Chapter 3

Squirt

I stood on all fours waiting. Waiting until the garbage gets taken out, and put into the trash at my favorite pizza place. I've been waiting for a while. I was dying with anticipation.

Okay, Squirt. I told myself. Relax. The garbage will come; maybe it's late because something happened or something. My stomach growled. Man! The garbage better get out here quick. I'm starving!

Finally, a guy came out with a plastic bag. I stopped myself from running in. I have to wait until the man leaves. He opened the dumpster, and put it in with more of the trash. He went back inside I bolted to the dumpster, and jumped in.

I tore open the bag, and bit into a lone pizza slice. I know that pizzas are bad for dogs and can make them sick, but so what? I can't help myself; they're just soooo dang delicious! Kudos to the human behind the invention of one of the tastiest foods on the planet!

Some rats wanted my pizza, but once I growled at them, showing them who was boss, they all scurried off. I resumed on eating in peace. When I finished, I had another… and another until my belly was full. I laid down with my full belly when done, and burped.

"Hey!" I heard an angry shout. I looked up, and saw a worker. I stood up, jumped down from the dumpster, and ran off.

"ONE DAY YOU'LL GO TO THE POUND, DOG!" He shouted after me. "ONE DAY!" Ha; I'll love to see them try! Dogcatchers have been trying to catch me for a long time, and I'm still here; I'm uncatchable!

Suddenly, I bumped into somebody. I fell to the pavement.

"Oh gosh; I'm sorry!" Said a voice. I looked up. It was a Newfoundland puppy.

"Why don't you watch where you're going, kid?!" I snapped, standing back up. "Then this wouldn't have happened."

"It was an accident."

"Well, don't do it again."

"I'll try." I went on my way.

After a few steps, I sensed I was being followed. I stopped and looked. Yep; I was. It was the same puppy. He went by me with his tail held high like nothing happened.

"Hey!" I said to him. "Hey, kid! Stop following me." He stopped, and looked at me.

"I can't help it if you're going where I'm going." I went onwards. He followed.

A while later he was still following me. I stopped, and looked at him.

"Now I know you're following me!" He stopped, and cocked his head to one side.

"Why can't I follow you?" He asked.

"Because I don't want you too. It's kind of creepy."

"Can I go with you?" This caught me off guard.

"What? No!"

"Oh, please!"

"No!"

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?" He was irritating me now. I looked at him.

"Look kid, why don't you go to your family and bug them?"

"I would but,…" He sighed. "I don't have one anymore." I felt sorry for him.

"Oh gee, kid, I'm sorry." I then changed the subject. "You still can't follow me." I then left.

Squirt! My conscience scolded me. How could you abandon that pup like that? He lost his home; he has nowhere to go. He needs you more then ever. I sighed. Ah sheez! I turned back to the young dog.

"Okay," I told him. "You can come with me." He got excited.

"Really?!" I smiled.

"Yeah. I can take you to the pound. They'll find a home for you. And if not, you and I can live on the streets together." His smile then faded.

"Oh, I don't want that. I want a family again."

"Well, how about I get you into a family, then I'll leave you there?" He was confused.

"What about you? Don't you want a family?"

"Kid, I've been living on the lam for a long time since I was abandoned. I'm used to it. I'll be fine on my own."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Now, let's find you a family."

"Okay, but once I get one, I'm sure you'll change your mind, and want one. You may even end up living with me!"

"Don't give up your hopes, kid."

"Why would anyone abandon you?"

"I don't now, kid. Some humans are heartless like that. I go by Squirt because that is what they named me."

"Oh, my name's Frisky."

"Hey, Small Shrimp!" Spoke up a voice as we walked by an invisible fence. I groaned. It was Biggie, the Great Dane. "Who's your friend?"

"Who's that?" Frisky wanted to know.

"Oh, that's just Biggie." I told him. "Don't talk to him." But, Frisky didn't listen. He went to him. "Frisky!" I ran to his side.

"I'm Frisky. Squirt here is going to help find me a family." Biggie looked at me.

"Oh, is that right?" Frisky nodded.

"Yeah."

"You know kid. You're going to grow into a big dog while Small Shrimp is going to stay the same size forever due to his birth defect."

"It's not a birth defect, Dummy." I said to him. "I'm just small like this because I'm a Chihuahua." He snapped at me.

"What did you call me?!"

"I called you a dummy, Dummy."

"You got a big mouth, you know that Small Shrimp? It'll get you in trouble one day."

"I can get myself out of it." I looked at Frisky. "Come, Frisky." Frisky left with me.

"Why does he call you Small Shrimp?" Frisky asked me. "Doesn't he know shrimp are already small?"

"I don't know." I admitted. "But that what makes him a dummy."

"Okay, kid." I told him once we were at the pound. "Here we are. Hope you find a nice family." Frisky looked at me.

"Thanks Squirt." I smiled.

"Don't mention it." I was about to leave when he spoke up again.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay with me, and find yourself a family?" I looked at him again.

"No, thanks. I'll be fine. Now, make lots of noise so a human can hear you, and bring you in." He saluted.

"Yes, sir!" I left. Behind me I heard his barks.

I hid behind the nearby bushes, and looked out to see if Frisky goes into the pound okay. A human then came out, and went to the barking Frisky.

"Well, hello there." He said. Frisky barked. He saw that Frisky didn't have a collar. "Oh, a stray, huh? Well don't worry, we'll fix that." He picked him up. "We'll find you a family yet." Frisky saw me. I smiled. I saw them go in. I left.

I went near Biggie again. I tried to make sure he couldn't see me. I was unsuccessful. He saw me.

"Small Shrimp!" He spoke. I sighed. Okay Squirt. Just ignore him, and maybe he won't bother you. "Yo, Shrimpy, right here! I know you can hear me; don't ignore me. Shrimp, Shrimp. Small Shrimp!" I sighed again, and went over to him.

"Do you need anything, Biggie?"

"Yes. I was just wondering where your friend was."

"I led him to the pound so that he'll find a family

"Uh-oh; you shouldn't have done that."

"Why not? He wanted a family, and this is a surefire way to get one."

"If he's lucky."

"If he's luck…what do you mean?" He then told me. I couldn't believe what I heard. "No; you're lying! They won't do that to a puppy like him."

"I'm afraid I'm not lying. It's the truth." I still refused to believe this.

"No! I won't hear it. I don't believe it."

"Well, you're going to have to because…"

"No; I had enough of your lies!"

"Squirt, I…" I had enough, and left. He got mad. "Fine! But if that puppy dies, it'll be on your conscience Shrimp, not mine. You hear me, Small Shrimp? IT'LL BE YOUR OWN DOGGONE FAULT!"

I kicked a pebble, mad at Biggie. What did Biggie know? Pounds are there to help dogs find homes, not death traps if they don't find one on time. Frisky will be fine. He's young; he'll find a home with a nice family. Won't he?

"Hello there." A Sothern voice greeted me. I looked up. It was a poodle. Besides her were a dachshund and a mutt.

"Hello." I greeted back.

"Are you lost?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes; geez what is your problem, lady? No; I'm not lost. I don't belong to anyone!" They looked sad for me. "But, it's all right. I'm all right on my own."

"You sure?" The dachshund wanted to know. I looked at her.

"Yes!" Geez, what are these dogs' problem? Not every dog needs a family. Haven't they heard of wild dogs?

"Well, if you change your mind," The poodle continued. "We find dogs homes. We're called the Pound Puppies." She introduced her and the others to me.

"Pound Puppies, huh? Hey, there's a place that gives dogs homes too. It's in your name, so you must've heard of it, a pound? I just sent a puppy there.'

"Hope the pup finds one." I smiled.

"Thanks, I hope he finds one too."

"Before it's too late." The mutt added.

"Yes, before it's too…wait, what? Ugh, not you too! Look, nothing bad is going to happen to him, aright? How do you know? Have either one of you been in the pound before?"

"I have." Dolly piped up. "I have known dogs who leave with the pound people, and have never come back."

"Well, maybe the pound people have brought them to their homes. Have you ever thought of that?"

"I wish that were the case. But, I've seen it with my own eyes. I was curious one day to what was happening to my friends, that I went to see when a dog went to the back room. They give the dog a shot."

"As terrible as needles piercing your fur, they never have put a dog to death before."

"These kinds do. As soon as he was done, I went over to the dog, and he was dead. I then ran of there, and made my escape."

"That's baloney; it's not nice to scare these young dogs." I looked at Strudel. "Do you believe her?" Strudel nodded.

"Ja; I do." She replied. "As horrible as it sounds, I trusted her."

"And my friend at the shelter told me." Lucky added. "It was a no-kill shelter, so I'm not worried about him. I hope he gets a home though. He has been there since he was my age."

"I still don't buy it. Humans deem us as 'man's best friend', if that's true, why would they murder us?" Dolly was about to answer when a familiar voice rang out in a panic.

"SQUIRT!" I looked, and saw Frisky running towards us.

"Frisky," I said to him. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at the pound?"

"I escaped. And I'm never going back. A dog there told me the awful truth of what happens there if dogs don't find homes. They… they…" I could see that he didn't want to say it.

"Murder them?" He nodded. Now, I felt bad. I sighed, knowing this horrible truth now. "Look kid, I know. And I'm so sorry for sending you there. I feel horrible."

"It wasn't your fault." Dolly told me. "You didn't know. That's why I organized the Pound Puppies. To give dogs homes. It goes faster, and we save lives at the same time."

"Why don't we take Frisky to this no-kill shelter Lucky talked about?"

"They might still be there for a long time." Dolly pointed out. "And they are in small cages. That's no way to treat a dog. We need to be free, and exercise."

"Guess you have a point there. But your way could take a long time as well."

"Yes, it could. But at least it's humane." I looked at Frisky.

"Come on, Frisky. Let's do what these dogs do, and find your forever home." He perked up.

"Do you need any help?" Dolly asked.

"Nah; I'm good. Thanks for asking though."

"Okay then, good luck!" Strudel and Lucky said their goodbyes too, so did we. We were then off.

"Squirt," Frisky said to me.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"I was thinking, and I feel bad for all of the other dogs that I left at the pound."

"Yeah; and what do you want to do about it?'

"Well, can't we go there and release them?" I stopped, and looked at him.

"But, I thought you never want to go back there."

"I don't, but I want to help. Someone has to help those poor dogs."

"You have a good heart, kid. I'm going to help you." He got excited.

"Really?!" I nodded.

"Now let's save those dogs, and become heroes!" He cheered, and ran off. I followed after him.

"Okay kid," I said to him once we were back in front of the pound. "What's the plan in busting these dogs out of here?"

"I thought of it on the way over here."

"Okay, so, what is it?" He whispered it to me.

"You want me to do that?" I wanted to know after I knew the plan. "That is super risky. I could get caught."

"Squirt, please!" He said. I sighed.

"Fine, but why did you whisper it to me? There's no one here, and the humans will only interpret it as nonsense barking." He realized that I was right.

"Oh, yeah. Oh well! At least you know the plan." He put his paw in the middle. "Ready?" I placed my paw on top of his."

"Yeah. Let's do it." We took back our paws (because we didn't know how to count), and put the plan into motion!

I hid in the bushes, and Frisky began to bark. I watched. The dogcatcher opened the door, and came out with his dog catching net.

"There you are!"

Now, it was my turn. I bolted to the door, and went inside. I hid in a corner of the room as the dogcatcher came in, Frisky in his net. He whistled a tune as he closed the door, and went to a cage to put Frisky in. I looked around. I discreetly followed him.

As we came to another room, I gaped in shock as I saw sad barking dogs, crying dogs, even a trio of dogs singing a melancholy tune from cages left to right. How horrible! No wonder why I never went here, and now definitely, I don't plan to be. I don't blame Frisky for running away, I would too.

I saw the dogcatcher put Frisky in a cage. He was toying with some kind of devise. I observed, confused. What was he doing?

A little while later he stood up, and was heading my way! I quickly hid behind some cages, and watched him go.

"Squirt!" Frisky said to me when the coast was clear. I went to him. "I forgot to mention you need to press a button to release all of the dogs at once. I was confused.

"A button?" I questioned. He nodded.

"On the wall there." We looked at the wall. There was something on it all right. I looked at him, and nodded. I was about to go, when he spoke again. "Oh, and there's glass surrounding it. You need to break it.

"How?"

"How should I know? Scratch it or something." I sighed, and walked towards it.

Once at the button, I looked at it. I scratched at it.

I must have made a thousand (I don't know really) scratch marks with no luck. I sighed. This is going to take forever! I then had an idea.

I walked back a little, looked back at it, and ran to it. I rammed my head into it, and CRASH! I broke the window! The glass went into my paw pads. I felt sheer pain course into me. OWCH! I tried not to yelp too loudly, but man, it hurt like heck!

"PRESS THE BUTTON!" I heard Frisky bark at me. Though my pain, I managed to lift my sour paw, now caked with blood, and pressed the button. A shrill sound sounded as cage doors opened, letting all of the dogs go free. Frisky ran to me.

"We're free, Squirt!" He said with glee. He noticed my injured paw, and his eyes widened. "Oh, you're bleeding!"

"Yeah, and it really hurts!" I told him though my pain.

"Well, can you walk on it?"

"I don't know."

"Hey!" Someone shouted. We looked, and saw that it was the dogcatcher!

"Well, you're going to have to go now!" Frisky stated. I tried to stand up, but couldn't. The pain was just too great.

"I…can't." Frisky ran off when the dogcatcher came up to us. "Frisky, don't leave me here!" I whimpered in pain. The dogcatcher frowned.

"Oh, you poor Chihuahua. Just stay here; I'll go call the vet." He ran off. I tried to stand up, but couldn't. Frisky then came back with Dolly, Lucky, and Strudel.

"Ohhh!" Dolly observed with a wince. "That looks painful!"

"It looks painful?" I questioned. "It is painful!"

"You should see a vet." Strudel suggested.

"I think I am." I told her. She was confused.

"You are?"

"Yeah. The dogcatcher said something about calling the vet."

"That's great; the vet can help you! Eva and Franz used to take me there. You might hate it, but they are just trying to make you feel better."

"You really think the vet can help me?"

"Of course. That's what they do."

"He's coming back!" Frisky warned. He and the others were off. The dogcatcher came back to me with a blanket, wrapped me into it, and picked me up.

"Now, let's get you to the vet." He said. "See? I'm not a bad guy to you dogs once you get to know me." He waked off.

Once at the vet's, and after the dogcatcher talked to someone behind something, we had to wait with other pets and their owners. There were birds, cats, dogs, bunnies, and Guiana Pigs. One of the dogs, a Basset Hound, looked at me.

"What happened to you?" I told him.

"Gee, that's too bad." He said when I was done.

"Yeah." I agreed. "But that is what I get for helping out dogs in need."

"Don't beat yourself up. You changed dogs' lives, maybe saved some. You should be proud of that." I smiled.

"Thanks, I am."

"Vincent!" Someone called. The dogcatcher stood up with me.

"That's us." He said to me. The Basset Hound and I said our goodbyes, and he wished me luck, and a good recovery as we left.

"How are you, darling?" Dolly asked me when I was alone with her and the other dogs. I was in a leg cast. I was staying at the dogcatcher's house until my leg gets better.

"Fine." I answered. "I lost a lot of blood, and I have to wear this leg cast for a week."

"That's good." Frisky frowned.

"What's the matter?" I asked him.

"It's all my fault." He answered. "I shouldn't have told you to let the other dogs out. If I haven't done that, you wouldn't have needed to break open the glass, and you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, kid. We let the dogs go free so that they can find homes and whatnot. You should feel proud. I may of hurt myself, but I don't care. It could have been much worse. It was a great sacrifice, and I'll do it again if I need to. Now, let's go find that family of yours." I stood up.

"But you can't." Lucky said. "You're hurt."

"I only have a limp. I'll be fine."

"You better rest." Dolly told me. I shook my head.

"No, I can't do that. I'll only slow Frisky down, but if it means finding him a happy home, I'm willing to do it." I was about to walk off when the dogs stood in my path.

"We'll find this pup a home." I looked at him.

"You'd do that?"

"Yes." I looked at Frisky.

"You're okay with this?" He nodded.

"If it means you'll rest that leg, and have a good recovery, I'm willing to do it." I smiled. He smiled back.

"Okay. Find yourself a nice family, kid."

"Thanks, I will." They were about to leave when the door opened. A human kid looked at Frisky, and grinned.

"Oh, I love this breed!" She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Daddy, can I keep it? Can I?" The pound person came, along with a woman.

"Now Sarah, a dog is…"

"I know, a huge responsibility. But, I researched every fact there is to know about Newfoundlands. I know how to take care of it." The parents laughed. He gestured to the others and me.

"Just one, sweetie. I don't want these other dogs."

"I know. You can take the others to the pound, and the Chihuahua once he's better. I just want this one." Dolly and the others smiled, as did I.

"Well, Frisky." She stated. "Looks like you found your perfect person." It was Frisky's turn to smile.

"I guess I did."

A week later, or I assumed it was a week because my leg cast finally came off. I was back at the pound with other dogs. I was miserable, but at least Frisky has a nice home now. I'll just have to find a way to escape.

One day, when we were taken out for possible adoption, I made my escape. I didn't need a family. I just wanted to help find dogs theirs like the Pound Puppies, that'll make me happy. The dogcatcher yelled at me, but I didn't listen. I just ran and ran. Not once did I look back.

"Squirt!" I heard a familiar accent. I looked, and was shocked to see Strudel. Lucky and Dolly were also there. "I see that you're all recovered. Where are you going?"

"I'm going to do what you guys do." I told her. "I'm going to find strays, and help them find families."

"Why don't you join us?" Lucky asked.

"No. I'll do it by myself."

"Are you sure?" Dolly wanted to know. "It'll be less lonely with other dogs around."

"No, no, I'm sure."

"Well, alright, suit yourself." I thought about this. They were about to go when I spoke up to them. "Wait; maybe I will go with you guys. Before Frisky, I've been on my own a long time, it's time for some friends." Dolly smiled.

"We'll be happy to have you."

"Yeah, ja!" Lucky and Strudel both said at the same time.

"You won't regret this." Lucky said to me. I smiled at him.

"I'm already not regretting this, Lucky." He smiled.