EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY

Written by Zack Wanzer and Rachel Ravens

Set during Series 19-20

One afternoon, Rosie was bringing some supplies to the Sodor Search and Rescue Center with Bruno. It had been a quiet day for the rescue crew so far, for no emergencies had come up.

"Good afternoon, Rosie, Bruno," said Belle. "How have you been doing?"

"Pretty well," said Rosie. "Glad to see you guys get a break. It can't be easy being on call all the time."

"Well, we do get help outside the rescue center," said Flynn.

"Oh, I can imagine," said Bruno. "From other firefighters, the police, doctors…"

"Arf arf!"

"Was that a dog?!" Rosie blinked in surprise.

"I didn't know the rescue center housed dogs!" exclaimed Bruno.

"Well, it didn't for a time," chuckled Harold. "Come on out, chaps."

In no time at all, six furry faces popped out from Belle and Flynn's shed. They walked over to Rosie, her crew, Bruno and his guard, eagerly wagging their tails.

"Aww, hello, little ones," cooed Rosie. One of the dogs, a Dalmatian, placed its paw on her buffer. "My name is Rosie and this is Bruno. It's a pleasure to meet you, sweetie."

The Dalmatian showed its tag on the collar, which read "Perdita". "Oh, like that movie 101 Dalmatians," Bruno giggled.

"Yes, my stoker's son loves that movie," said Belle. "That's how we came up with Perdita's name."

"What are the other dogs' names?" asked Rosie.

"Well, the German Shepherd is called Delgato," said Captain, "the sheepdog's name is Shep, Buddy is the Golden Retriever, Lady's the Cocker Spaniel, and the Collie's called Lassie."

"Oh, we could cuddle with them all day," said Rosie's driver; he was patting Lady on the head.

"How did they end up becoming a part of the rescue team?" asked Bruno.

"Well," said Belle, "that's quite a story. Flynn and I had just fought a fire near Crosby…"

Two Years Ago

"Phew!" I panted. "That was some fire this time…"

"Indeed," sighed Flynn. "I was wondering if we needed Angus' help to put it out."

"At least we can get a rest at the Search and Rescue Center," I agreed. I was attached to some water tankers in case I ran out, and I also had a workman's coach with me in case anyone got hurt. While we didn't need it at the fire… we did need it sooner than I thought.

As Flynn and I rounded a bend, I saw something move from the corner of my eye in the grass.

"Driver, stoker!" I called. "Did you two see that?!"

"I did," my driver exclaimed. "It's… too far away to see."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it," my stoker replied. "Probably just some rabbits hopping by."

"That looked too big to be a rabbit," I insisted. "And its nose looked too pointy."

Flynn braked to a stop and got a closer look. "Great fires of London!" he cried. "That looks like a puppy!"

"A puppy?!" I gasped, braking alongside Flynn. "Oh dear! Someone's lost their furry friend!"

"It's not alone," remarked Flynn. "There's two puppies… Three, four, five… six lost puppies!"

"Six lost puppies?" I repeated. "What are they doing out here?"

"I'm not sure," said Flynn. "But one thing I do know for sure… we can't just leave them out here."

My driver, stoker and Flynn's driver all scrambled out to get the puppies. However, the puppies' ears drooped and they scampered away.

"Oh dear!" my driver cried. "It's okay, little ones; don't run away!"

"Eva…" My stoker put a hand on her shoulder. "The poor things most likely have trust issues. They won't come to us if we're chasing them."

"How are we going to get them to come to us?" my driver asked, before turning to Flynn's. "Any ideas, Sam?"

"Hmm…" Flynn's driver gave a thoughtful nod. "I have some chicken in my sandwiches. If we put it in a bowl, maybe they'll eat it."

Flynn's driver laid out the bowl of chicken, and he and my crew hid in some bushes. Sure enough, the puppies smelled the delicious chicken, and started nibbling on it.

"That's it," whispered Flynn's driver. He placed more chicken in a trail leading back to the workman's coach. The puppies slowly followed, not knowing what was about to happen. Soon, they scrambled in.

"Okay, now!" called Flynn's driver. My crew quickly shut the coach's door. The puppies scrambled up anxiously, trying to scratch the door open.

"Goodness!" cried the guard. "Are there… puppies onboard?!"

Flynn's driver quickly explained what had happened. "We couldn't leave them stranded."

"No, you're right," said the guard. "Don't worry, they'll be looked after in here."

Unfortunately for the guard, that was easier said than done. The puppies were, at first, very tired from their adventure, and fell asleep in the corner.

"Sweet dreams, little ones," the guard smiled. "You behave now. I need to get back to work."

No sooner had he left them alone, when the puppies began to cause trouble. One of them started to sniff one of the coach's seats, and curiously bit into it.

"Arf, arf!" the puppy barked, and the others leapt onto various seats. They all started to chew them, and play with the upholstery all over the floor.

When Flynn and I arrived back at the Rescue Center, we quickly told Harold, Butch, Captain and Rocky what we discovered.

"Whoever lost those puppies must be devastated," gasped Rocky.

"We'd better take care of them until their owner comes to claim them," added Harold.

"Two rescues in one day; well done, you two!" praised Butch. At that moment, the guard opened the door to the workman's coach, and was horrified at the sight he saw.

"Oh no, no, no, you're eating the coach!" he cried. "Don't eat the coach! Not the coach! Go on, you! Get!" The six of us glanced over in surprise as the guard ushered the puppies out… each holding remains of the upholstery in their mouths.

"Oh dear…" sighed Flynn. "Guess we'll need Victor and Kevin to fix that…"

Soon, the puppies were being given some fresh water in bowls. The manager of the Rescue Center had called for a veterinarian to check over them.

"Ah, so these are the patients," said the vet. "Come on, little ones." The vet, however, didn't have the easiest time with them. "Oh, heh, you cheeky darling!" she laughed. "I'm trying to examine you. Kisses later."

I'm sorry to say that the puppies kept on giving kisses to the vet, not that she minded too much. It was thankful that the only injuries the puppies had were some minor scratches and some matted fur.

"You just need to brush them," said the vet to my crew and Flynn's driver, "and the scratches should heal quickly." She reached into her bag and got out a scanning device. She picked up the collie puppy. "Hmm… let's see about… huh?! Oh my…"

"No microchips?!" I cried. "But… how would the owners know if someone else has found them if they got lost?"

"Perhaps these poor little dears didn't have an owner," the vet suggested. "If they did, whoever owned them didn't treat them right."

"That'd explain the trust issues," gasped Flynn.

"And lack of collars," added Rocky.

"What's going to happen to those puppies?" asked Butch.

"Well," said the vet, "if no one claims ownership to them, they belong to the Search and Rescue Center. That is… if any of your crews are willing to take them on."

"So who's going to take care of whom?" asked Captain. "Did you know that Golden Retrievers are good swimmers?"

"Oh, yes," I said. "My stoker read a book somewhere about that. I think that dog is yours, Captain."

The Golden Retriever rushed over to Captain and hopped onto his deck.

"I think you and I will be good buddies," he smiled.

"Hey," said his sailor, "that's actually the name of a famous golden retriever from a movie series – Buddy. Is this one a boy?"

"He is, yes," smiled the vet. "Do you like the name Buddy?" The Golden Retriever barked once, indicating "yes".

The Dalmatian rushed onto Flynn's side and sniffed curiously at the hose.

"Oh, Dalmatians are famous for being fire dogs," said Flynn. "I think I'll take this one. Now… are you a boy or a girl?"

"This one is a girl," said the vet.

"I know," said my stoker. "How about we call her Perdita, after the mother of the Dalmatian puppies?"

The Collie ended up leaping into the air a few times, as if it was trying to touch the sky.

"Well, I do need a dog who isn't afraid of heights," chuckled Harold. "What do you say? Want to fly with me on rescues sometimes?" The Collie eagerly raced up the stairs to Harold and pawed at his door. "Heh, okay, not yet, little one. No emergencies have been called right now."

"This one's another girl," said the vet.

"How about… Lassie?" asked Harold's pilot. "There's some old stories about a dog looking similar to this one." Lassie gave Harold's pilot a big sloppy kiss. "I'll take that as a yes."

"That German Shepherd looks very bold," said Rocky. "I think he'd do very well on rescues if people get caught under rubble. Er… he is a boy, right?" The German Shepherd nodded and rushed to Rocky's side.

"How about… Delgato?" asked Rocky's operator. "I think it fits a bold breed like this one." Delgato rolled onto his belly and wagged his tail.

"I like the sheepdog," said Butch. "He looks very quick for his small size."

"He is just a puppy," his driver reminded him. "He'll grow." As if to prove his point, the puppy nearly bowled over Butch's driver in excitement. "How about we call him… Shep?"

"Bit on the nose there," said Butch, but Shep just wagged his tail. "Oh, you like it? Okay, Shep it is."

That left me with the Cocker Spaniel. She – yes, the vet confirmed she was a girl – was very dainty on her paws, yet could keep up just as well with the other puppies.

"Very ladylike," I commented. "Wasn't there a movie about a dog like this?"

"Lady and the Tramp!" said Flynn's driver. "I watched that all the time when I was little. Lady was a Cocker Spaniel, just like this one."

"Then Lady it is," I smiled. "What do you think, Lady?" Lady placed a paw on my bufferbeam and seemed to smile back.

"Well, that's decided then," said the chief. "Welcome to the team, Buddy, Lassie, Shep, Delgato, Perdita and Lady."

Present Day

"And over the last couple of years," Belle finished, "the puppies grew up and have been given training to help out in emergencies."

"I didn't think they could do that," said Bruno.

"Oh, you'd be surprised, Bruno," chuckled Harold. Just then, the siren went off in the Rescue Center. The dogs quickly got themselves into position.

"Duty calls," said Belle. "What's the emergency this time?"

"There's a fire at Kirk Ronan harbor!" the chief announced. "Belle, Flynn, you know what to do."

"Right you are, chief!" said Flynn. "Come on, Perdita! We have some civilians in danger!"

"You too, Lady," said Belle. "Up you come." Both dogs quickly hopped aboard, and the fire engines raced away.

"Hey, wait!" called Rosie. "I was supposed to make my next delivery there. Maybe Bruno and I can warn everyone to get out of the way!"

"We'll need all the help we can get," said Flynn. "Come on!"

Down at Kirk Ronan harbor, the fire was already starting to burn up some crates.

"Clear out! Clear out!" cried Tess. "You too, Julie, run!"

"I can't!" Julie called. "It's my–!"

Suddenly, sirens blared and Belle and Flynn raced into the scene; Rosie with Bruno were close behind. The two fire engines wasted no time in dousing the flames.

"I got you, Julie!" called Rosie; she was coupled up to the Midi tank engine and pulled her away a safe distance.

"Oh, Rosie, Bruno…" Julie sobbed. "My driver's in the blaze… I don't know where he is!"

"Don't worry," said Bruno. "The professionals will find him."

Perdita and Lady were carefully sniffing the area and listening. There were still some people struggling to get out of the fire, but most of the fire brigade were already rescuing them. However, there was one very persistent groaning. Perdita directed her tail toward the left, and she and Lady raced after the sound.

"Oww…" moaned a male voice. "Ugh… my leg…" Lady touched her nose to the man's face in concern. "Aww… thank you… am I glad you're here."

Lady nodded her head at Perdita, and the Dalmatian bolted off to find help for the man.

Perdita found a group of firefighters, barking loudly to get their attention.

"Okay, okay, Perdy," said one of them. "Lead us to the person in trouble."

Thankfully, it didn't take long for the group to find out where the man was… and they quickly figured out who it was.

"Ian?!" cried one of the firefighters. "How did you get into this mess?" They quickly set to work to free him; even Lady and Perdita tried to nose the beam off.

"I left Julie to go and talk to the harbormaster," he explained. "But then, some idiot teenager thought it would be a good idea to scare Tess while she was unloading fireworks! There were some loose beams that were burning because of it, and… well…"

"We'll get Barbara Regaby onto that," said another firefighter. "Why would anyone think it's a good idea to play with fireworks?!"

"I have no idea," said a third. "But I do know something… Perdita, Lady, you two are good girls. You did very well to find Ian."

Perdita and Lady barked their thanks.

"Oh, thank goodness," cried Julie. "Ian, you're alive!"

"Thanks to these two fur babies, I am." Her driver gestured to Lady and Perdita.

"Wow!" gasped Rosie. "You two really are clever. And I imagine the same can be said for your friends too."

"Whoever decided to toss these precious ones out was messed up in the head," said Bruno. "They're all so sweet… and brave."

Perdita and Lady shyly brushed their paws back and tilted their heads to the side.

Unfortunately, no one could ever figure out who tossed those puppies out, but their loss was the Rescue Center's gain, and they always assisted on the rescue missions that followed. They became very popular with engines, rolling stock and non-engines alike, and always waited to see if their crew members would drop something tasty for them on the ground.

However, Barbara Regaby did manage to find one criminal that day…

"You are to be put into juvenile detention," she said firmly to the teenager.

"It was just a joke!"

"Save your excuses for court…" she muttered. "I swear, those teenagers who wrecked my husband's car the day we met were tame compared to this…"

THE END

Author's Comments

Three stories in a row without any Steam Team members in a starring role; I swear, this was not intentional! But on the other hand, since the most recent few stories, including this one, each took place in a different area, it makes Sodor feel a lot bigger. This time, the focus goes to the Search and Rescue team, though it's mainly Belle and Flynn who take the spotlight, with Rosie playing a supporting role. We also get the appearance of another All Engines Go character, Tess the crane, who resides at Kirk Ronan harbor; her debut story will come soon for Set 4. I wasn't intending for this story to come out in the wake of the attacks on Israel, but the message about helping others in need certainly feels poignant. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families.

Upcoming stories:

- Whistling Wilfred - Whilst out on a run outside of Peel Godred, Stevie the electric engine learns about how Wilfred gained his nickname as "the musical engine".

- Emily's Delivery - Helen Hatt goes into labor while on Emily's train, and the emerald engine has to rush her to the hospital, but can she make it on time?

- The Lion and the Antelope - The engines become afraid of a new crane that's been brought to help at Crock's Scrap Yard. However, one of the engines has a history with him...

- Diesels and Bluebells - BoCo's first day on the Bluebell Railway as ambassador to the North Western Railway is met with controversy as some enthusiasts were expecting a steam engine instead of a diesel. Can BoCo win those enthusiasts over?

- A Special Friend for Duck - Duck witnesses an incident at Knapford station in which a child is belittled for being unable to handle big environments.