the opposite of what I want!
"Alica will be surprised." Ricardo's friend put in.
"Right you are!" The men then went to the bleachers. Pedro and Enrique looked out and looked terrified when they saw me. 'Help me!' I mouthed at them.
When the men sat in their spots, Ricardo sat me in his lap. I tried to escape, but he just patted me, forcing me to stay.
When the game was over, everybody started to pack up. Ricardo set me beside him. This was my chance of escape. When Ricardo wasn't paying attention to me, I jumped off the bleachers and ran to my friends. They wagged their tails when they saw me.
"Gabriel!" Enrique cheered. "You escaped!"
"We thought you were a goner!" Pedro added. Then he had a question on his face. "Do you still want to stay for Futbol?"
"Yeah." I replied. "The humans are just packing up. We can wait, hopefully there'll be a ball out that we can play with." Pedro looked unsure.
"Well, okay." We looked out at Ricardo and his friend, who seemed to be looking for me. A little girl then ran to them.
"Did you see me make that goal, papi?" She asked Ricardo's friend. He looked at her.
"I sure did, sweetheart!" He told her. She smiled.
"I don't know where that dog went, Raoul." Ricardo said to him. The girl looked confused.
"Dog?" She questioned. "What dog?"
"Never mind dear." Her father told her. "I think that first goal deserves ice cream, don't you?" The girl's eyes lit up.
"YEAH!" And like a bullet, she rushed off. Ricardo continued on looking for me.
"Ricardo," Raoul began. "Forget it, let's just leave. A dogcatcher will find him and he'll go to a nice home." Ricardo gave up and looked at his friend.
'You're right." He agreed. "Let's go." And with that, the two men left and went after the girl. Ricardo took one last look to see if he could find me.
"Well puppy, wherever you are, I hope you're safe." And with that, he left as well.
We peeked out of the bleachers. Enrique trotted out and sniffed, seeing if he could pick up a human's sent. He went out to look.
A few minutes later, he looked at us.
"Guys," He told us. "The coast is clear." Pedro and I went out from under the bleachers. We looked at the ball at the center of the field. "Great; looks like the coach forgot again."
"Last one there is a rotten cat!" Pedro said. He bounded for the ball. We bounded after him.
"Oh no you don't!" Enrique called from behind. "I'm not going to be a rotten cat!"
"Neither am I!" I shouted. We ran and ran. When we got closer, we jumped for the ball and I pushed it with my nose.
"I got it!" I shouted. I pushed the ball closer and closer to the goal box.
"No!" Enrique disagreed; He pushed me, playfully, forcing the ball to separate from me. He pushed the ball to the other goal box. I ran and shoved Enrique aside and pushed the ball to my goal again.
Pedro tried to shove me aside but I dodged. I beelined Enrique as well. I ran closer and closer to my goal and with a mighty push of my nose…pushed it in!
"GOAL!" I yelled with joy, my tail wagging like mad. "And the crowd goes wild!"
"Okay, let's do it again until coach comes back!" Enrique told us. And with that, I pushed the ball back towards the center, my friends following.
"I can't believe I forgot the ball again." We heard someone approach. We looked up. It was the coach!
"Hide!" Enrique warned. Enrique didn't need to say that, we ran for the bleachers as soon as we saw the man.
We peeked out to see the man pick up the ball and put it away in the bag. We saw him hoist the bag full of futbols. He shook his head.
"I just can't believe it, I just can't believe it." He then left.
We went out again.
"Well," Enrique began. "Let's go and see if we can do something else." We agreed and went after him.
We strolled the Mexican sidewalks.
"I can't believe it." Enrique said. "We been walking for…for…well, for a long time. There must be something us dogs can do!"
"We better stop soon." Pedro complained. "My paws are killing me!"
We then felt like something or someone was behind us. We looked up and gulped. It was the man with the net! He was short and skinny and had his hat on. Mama always warned my siblings and I to fear him. He was the one who captured my father and drove of. We never saw Papi again. There was writing on the truck that we could never read, but we knew it was something bad.
"Well, well, well," He said. "If it isn't the Chihuahua that shakes a lot and his two comrades." The man swung his net at us. We dodged and ran as fast as our paws could carry us. The man chased after us.
"You won't outrun me!" He yelled at us, swinging his net from left to right. We ran and ran.
"GUYS!" We then heard Pedro yell. We looked at him and gasped. He was trying to get his foot out of a crack on the sidewalk. "Guys, help me! I'm stuck! Hurry, before the bad guy gets me!" He then got his foot unstuck.
"Never mind; I'm good!" We started off again. Enrique and I made it behind a dumpster when we looked back and halted. Pedro wasn't behind us!
"Where's Pedro?" I wanted to know. We then heard a frantic yip and ran to it and gasped. The man had caught Pedro in his net!
"Gotcha!" The man said. He must've ran too fast for his hat was now on the ground. Pedro tried to climb out. The man laughed.
"You can try all you want dog, but I got you!" He went to his truck and threw him in the back. "I don't know where your amigos are but I might find them later. Maybe after I'll take you to the pound, I'll go looking again." Before Pedro could try to escape, the man shut the doors. He laughed and went in the front of his vehicle.
"PEDRO!" I screamed. I ran towards the truck. It drove off and I coughed as it spat out its smoke, but I didn't care, I just kept on running.
"Gabriel!" Enrique shouted. "Stop!" I stopped to catch my breath. Enrique caught up with me. "It's no use. He's gone now." I then felt tears stroll down my face. "I'm sorry. Our amigo is gone. We better tell his mama." I then looked determined.
"No." I said in a serious tone, as he was about to leave. He paused to look at me.
"What?"
"No, we can't let him take him."
"But Gabriel, we can't go for him. What if he gets us too?"
"Look Enrique, that same man captured my father; now I'm not about to let him take Pedro."
"But…but…"
"He's our friend Enrique. He would do the same for us. Now, if you want to be a scaredy cat then fine! But not me; I'm going to get Pedro back whatever it takes." I was about to go when I heard Enrique sigh.
"You're right; amigos stick together. But how are we ever going to find him?" That man left in his truck."
"Hmmm, you're right." I thought about this when I saw something from the corner of my eye. It was the man's hat.
"Hey, it's the man's hat!" I went to it and sniffed. Enrique followed.
"What it is with these humans and leaving things behind?" He wondered out loud.
"I got it!" I said. "I know where that man went with Pedro."
"What? Where?"
"Follow me!" And with that, Enrique and I bounded towards wherever my nose picked up the bad man's scent.
On the way, we passed by Camille, the marble Bengal cat. When she saw us, she pounced down from her tree branch.
"Where are you off to, boys?" She asked, licking her paw.
"Buzz off Camille!" Enrique told her. "We don't have time for you today. We have to find Pedro." Camille then saw that Pedro was gone.
"Oh yeah, aren't you guys one short? Where is your friend?"
"He's been taken by the man with a net who drives a truck." She stopped licking her paw.
"You mean he went to the dog pound? The same place where he took your father, Gabriel?" I was stunned. So, that's where Papi was taken!
"You know the place?" I wanted to know. She continued licking her paw.
"I might and I might not." I growled at her.
"Look Camille, you're lucky that we don't have time to chase you. We have a more important issue on our paws; maybe some other time. Now, as you excuse us, we got a friend to save!" I turned to Enrique. "Come on Enrique!" Enrique and I rushed on.
"I hope you save your friend before it's too late!" Camille called after us.
Before it's too late? What did she mean by that? I didn't care about that now; I just kept running.
We approached a squareish building. I went up the steps and sniffed the door.
"This is it, Enrique!" I told him. "Pedro's in this building."
"Then let's go in!" Said Enrique. I pawed at the door.
"I can't! The door won't open!"
"Then bark! Maybe he'll open it for us." And with that, we barked and barked. We then saw the doorknob twist.
"HIDE!" Enrique cried. I jumped off the step and Enrique and I hid in the nearby bushes.
The man opened the door and looked out.
"Hello? Hello?" He then went out. He whistled. "Doggies?" He whistled again. Doggies? Where are you?" He kept on whistling and calling out 'doggies!'
"Quick!" I said. "Before he goes back in!" Enrique and I ran in.
There were several rooms from left to right.
"Pedro can be in any one of these rooms." Enrique said.
We then heard sad whimperings and dog cries
"I think he's in that room." I said about the room where we heard the noises. We went into the room (For some reason, the door to this one wasn't locked).
When we were in, we skidded to a halt. We gasped in horror at what we saw.
Sad dogs in cages everywhere you looked! It was like living in a nightmare, only this wasn't a nightmare; this was reality! Everywhere I looked, tears were in the dogs' eyes. Some of them were howling in melancholy manners. It was a horrible sight!
"This is terrible!" Enrique said. "Keeping dogs locked up in cages like this; it just isn't right." I then marched up to a sad English Springer Spaniel puppy.
"Where's Pedro?" I asked.
"Who? The Springer Spaniel questioned. I could tell in her voice that she had been crying. We then heard a soft voice.
"Gabriel? Is that you? Is Enrique here too?" We then rushed to the cage where the voice came from and couldn't believe it. We wagged our tails with joy. It was Pedro!
"PEDRO!" Enrique and I cried.
"Shhhh!" Pedro whispered, shushing us. "Quiet guys; he'll hear you!"
"Sorry!" Enrique whispered.
"How do we get you out?" I asked in a whisper.
"There are these things called keys." Pedro informed us. "The dogcatcher used them to get me in here and they can get me out of here." He pointed with his paw. "On the wall. See?" We looked to where he was pointing at and saw the 'keys.'
"Don't worry." I assured him. "We'll get you out in a jiffy." I went under the keys and jumped, trying to knock them down.
"Of course," Enrique started when he saw me in my struggles. "It'll help if one of us could reach it."
"Enrique!" I said to him, giving up. "Let me stand on you. See if I can do it that way." Enrique sighed.
"Okay, but I don't think it'll work." He trotted over and stood under the keys. I climbed on top of him.
Enrique was right. Even with me, jumping on his back, I still couldn't get the keys.
"Told you it wouldn't work." Enrique put in. I stopped, giving up and sighed.
"What are we going to do?"
"You can try using that stool." The springer spaniel suggested. "Or you can set us all free by…" I bounded up.
"Stool?" I wanted to know. "Where?" We then saw the 'stool' next to the keys. "That's perfect!" I went over to it and started pushing it with all my might. "Enrique! Can you help me out?" Enrique went by my side and with teamwork; we managed to push it to where we wanted it.
I climbed up the stool and looked down at an exhausted Enrique. I smiled lamely at him. "Um, Enrique? I need your help again." Enrique did another sigh and climbed up until he was by my side.
I stood on top of him again and jumped up and down. We then heard footsteps.
"Hurry!" Pedro shouted to us. "He's coming!"
I did one mighty leap and…took it off the hinges with my mouth. We hopped off the stool. I bounded for Pedro's cage and tried different keys to unlock it. The steps grew louder and louder.
"Hurry!" Pedro repeated. "He's getting closer!"
I had just unlocked the cage when the man came in. He sneered at us.
"YOU!" He said, He got his net from off the hook and started chasing us. Pedro, Enrique and I ran under his legs. We had just got to the door when I realized something.
"Wait!" I said.
"There's no time to wait!" Enrique said to me. "We got to go, now!"
"No; if Camille's right, my papi is here."
"Gabriel; there's no time!" I ran from cage to cage, hoping papi would be in one of them.
"PAPI! PAPI! PAPI; WHERE ARE YOU? PAPI!" I was yelling at the top of my lungs but to the human, I was barking my head off.
"Quit your barking you!" The dogcatcher shouted. He was about to grab me when Enrique pushed me to skedaddle.
"Come on!" I decided he was right and ran after him and Pedro.
When we were outside, I took one final glance at the pound. The dogcatcher got into his truck, started the roaring sound and drove towards me.
"GABRIEL!" Enrique shouted. I continued running after my friends.
When we got to where my family and I were staying, my friends and I went our separate ways.
"See ya!" Enrique told us as we separated.
I ran and ran. I saw my sister. When she saw me, she rushed towards me.
"Oh, thank goodness!" She said. "Gabriel; where were you? Mama is going to kill you! Don't you know how worried we were? We thought a car ran over you or something!" I lowered my head in shame. I was in hot water now.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to worry you."
"Well you did; mama's going to freak!" She looked up as she heard something. I did too. Mama was talking to two German Shepherds. When she saw me; she said something to them and stormed to us. Her face told me she was mad. I lowered my head in shame again. I was in definitely in hot water!
"WHERE WERE YOU?!" She demanded. "I went to Pedro's and Enrique's parents when you didn't come home. Did you see me talking to the police's dogs just now?! We were worried sick!"
"I'm sorry mama. I was at the pound." She gasped.
"The pound?! What in heaven's sake were you doing there? And what exactly is the pound?"
"It's an awful place where they keep dogs in cages. Pedro accidently got taken there, so Enrique and I went there to rescue him. I know we should have told you."
"Told me is right! You are in big trouble, mister! You could have been locked in a cage as well and we may never see you again." Ana looked confused.
"Is that where he took Papi?" She asked. I looked at her and nodded.
"I think so."
"Well, did you find him?" I was about to answer when mama looked stern at Ana.
"Ana," She told her sternly. "This doesn't concern you. Go tell Diego it's time for bed."
"But mama…"
"Ana!" She sighed and trotted off. Mama looked at me again.
"I think Papi might be at the pound, mama. Maybe tomorrow we can go over there and look for him."
"Gabriel; we are not going to the pound."
"But what if he is there? We could save him and the family reunited!" I wagged my tail and felt proud of my idea. "We won't be sad anymore!"
"Gabriel, I know you want him back; we all do; but we can't go, it's too risky. And besides, you're not going anywhere because you're grounded."
"What? Grounded? But…but…"
"Gabriel." I sighed, "Fine!" She smiled.
"Good, now come on; it's bed."
"Yes, mama." I followed her.
"Hey Gabriel," My brother said as I got ready for bed, trotting over to me. "I heard you got in trouble with mama. So, what did you do?"
"Diego!" Mama shouted to him. "Leave your brother alone and go to bed!"
"Yes mama!" He called to her. He then looked at me again. "Well, night bro!" He went off. I lowered my head to my paws and went to sleep.
That night, I had a nightmare. It was a flashback to when Papi was taken from us by the dogcatcher.
"PAPI!" My siblings and I shouted.
"CARLOS!" Mama yelled in my nightmare as we saw the net scoop him up. The dogcatcher threw him in the truck and drove of. "PAPI!" We ran after it. We stopped and coughed at it spat out gas. We looked at the disembarking truck mourning that we might never see him again.
I woke with a start, breathing heavily (even more than usual). I was then determined. I know that Mama told me not to go to the pound and that I was grounded; but I had to know if Papi's there and if he's still alive. I had to no matter what.
