Chapter 2
"Why can't I ever have any fun around here?" Alvin began complaining as he carried the trash outside. "It's not like they got hurt. They just overreacted. And Simon! Why can't he ever keep his big, furry mouth shut? He and Dave always want to ruin my fun."
Alvin sat down on the back step with his arms crossed, pouting. It was just no fair! There was nothing that could get Alvin out of his mood, except a strange noise coming from the backyard. He jerked his head up and immediately thought a kidnapper was coming to lock him in an old cage in the middle of nowhere and force him to sing night and day. Alvin crept over to the bush where he heard the noise. The bush moved again. Alvin's stomach lurched, and his palms became sweaty. He approached the bush again and saw a sandy-colored flash. Alvin gulped, thinking it was the burlap sack the kidnapper was going to use.
All of a sudden, the kidnapper jumped out from behind the bush! Alvin prepared himself to fight. However, it would be very hard for the kidnapper to take Alvin, since he didn't have any hands! In fact, the kidnapper wasn't a human at all but a dog. It had the face of a Brittany Spaniel, the body type of a Labrador Retriever, the fur of an Australian Sheepdog, and the color of a tan American Cocker Spaniel. In other words, he was a mutt, a very dirty mutt at that. He was not completely emaciated, but he was skinny enough to where some of his bones protruded. There was no collar to be seen. His face and matted fur were covered in grey dirt and burrs. He smelled just as bad as the garbage Alvin just threw out. In spite of this, he gave a friendly bark at Alvin, wagged his tail, and advanced towards him.
Alvin wasn't sure what to do. This dog could have rabies. "But, a dog this friendly can't be that bad. He isn't foaming at the mouth," reasoned Alvin. Cautiously, he held out his hand to pet the dog. He barked again and licked Alvin's hand. Alvin smiled and started to pet the dog, who was wagging his tail all the while. Then, Alvin stared into the dog's eyes. The dog stared right back. It was like they could stare into each other's souls. They held this gaze for a few moments, and a special bond formed between them that could never be broken.
"Theodore! Simon! Come out here!"
The dog started sniffing around Alvin, probably looking for something to eat. The screen door opened.
"What is it, Alvin?" asked Simon.
"A dog!" Theodore exclaimed. "Where did you get him?"
"He just wandered into our yard."
"He looks so cute!" Theodore eagerly started to pet him.
"Theodore! You shouldn't touch a wild animal. It could carry diseases."
"It's alright, Simon," Alvin reassured. "I touched him, and I'm not keeling over with a disease."
Theodore giggled as the dog licked his face. Getting excited, the dog ran around him and then ran up to Simon. He sat down in front of him and gave Simon the same gaze he gave Alvin. Simon stared back, and an instant bond formed between them too.
"What should we do with him?" asked Theodore.
"Give him a bath first," Simon replied. "I can't even tell what breed he is under all that filth."
Simon pulled out the garden hose, and Alvin got an old towel from the garage. Theodore volunteered to get the soap. He reappeared with dish soap, shampoo, and Dave's comb.
"Come here, boy!" Theodore coached the dog. "Simon, will you please turn on the water?"
"Wait!" Alvin said as he ran in the house. He came back with three pairs of rubber gloves. "We'll need these."
"Good thinking," Simon replied and turned on the hose "Okay, Theodore, the water's ready."
"Thanks, Simon. You can hold the water, I'll hold the dog, and Alvin, you can wash him."
The following sight was quite comical to watch. Alvin squeezed the soap carelessly, getting some on his clothes and the grass. When he bent down to lather the dog, he just started licking Alvin's face. When Alvin was finally able to lather up the soap, the dog started to squirm and slipped out of Theodore's grasp. Simon had been holding up the hose, prepared to rinse the dog. When he ran away, Simon got Theodore wet instead. Alvin started chasing the dog, who was getting even dirtier from all the mud that the hose had produced. The dog slipped out of Alvin's grasp when Alvin caught him, making Alvin fall in a pile of mud. Theodore helped him up, and all three started chasing the dog around the yard. They tried calling for the dog, but in vain. The dog just barked at them and ran faster. He thought this was a fun new game.
Next door, the Chipettes were wondering what all the commotion was. Jeanette went outside to investigate and quickly called her sisters out when she saw the Chipmunks with a dog. They started laughing as they watched them. The Chipmunks were running into each other, getting muddier by the minute. The dog was too smart for them. Then he headed straight for the Chipettes' house. Brittany screamed and ran onto the porch.
"Don't let that muddy beast get me!"
Jeanette decided the safest place to be was up on the porch too. She tripped on the second step as she sat down next to Brittany. Eleanor joined in the chase to catch the dirty fugitive. She helped them herd the dog back into the Chipmunks' yard, where they tried to get him again for his bath. By this time, their pace had slowed down significantly.
Simon stopped running and snapped his fingers with an idea he had. He went in the garage and found some rope. He formed it into a lasso and tried to loop it around the dog's neck. Sadly, Simon's cowboy skills weren't as good as his inventing skills were. The rope missed it's target four times and fell on Alvin the fifth time.
"Do I look like the dog?!" Alvin snatched the rope from his hands and lassoed the dog on the first try.
With all five tired and heavily panting, Alvin just tied the dog to a tree and sat down with Eleanor and his brothers to catch his breath. Jeanette and Brittany joined them when they saw the coast was clear. Brittany, however, kept a good distance away from the dog.
"Where did you get the dog, Simon?" Jeanette asked as she looked at the dog.
"He wandered into our yard."
"You should get the poor thing some water." With that, Jeanette picked up the hose and clumsily dragged it over to the dog and gave him a nice long drink.
"He could use a snack too," Eleanor commented. "We don't have dog food, and it's not a good idea to give him human food. But, this time can be an exception." She went inside their house and came out with some pieces of lunch meat. The dog gobbled them up as soon as it was given to him.
"What were you doing trying to give it a bath for?" Brittany folded her arms in front of her. "Shouldn't you be trying to find his owners?"
"We want to return him to them clean, don't we?" Alvin surlily replied with a dirty look. He didn't want it known right away that he wouldn't part with this dog for the world.
"Besides, he doesn't have any owners. We want to keep him."
"Now, Theodore, we don't know for certain that he doesn't have owners."
"I'm sure he doesn't, Simon."
Eleanor fixed her pigtails that had come loose during the chase. "I didn't know you wanted a dog again."
"Yeah, we miss Lily a lot."
"Well, I'm sure you'll be able to take care of this dog better because you're older and more responsible" Jeanette stated, putting the hose away.
"But how are you going to convince Dave?" challenged Brittany. She was still mad at Alvin with what he did to her earlier that day.
"We'll deal with him later. Now let's give this dog his bath." Alvin carried the bath supplies to the tree.
"Do want some help?" Eleanor offered.
"Sure! Here's some gloves."
"Thank you, Theodore."
The Chipmunks, Jeanette, and Eleanor started washing the dog again. Simon was still holding the hose. The rest were scrubbing the dog clean. Brittany had disappeared. After that, Jeanette got the towel, and they dried him off. Brittany interrupted them and suggested that they should use her hair dryer too. Alvin thought it was a good idea and went to take it. Brittany jerked her hand back, proclaiming that she was the only one allowed to handle her hair dryer. The dog was dry in no time. Alvin then started combing the dog's fur. Simon gently clipped the burrs and mats from his fur, and Theodore cleaned up their mess. When they were all done, they saw their hard work had paid off. The dog looked beautiful, even show dog worthy. His coat gleamed; his tail and tongue wagged. The dog knew he looked irresistible, and he was proud of it.
"Doesn't he look perfect?" Theodore sighed.
"Yeah," said Alvin, sighing himself.
"But we don't," Simon realized as he stared down at his grass stained, muddy turtleneck.
"I was wondering when you'd notice," remarked Brittany. The Chipmunks went inside to change while the Chipettes watched the dog.
When they came out, Eleanor asked, "Are you really going to keep the dog?"
"I want him!" Theodore exclaimed.
"He would be a lot of fun to have around the house." Alvin was trying not to act excited, but his face told otherwise.
"I'd really love to keep him," Simon said wistfully. "If only Dave would say 'yes'."
"You should give him a name," Jeanette suggested. "If you gave him a name and told Dave how much you really want him, maybe he'll say you can keep him."
"That's a good idea. It just might work. But what would we name him?"
"That's easy." Alvin placed his hand gracefully upon his chest. "This dog is sweet, charming, lovable, and handsome. His name should be Alvin."
They all rolled their eyes. Theodore protested, "I think we should name him Dulce."
"What kind of a name is that?"
Simon spoke up, "It's French for 'sweet'. It's also used in candy." Theodore licked his lips.
"You could name him Rover or Sparky," Brittany joked.
Alvin ignored her and said, "Butch is a good name. Wait, no! I like Killer even better!"
"Killer?!" They all thought Alvin was crazy. This dog looked like he couldn't hurt a fly.
"I like Max for a name," Eleanor said.
"Personally, I like Thomas or Albert for our pet. He's so smart; I think it would be perfect for him."
"No!" Alvin and Theodore shouted.
"It was just a suggestion."
"Buddy?" Theodore asked.
"No."
Simon studied the dog. "He looks like a Bailey."
"I kind of like that name," Theodore responded.
"Yeah, that's good," Brittany remarked.
"How about Sammy?" Jeanette suggested. "It looks like he's smiling, and the name fits his personality. Even his bark sounds happy."
"I've got it!" Alvin exclaimed. "What was the name of the first person we ever sang for?"
"Dave," Simon replied bluntly.
"No! I mean after Dave."
"I don't know," thought Theodore. "We sang on the radio after that."
"Right! And who did we sing for?"
"You mean Rockin' Rod?" Simon tried.
"Yes!"
"I wouldn't exactly call that "singing for him". We sang in his studio over the radio, not exclusively for him."
"That's not the point. What if we named the dog after him?"
"We name him Rod?"
"That sounds stupid," stated Brittany flatly. "It sounds like a rod of a fishing rod or something used to hit someone in the head with." Another mean glance was directed at Alvin.
"I was thinking more of Rodney." He gave her another dirty look. The dog had been quietly lying down during this conversation, but when he heard "Rodney", his ears perked up, and he wagged his tail a little bit.
"I think the dog likes it," pointed Eleanor.
"I like the name too," Theodore and Jeanette agreed. Brittany stated that "Rodney" sounded much more sensible than "Rod" did.
Simon pondered the name a moment and replied, "Yes. I think that's a very fitting name. 'Rodney' it is." Rodney uttered an exuberant bark in approval.
"Let's play with him now," suggested Theodore.
"With what?" asked Brittany.
"A stick of course. Here, Rodney. Fetch!"
Simon sighed. "Theodore, he's not going to listen-"
"What were you saying, Simon?" Alvin pointed to Rodney who was already bringing back the stick.
"He just chased after the stick. He didn't listen to the command."
"Oh really? Hey, Rodney, roll over!" Rodney did as he was told.
"Speak!" commanded Theodore. "Please?" Rodney barked.
"Well, I'll be," Simon uttered.
"I think his previous owners trained him," Jeanette stated.
"Cool! That's one less responsibility we have to worry about. You're such a smart dog, Rodney." Alvin scratched behind Rodney's ears.
"And that could help convince Dave to let us keep him," Simon added.
The Chipmunks and Chipettes continued playing with Rodney while they waited for Dave to come home. The Chipmunks didn't know how Dave would react to Rodney, but the more they played with him, the more they knew they couldn't say goodbye to their new friend.
