Free Max the Missing Puppy by Holly Webb Page B

one of them?” Molly stretched out her fingers to the puppies, who came over at once to sniff and lick them. She tickled them behind their ears, and hugged them as they climbed up into her lap. “Couldn’t we…?”
    “Only one, Molly!” Mum said firmly. “One dog is quite enough work.”
    Dad was nodding too, and Molly sighed and looked back at the puppies. Just then, the puppy with the right eyepatch struggled off her knee and went to join his sisters, who were taking turns hanging off their mum’s ears.
    The other puppy watched them for a minute, then turned and gazed up at Molly, his tongue hanging out a bit so he looked gorgeously goofy. Molly giggled. “OK,” she said, lifting him gently under his front legs, and snuggling him up against her shoulder.“Please can we have this one? He’s really friendly and cuddly.”
    Mum leaned over to pet him. “He definitely is adorable. What are we going to call him?”
    Molly gave the puppy a thoughtful look as he slobbered into her shoulder. “I think we should call him Max!”

Chapter Two
    A week later, Molly and her parents were able to take Max home. He was eight weeks old now, and ready to leave his mother. Two of his sisters were about to go to new homes too, and Mrs Hughes said she was sure the others would find owners soon.
    Molly still wished they could have Max’s brother as well, they were such adouble act that Molly hated to split them up. Then Max spotted Molly, flung himself at her, and nearly knocked her over, and Molly thought that maybe two dogs doing that all the time might be a bit much. But she was so happy that he remembered her!
    “Hmmm. We’re going to have to take him to a good puppy-training class,” Molly’s mum said. “It won’t be long before he’s big enough to hurt someone by accident. We need to be able to get him to calm down.”
    Mrs Hughes was nodding. “I can recommend a trainer local to you. Max’s just had his first shots, so you can take him to classes in a couple of weeks when he’s had the second set. It’s really good to start young.”

    It was very exciting taking Max home, there was so much to show him. Mum and Dad had already spent ages fitting a dog-guard in the boot of the car so that Max had his own special place to ride. Mum had to keep telling Molly to sit still, as she just couldn’t help twisting round in her seat to check that Max was OK, all on his own back there.
    At the house there was his new basket, his food bowl, and his lead for walks. Mrs Hughes had said to introduce him to outdoor walks gently, as he was only used to quick runs in her garden at the moment. Molly was really looking forward to taking him for walks on the beach, but they needed to wait until after Max’s booster vaccinations.
    Meanwhile Max was loving settling in to his new home. He did miss his brother and sisters, but Molly was a new and interesting person to play with, and he had her all to himself. He didn’t have to share his toys either, and there were loads! Molly had spent all her pocket money on tennis balls, and a hard nylon bone that would be good for Max’s new teeth. They had a brilliant afternoon, playing new and exciting games. Max ran about so much he fell asleep in the middle of a game of Boo that they’d invented with the blanket from his basket. He suddenly stopped bouncing, and when Molly peered worriedly under the blanket to check he was all right, she found him flaked out with his nose between his paws, fast asleep.

    Molly had begged for Max to be allowed to sleep in her room, but Mum and Dad said no. They knew it would end up with Max on Molly’s bed and not in his basket, even though Molly promised it wouldn’t. “It’s all very well having a puppy on your bed, Molly,” Mum explained, “but once Max is his full size, there’d be no room in your bed for you! You can’t let him on to your bed now and then change your mind when he’s bigger, he wouldn’t understand.”
    So Max had to stay