Back on Birdwell Island as it was almost sunset...
Emily Elizabeth biked around to find her big red dog. She couldn't find him, but she did find one of her human friends. "Any luck?" she then asked him.
"No," Charley frowned. "Did you go by the lighthouse?"
"Check." Emily Elizabeth frowned back.
"The park?" Charley frowned back.
"Check," Emily Elizabeth sighed. "I talked to Mrs. Diller and Sheriff Lewis, they say Cleo and T-Bone are missing too."
"Not only that, but so is Weenie." Eloise frowned as she walked up to them.
"Your dog's gone too?" Emily Elizabeth asked.
"He'd never leave me, but I guess he has," Eloise frowned. "All I could find was Skipperdee my turtle and Ditto, my Pokemon."
"Weird... It's like they're not even on the island anymore." Charley replied.
"I think you're right." Eloise said once she saw familiar giant paw prints.
"Charley, look!" Emily Elizabeth gasped.
They soon started to follow the paw prints.
"Where do you think they went?" Charley asked the girls.
"I don't know, but I do know he's with the others." Emily Elizabeth replied.
"Looks like it's time me, Detective Eloise of Fifth Avenue," Eloise said as she put on a pink detective cap with white polka dots with a tiny bow on the top of it on it like her bathing suit before she brought out a white magnifying glass. "I solved many mysteries in the Plaza Hotel, I can solve this mystery on Birdwell Island."
"I hope so." Emily Elizabeth said.
"The oatmeal in Mrs. Thornton's slippers?" Skipperdee asked Eloise. "That was you, remember?"
"She asked for it!" Eloise defended. "Besides, I've solved other mysteries than that back at the Plaza."
"You mean like that time you flooded the Plaza because of your bath when Mr. Salamone invited you to the Venetian Masked Ball in the Grand Ballroom?" Ditto asked.
"Whose side are you guys on?" Eloise pouted to her pet turtle and Pokemon.
"We're just stating the ones that were caused by you." Ditto said.
"Anyway!" Eloise rolled her eyes as she followed the paw prints in the sand with her magnifying glass.
"Careful, Eloise," Skipperdee warned. "Nanny said you'll get eye strain if you overdo that."
"Well, I don't get it," Charley shrugged. "Why would they leave?"
"You know animals can understand what humans say, even when someone is saying something that might sound mean." Eloise said while looking through her magnifying glass at the ground.
"What makes you say that?" Charley asked.
"I learned that from my Uncle Atticus, he says that animals understand humans more than they think," Eloise said. "Like, say if someone were to complain about Clifford's eating habit."
The last words Eloise said echoed in Emily Elizabeth's head. "Mr. Bleakman does say a lot about Clifford..." she then muttered.
"Mr. Bleakman?" Eloise asked.
"He's my next-door neighbor," Emily Elizabeth replied. "I try really hard not to bother him with Clifford, but he seems to always be in a mood whenever Clifford's around."
"Did he say anything that might have caused Clifford to run away?" Eloise asked.
"Well, I was doing my homework during this, but Mom and Dad told me that they talked with him about Clifford's eating habits." Emily Elizabeth replied.
"Well, I'm sure they'll be back." Eloise said.
"Do you think so, Eloise?" Emily Elizabeth asked. "I already lost Daffodil, I can't lose Clifford too."
"Who's Daffodil?" Eloise asked.
"My pet rabbit..." Emily Elizabeth replied softly. "She used to live with us in the city back when Clifford was a puppy."
"What happened to her?" Eloise asked.
"She died..." Emily Elizabeth frowned in memory.
"Oh...I'm so sorry." Eloise frowned.
"It's okay..." Emily Elizabeth replied.
"You never told us about her." Charley said to his friend.
"I wasn't thinking about her," Emily Elizabeth said. "We were just moving away from the only home we'd ever known. I guess I... Forgot about Daffodil..." she then winced as she felt bad for forgetting about her pet bunny rabbit who was her first pet before she had adopted Clifford on her birthday.
"Moving can do that sometimes." Eloise said.
Emily Elizabeth soon frowned and looked like she was going to cry.
"Oh, Emily, please don't cry." Charley soothed.
"I-I need some time alone." Emily Elizabeth frowned.
Charley and Eloise looked to each other, but watched as Emily Elizabeth walked off and stared out into the ocean.
We are shown another flashback to the city where Emily Elizabeth used to live in. Emily Elizabeth stared out the car window as she held Daffodil in a blanket while her mother drove them to the vet's office. Daffodil's breathing was now starting to slow down.
They soon pulled into the vet's office.
"Appointment for Daffodil Howard." Mrs. Howard told the nurse.
"Please wait for the doctor." The nurse said.
Mrs. Howard sat with her daughter and hugged her.
"Oh, Mom..." Emily Elizabeth frowned with tears in her eyes.
Soon enough, the doctor they waited for came out seconds later.
"Howards?" he then called out.
"Right here, Doctor." Mrs. Howard replied.
"Hello, Emily Elizabeth, how are you today?" The doctor asked softly.
"I-I'm fine," Emily Elizabeth sniffled. "Can you see if Daffodil is okay?"
"I will, don't worry." The doctor promised.
They soon went to one of the rooms. The vet soon took Daffodil. Daffodil shivered as she looked with wide eyes, but she actually couldn't see anything as the vet came to check on her while Emily Elizabeth waited with her mother. And were the vet could tell the symptoms that Daffodil had.
The nurse stood by while the doctor did his work and she assisted him whenever necessary.
"She's having a lot more pain..." The doctor diagnosed. "She's not eating much nor is she drinking... She's a bit cold underneath her fur... She's also sleeping when she shouldn't be."
"You don't mean that she could be... Dying, do you?" The nurse gasped.
"I'm afraid so, Nurse," The doctor replied softly. "Her heartbeat is decreasing by the minute."
"Oh, the poor dear will be heartbroken." The nurse frowned.
The heart monitor soon beeped slowly and slowly until it reached a flat line. The doctor and nurse looked very saddened by this and Emily Elizabeth was a little girl.
They soon came out with sad faces while carrying Daffodil.
"Well?" Mrs. Howard asked. "How is she?"
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Howard," The doctor replied bitterly. "She didn't make it."
"Y-You don't mean...?" Emily Elizabeth frowned.
"I'm sorry, Emily Elizabeth," The doctor sighed sharply. "Your pet rabbit has passed on to a greater plain."
Emily Elizabeth began to look heartbroken.
"I'm sorry." The doctor frowned to Emily Elizabeth.
The next thing Emily Elizabeth knew was that Daffodil was now being buried. Emily Elizabeth buried her face against her mother's shirt as she cried her eyes out. The flashback soon ended there.
Emily Elizabeth bowed her head as the sun glowed down over her face as she looked quite sad.
Meanwhile, back with the others who were getting exhausted.
"Man, I love to run, but I'm getting tired." Scruffy told the others.
"Me too." Dot panted.
"I haven't run this far since Eloise was caught for putting water down the mail chute on Prunella." Weenie added.
"I don't think I've run this far since that mean hot dog man chased me away before Dodger helped me." Oliver replied.
"I haven't run this much since I escaped Sykes." Vincent stated.
A drop of water soon dropped on T-Bone before he looked up to see a leaking barrel on top of a high stand. "Can we rest for a minute?" He then asked as he sat down and licked the drop of water. "I'm thirsty."
"Me too." Akito added.
Snow White soon yawned and stretched as she woke up more since it was night time.
"Good evening, Snow White." Oliver greeted.
"Are we there yet?" The white kitten asked.
"No, not yet, but they're close, I can feel it." Vincent said.
"We have to keep going, you guys," Clifford told the others. "If we don't, we'll never catch up with the carnival by tonight."
T-Bone soon looked to the leaking barrel after he got off Clifford's head and let the water fall in his mouth. Clifford soon got the top of the barrel off for a drink.
"I prefer creme, but I guess as they say in Rome, c'est la vie." Snow White shrugged.
"That's French." Weenie told her.
"Whatever." Snow White rolled her eyes and soon lapped up the water.
Everyone began to have their drink of water from the barrel.
"Ah..." Cleo smiled in relief and then bounced up her fur before yawning. "You know, a little cat nap wouldn't hurt."
"Can dogs take cat naps?" T-Bone asked.
"Anyone can." Atticus said.
"We can't rest here," Clifford shook his head. "I gotta stay outta sight."
"Hey, why don't we stop over there where that carnival is shutting down?" Teddy suggested.
"Carnival?" Everyone else asked out of surprise.
"Over there," Teddy pointed in the distance. "See?"
They soon started to make their way to the carnival.
"Guys!" T-Bone yelped until he grabbed onto Clifford's tail. "What about me?! Whoa, whee! I found it first!"
A rabbit shaped star constellation seemed to be watching over Clifford like a guardian angel. The rabbit constellation soon came to life and came out, looking like a real rabbit angel. Little did most people know, Heaven was divided between species, such as when Patch went to Heaven with Charlie, Itchy, and Carface before given a second chance after fetching Gabriel's Horn to save Annabelle and the other angels, so Daffodil was of course in Bunny Heaven and she looked down to her surrogate little brother who was Clifford now all grown up.
"I sure do miss him..." Daffodil sighed as she sat on a cloud. "He was a little pesty, but I guess that's just how puppies were... I should've been nicer to him." She looked up from Heaven before looking down to Clifford.
In a tent, a familiar ferret, cow, and two dogs were packing up a box together, though struggling to keep it shut.
"Okay, gang, Plan B, we gotta pack all over again." Shackleford told the others.
They soon got out of the way once they saw a giant paw.
"Holy cow, you guys are back!" Dorothy smiled.
"Yep, we sure are, and we brought our parents and our friends and our owners." Scruffy and Dot said.
"Amigos!" Rodrigo smiled.
"Hey, Rodrigo." Scruffy smiled back.
"We never thought we'd find you guys." Clifford added.
"So, Big Guy showed his mug after all." Shackleford smiled.
"Uh-huh." Clifford nodded to the ferret.
"We're ready to join." Scruffy said as the Fudo family and Jenny came next to the dog family and Georgette and Oliver and Kiki.
Shackleford looked the most delighted to hear that. "I knew it!" he then smiled. "No one in the right mind can resist the glow of the spotlight," he then took a look at Clifford's collar which seemed to be a problem. "Oh..."
"What is it?" Clifford frowned.
"You've got tags," Shackleford told him. "Larry would never take you if you already have a family. We're all streets! He only takes in strays, and this is Larry's Amazing Animals, not Larry's Amazing Humans!"
"What? These old things?" Cleo chuckled as she then took her tag off with T-Bone's and tossed them in the box.
"What is she up to?" Georgette whispered to herself.
"Aunt Cleo?" Kiki asked nervously.
"They're from like five owners ago!" Cleo chuckled as she removed everyone else's tags. "We've had these for years!"
"But I just got mine last-" T-Bone began.
"Zip it." Cleo warned him.
"Ohh." Georgette said, now understanding.
Everyone else soon got the message.
"Uh, right, then what about these humans?" Shackleford asked about the owners.
"Oh, um, these humans took us in and, uh, they're homeless." Scruffy lied.
"Really?" Shackleford asked before looking to Jenny. "She looks a bit rich to me..."
"I get that a lot," Jenny smiled nervously. "I'm just a street urchin like the others, but Akito, Estelle, and Vincent's parents live in a homeless shelter with us and our pets. We were just looking for a home to call our own."
"Nice acting." Vincent whispered to her.
"Thanks, I try." Jenny whispered back.
Shackleford seemed to buy their act.
"We just keep our dog tags and these humans around to fool the dog-catcher." Georgette smirked.
"Oh, yeah, yeah, smart," Shackleford chuckled to that. "Okay now, don't move, I'll go get Larry."
"Okay." Patch said.
Rodrigo soon rushed over to the others and ran around in excitement. "You all look fantastico!"
"Finally, some girl friends," Dorothy smiled to Cleo and the other females of the group. "I'm so excited! Oh, oh, oh, we'll make friendship bracelets, and trade lip gloss, and bake snickerdoodles!"
"Mm" Kiki smiled.
"Cool." Cleo agreed with her niece.
"Snickerdoodles are my specialty." Mo smiled to the cow.
"It's true." Estelle also smiled.
Shackleford was soon pulling Larry over so he could meet Clifford and the others.
"Okay, okay, Shacks, show me what's so important." Larry smiled.
Shackleford then pointed to the big red dog.
Larry gasped at first before then chuckling. "I don't believe it, he's huge!" he then looked down to the ferret. "We could sure use a big red dog in our show, eh, Shack?" He soon came over to the group. "Hmm... Do you all need a home?" he then asked the others while petting Cleo.
Cleo, Kiki, and T-Bone smiled innocently with Scruffy, Dot, Snow White, Oliver, and Georgette.
Larry soon saw the so-called homeless family. "Hey, uh, welcome to the family," The man told the family. "You all look pretty clean for homeless folks."
"We are," Mo acted. "We've been moving from homeless shelter to homeless shelter trying to find a place to truly call home."
"Really?" Larry asked. "Well, I suppose you all can stay here with your animals."
"Oh, thank you." Mo smiled.
"Sure thing, Miss." Larry smiled back.
"Oh, we should introduce ourselves." Mo said.
"So, who are ya folks?" Larry asked the others.
The Fudo family began to think of names so they wouldn't be recognized.
"This should be good." Patch muttered to himself with a small smirk about the Fudo family.
Atticus soon thought of the perfect names for him and the family and Jenny.
"So, who do we have here?" Larry asked.
"We're the Shore family," Atticus replied. "I'm Scott Sr, these are my children, Scott Jr, Zoe, and Olibu, and this is my lovely wife, Usagi."
"And who is this young lady?" Larry asked as he bent down to Jenny.
Jenny smiled nervously. "Erm... My name is... Um..."
"Ahiru." Estelle said for her pen pal.
"Uh, yes, that's my name." Jenny smiled.
"Well, nice to have you all aboard," Larry smiled back. "And Shackleford? Good job, pal. You always come through for us."
Shackleford smiled back, rather smugly.
The carnival soon started to power down.
"Come on," Larry told the others before waking off. "I'll make us a fire."
"Usagi?" Mo smirked to Atticus about her new alias.
"It was either that or Rue." Atticus said.
"Rue?" Mo asked curiously.
Atticus soon whispered to her of what both names meant. Mo smiled to him. Everyone gathered together to get settled in for the night.
"I'll tell you, kids, this is a lot like my childhood," Mo told Akito, Estelle, Vincent, and Jenny when they were alone. "Sleeping under the stars and using a fire for warmth... Just me and Angel with the Junkyard Dogs."
"Was it lonely being the only human in the group?" Jenny asked.
"Oh, sure it was," Mo replied. "I think Buster only recruited me because I had thumbs and I could get more food for him and all of us. I felt like I didn't need anybody but the dogs..." She then sighed in memory. "And then Akito, Estelle, and Vincent's father came over."
"Aw!" Jenny smiled.
Vincent blushed again.
"You're turning red a lot, son." Mo teased her eldest child.
"Oh, it's just really hot out here..." Vincent replied nervously.
"Sure." Atticus smirked.
"I-I mean... Aw..." Vincent stammered before sighing in defeat. "Okay, I really like Jenny... She makes me feel things that I never felt before."
"I felt the same way when I met your mother." Atticus smiled.
Mo blushed to Atticus.
"I know we're young, but I really feel like I love her, Dad." Vincent told Atticus.
"I know, son." Atticus smiled.
"She just caresses and makes my boyhood tremble..." Vincent replied melodramatically like the artist he was.
"What planet are you from, Romeo?" Estelle rolled her eyes with a smirk.
"Artist." Vincent said.
Akito and Estelle just chuckled to their older brother who felt he was more sophisticated than they were.
Larry was now reading a story. Everyone gathered around the fire with warm blankets as he told them the story of a dog named Benji until he soon finished as Rodrigo yawned and Dirk had fallen asleep by his feet. Even the pups enjoyed the story. Larry smiled as he tucked the dogs in as they fell asleep, and then went inside of his bus.
"I'm such a softy for that story." Dorothy smiled as she wiped her eyes with tears and even blew her nose.
"No one knew his craft like Benji," Rodrigo told the others. "He's the reason why I'm in the business."
"He sounds cool, but he's no Thunderbolt." Patch nodded. He soon noticed that Weenie, Clifford, Cleo, and T-Bone were looking a little homesick.
"Isn't show biz great?" Cleo smiled.
"Huh? Oh, yeah," Clifford replied. "Really... Great."
"Weenie?" Dot asked the pug dog which made him yelp at first.
"Charge it, please!" Weenie's eyes flashed open before he calmed down. "Sorry... Thinking."
"Homesick, right?" Dot asked.
"What?" Weenie smiled nervously. "No, why would I be homesick? I love being in show biz. It's not like I miss Eloise giving me a roast beef bone from Room Service, or going for walks with Nanny in the afternoon, this is the life for me."
Patch and the others could tell that Clifford, Cleo, T-Bone, and Weenie were missing their owners.
"This must remind you of your adventures with the Air Buddies, Dad." Scruffy smiled up to his father.
"It sure does." Patch smiled back.
"Our dogchildren..." Colette added.
"Which one is your favorite adventure with them?" Dot asked.
"Oh, that's hard to decide..." Patch replied. "They were all pretty good."
"I have to agree." Colette nodded.
"Okay, enough stories right now, it's time for bed." Patch told their puppies.
"Oh, Dad, we're not even tired..." Scruffy replied only to yawn.
"Yes, you are." Colette giggled.
Scruffy and Dot pouted before they soon began to fall asleep together. Patch came closer beside Colette and decided to get comfortable to sleep with her for the night like they did almost every night since Atticus and Mo got married. Clifford looked up at the full moon before he tried to sleep with his friends as a rabbit angel watched over him.