Free Sam the Stolen Puppy by Holly Webb Page A

seemed to go from one end of its body to the other, and then opened one eye to peerup at her. Obviously she looked interesting, because the other eye opened too, and then the tiny dog turned round and stood up. He gave a massive yawn, showing a lot of pink tongue and some very sharp little white teeth, then padded across the basket to reach Emily. They were almost nose to nose. The puppy gave a shy little wag of his tail, and licked Emily’s cheek, looking at her hopefully. This looked like someone who might be good at cuddling. It had been a little bit boring tucked away in this basket.
    “Oh, wow…” Very gently, Emily put out her hand for the puppy to sniff. She was desperate to pick him up, but she wasn’t sure if it was OK. Maybe the puppy would be scared? She lookedround to see Dad leaning against the door, looking pleased.
    “That’s really good, Emily. Taking it slow. That’s just what you need to do.” He crouched down by the basket too. “Pet him a little. Stroke his ears. Then when he’s used to that you can give him a cuddle.”

    “He’s really for me?” Emily whispered, hardly able to take her eyes off the puppy.
    “All yours.” Dad was grinning as he watched Emily’s amazed face.
    “He’s so beautiful, thank you so much, Dad! I didn’t think you’d noticed I wanted a dog.”
    “It would have been hard not to notice,” Dad said, laughing. “You certainly gave us some hints! Dogs just seemed to keep being mentioned…”
    “He’s a golden Labrador, isn’t he? He’s so lovely. You are the most beautiful dog I’ve ever seen,” Emily murmured, as she tickled the puppy behind his ears with one finger. His ears felt like velvet, so soft. The puppy closed his eyes in delight. Just the right place.One of his back legs kicked without him meaning it to, as Emily tickled a really itchy bit.
    Emily looked worriedly up at Dad. “Did I do something wrong? Why did he do that with his leg?”
    “No, it’s OK. Some dogs do that. My dog Scruff used to do it whenever you scratched him behind the ears. It just means they like it, and they want more scratching. Don’t you, hmmm? And you’re right, he is a golden Labrador,” he added, reaching out to stroke the puppy too. “He’s eight weeks old.” He grinned down at Emily, who was still gazing in wonder at the puppy, stroking him with one finger. “So you like him then?”
    “I love him!” Emily wanted to leap upand hug him, but she didn’t want to frighten the puppy with any sudden movements.
    “Good,” said Dad. “Why don’t you try picking him up? That’s it, scoop him up gently. Make sure you’re supporting his bottom so he feels comfortable.”
    Emily carefully snuggled the puppy into her dressing gown, and the little dog immediately tried to climb up her front, eager to explore.
    “Take him into the kitchen,” Dad suggested. “Let him have a little look around. I went and picked him up late last night, and we’ve kept him in here since then. He needs to settle in to the house gradually. Just a room at a time. We’ll keep him in here and the kitchen for now.”
    Emily stood up, very, very carefully, and walked slowly into the kitchen, the puppy peering round her shoulder. The little dog’s bright black eyes were taking everything in.
    Mum and Jack were sitting at the kitchen table, and Jack was wolfing down a big bowl of cereal. As he saw Emily walk in, his eyes went wide, and a spoonful of milk dribbled out of his mouth.
    “That’s a dog!” he gasped.
    “Yes,” Mum agreed. “He’s Emily’s. For Christmas. But I’m sure Emily will let you play with him too.”
    Jack started to bounce up and down on his chair, laughing with excitement. “A dog! A dog a dog a dog a dog a dog a dog!”
    “Watch it!” Mum reached over, and removed his cereal bowl to a safe distance. “Calm down, Jack.” She handed him a cloth, which he ignored entirely, still staring at the puppy.

    “Why did Emily get a puppy and not me?” he