Free Field Trip by Gary Paulsen

I sat underneath the boss to protect them. I might have closed my eyes for a second or two. I’m not so young, either.
    Still, I can find my boy when he gets lost.
    We’re going to keep the muffin girl and her boy and the boy who works for the boss. They’ll come to the house a lot and we’ll get in the truck and go see them. And my boy will tell me stories about them and try to make me talk to them on the phone.
    I wish there were another way to make friends like this that didn’t involve bouncing in the van.
    At least we didn’t get a new puppy this time. That’s progress.
    Conor: I SAVED MY BOY!!! I had to pretend to chase a squirrel so Atticus could get to him first. I hope the boss didn’t forget he’s going to get me a puppy.

The Rescue
    After the world’s longest night, it’s finally morning. We survived the wilderness. Or, in my case, sleeping in the van with farting border collies. We now possess the woods version of street cred. We’re stiff and achy and we all smell a little funky, especially Brig, who reeks of vinegar, sour cream and onion potato chips and, I think, dead skunk.
    Jacob and Charlotte agree that we surpassed the official field trip in terms of practical learning experiences.
    “We are going to make everyone at school crazy with envy.” Charlotte nods.
    “If we head back now, we’ll have time to get our homework done tonight,” Jacob says. As if that’s something to look forward to.
    Dad takes the wheel and I sit in the passenger seat. I wonder if we can start feeling more normal, maybe even talk about what happened. What comes next. Although I’m not going to start.
    We’ve been driving for an hour or two on a smaller road; Dad likes to take country roads and back ways when he can. Atticus starts barking, jumping up and down, pawing at the order window, frantic to get out. He’s never, ever, not once in my whole life acted like this. I can’t remember seeing him so out of control.
    Dad laughs and turns to me. “Border collies never forget anything. Ever.” He turns into what looks like a farm and stops.
    We get out and hear the world’s most wonderful sound: barking dogs. Atticus runs to the enormous fenced-in yard and puts his paws up on the top rung of the fence so he can see better.
    I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. Waves of rolling hills and grass waving in the wind and more dogs than I can count. Black and chocolate and golden Labs, beagles, pugs, Jack Russell terriers, retrievers, spaniels, a majestic-looking Irish setter; old dogs and young dogs; dogs that stand on their back legs at the fence, howling for us to pet them; shy dogs that peek around tree stumps; dogs that bark and yip and bray and howl and sing, begging us to play. It’s a dog rescue. It’s paradise.
    My heart starts to feel warm and light just looking. Jacob and Brig and Charlotte are swept inside the gate by a worker who gives them buckets of dog food and water and points at the food bins scattered around the field. It’s breakfast time, and every hand is a helping hand.
    “This is where you got Atticus, isn’t it?” Dad and I watch Atticus study the dogs running where he used to play.
    “Yup. Couldn’t think of a better place to find a puppy. C’mon. Let’s see who’s ready to be rescued.”
    Besides me. I hope a puppy will thaw the freeze between me and Dad. I sure don’t know how to do it.
    Dad heads toward the building marked Office and I follow, Conor at my heels.
    This is where the puppies are kept. Dad and I inhale the amazing scent of baby dog.
    I look at the row of crates against the wall and about fall over. A miniature Atticus and Conor is staring straight at me. Our eyes lock. Atticus and Conor and I love each other, but I feel totally different than I ever have before when I look in this puppy’s bright brown eyes. I can tell he feels the same way about me. What they say about true love is right: you just know.
    The puppy starts to wiggle, trying to get to me. It’s