No Dogs Allowed Read online

Doo-wop, doo-wop!

  Your pet is waiting for yooooou!

  13

  Here, Doggy-Doggies!

  The next Saturday, the kids pinned on their badges and went to the shelter.

  “Hi, Carmen! Hi, George!” Lucie called without thinking.

  Kate poked her in the ribs. “We’re not supposed to know their names,” she hissed. “We were dogs the last time we were here.”

  “Oops,” Lucie whispered back.

  Luckily Carmen and George didn’t notice.

  “You wrote a great song, kids,” said George. “A lot of dogs have already been adopted thanks to you.”

  “Three of them are going to be picked up soon,” said Carmen. “Their people are so excited. They’ve already named them.”

  “Want to help get the dogs ready?” said George.

  “Sure!” the kids said together.

  Carmen and George led them to a room down the hall. As soon as Kate and Lucie stepped inside, they saw three dogs in a pen. They were the same ones Kate and Lucie had brought to the shelter. The dogs started barking and jumping, trying to get near the girls.

  “Wow,” said Carmen. “Those dogs like you.”

  “It’s almost as if they know you already,” said George.

  Lucie and Kate tried to keep a straight face. The dogs did know them already.

  “If the dogs knew them, they’d be running the other way,” Danny said to DJ.

  “Very funny. Dogs love us,” said Kate.

  “They only run away from you two,” said Lucie.

  Carmen interrupted. “We want the dogs to look good for their new owners,” she said. “Will you brush them and put ribbons on?”

  “Ribbons?” said Lucie. “That’s the job for me!”

  The kids got brushes and a big box of ribbons.

  “You brush, I’ll tie,” said Lucie.

  Kate brushed the brown-and-white dog. Lucie tied on a light-blue ribbon.

  DJ brushed the little tan dog. Lucie gave him a yellow ribbon.

  The gray dog had a bandage around her hurt paw. Danny brushed carefully around it, and Lucie tied a big red ribbon around the dog’s neck.

  Just as they were finishing, a family with two little girls came in. The little girls were so excited.

  “Hi, doggy,” they said to the brown-and-white dog. “We’re going to call you Buddy.”

  Behind the family was a gray-haired woman. “Here’s my sweet Muffin,” she said, picking up the little tan dog. He licked her cheek, and she carried him out.

  Now only the gray one was left. She looked sad. Then two young men came in.

  “Gloria, you look terrific!” said one.

  Her ears perked up.

  “We’ll take really good care of you,” said the other.

  The kids spent the next hour helping other dogs who were still waiting for homes. Then it was time to leave.

  “Thanks for helping, kids,” said Carmen.

  “It was fun. We’ll see you next week,” said Kate.

  Outside, they walked down the street, lined up four across. They started bouncing Danny’s basketball one to another.

  “That was so great,” Kate said. “I love brushing dogs.”

  “My favorite is feeding them,” said DJ.

  “Did you see that little white one fall asleep in my lap?” said Lucie. “It was so sweet.”

  Danny turned to DJ. “Hey, I wonder what happened to those two dogs we saw the other day.”

  “You mean the spotted one and the shaggy one?” said DJ. “Yeah, they were really cool.”

  Kate and Lucie snorted, trying not to laugh.

  Then they looked at each other, with a gleam in their eyes. They were about to have some fun.

  The girls hung back and disappeared behind some bushes.

  They whispered, “Woofa-woof!” and gave each other high fives. Their dog-bone necklaces lit up. There was a pop and a whoosh, and suddenly two dogs were running to catch up with the boys.

  “Look! Those are the dogs!” said Danny.

  “Here, doggy-doggies!” called DJ.

  The dogs danced back and forth in front of the boys. Then they ran around the corner where they couldn’t be seen and changed back. When the boys caught up, they saw the two girls.

  “Looking for something?” said Lucie.

  “Did you see those two dogs?” said DJ.

  “Dogs? What dogs?” said Kate.

  “You’re seeing things again,” said Lucie. She bent down to tie her shoe.

  When the boys got ahead of them, the girls ducked behind a tree and came out barking.

  The dogs ran in circles around the boys. Then they ran off to change again.

  When they came back as girls, DJ said, “You had to see the dogs that time.”

  “We did! We saw their tails disappear right around that corner,” said Kate, pointing.

  “Come on!” said Danny. “Let’s find them.”

  The boys took off running.

  “Do you think they’ll find those dogs?” said Kate.

  “In their dreams,” said Lucie.

  “Those boys are so goofy,” said Kate.

  “But we did write a great song together,” said Lucie. “And we had fun helping the shelter dogs with them.”

  “Speaking of dogs, I know two who could use a new toy,” said Kate.

  “I know just the dogs you’re thinking of,” said Lucie. “New squeaky balls would be very nice.”

  The two friends linked arms and headed for the pet store, with their dog-bone necklaces twinkling in the sun.

  THE END

  Woof-Ha-Ha!

  Dog Funnies

  What kind of dog likes to take baths?

  A shampoodle.

  What time is it when ten German shepherds are running after two poodles?

  Ten after two.

  Why are Dalmatians not good at playing hide-and-seek?

  They’re always spotted.

  Why is a dog so hot in summer?

  Because he wears a fur coat and pants.

  Knock-knock.

  Who’s there?

  Orange.

  Orange who?

  Orange you going to take me for a walk?

  Dog Heroes

  English Bulldog Rescues Kittens

  Six kittens were trapped inside a burlap bag in the middle of a deep lake. They were sinking fast and would have drowned if it hadn’t been for an English bulldog named Napoleon.

  Bulldogs are known for being poor swimmers, but that didn’t stop Napoleon from doggy-paddling out, grabbing the bag, and pulling the kittens to shore.

  Some people think dogs and cats are enemies, but Napoleon didn’t agree. The kittens were saved and taken to an adoption center.

  Beagle Phones for Help

  Belle was a companion dog to a young man with a serious illness. When he became unconscious, Belle sprang into action.

  She couldn’t give her owner medical treatment, but she was trained to bite down on the number 9 of the cell phone to speed dial for help.

  Rescue workers rushed to the scene and saved the man’s life. They couldn’t have done it without Belle, the heroic beagle.

  Mix-and-Match Dogs

  There are hundreds of dog breeds—from the tiny Chihuahua to the huge Great Dane. Kate and Lucie are mixed breeds.

  Here are some breeds.

  Here are some mixes.

  Can you guess which mixes came from which breeds? It’s not always easy to tell!

  Woofa-Wow!

  What kind of mixed breed would you like to be?

  Find a friend and say:

  Woofa-woof!

  Pop … whoosh … wow!

  Look at us—

  We’re dogs now!

  A Dog of My Own

  By Stephanie Calmenson

  Every year when I was a kid, my parents asked, “What would you like for your birthday?” Every year, I said, “Please, please, please can I have a dog?” Every year, they said, “No, we’re not home
enough to take care of one.” So I was a dogless kid.

  Years later, I finally got myself the birthday present I’d always wanted—a dog of my own. She was a black-and-white fur ball, and I named her Rosie, hoping she’d have a rosy disposition. She did!

  She was also very funny. She’d bounce down the street with her long hair over her eyes, then suddenly drop down and roll over, waiting for a passerby to give her a belly rub. That’s how she got her nickname, Rollover Rosie.

  Rosie was so sweet and funny, I wanted to share her with people who needed to be cheered up. So we became a volunteer team, visiting people in hospitals, nursing homes, and special schools. To share her with even more people, I wrote a book called Rosie: A Visiting Dog’s Story.

  Rosie lived a good, long life and is in dog heaven now. She made many people happy and is still cheering them up from the pages of her book. Good dog, Rosie! You were so worth waiting for.

  My Life with Dogs

  By Joanna Cole

  Just like Stephanie, I spent my whole childhood longing for a dog, and just like Stephanie’s family, mine said no, no, no. I got a goldfish, a turtle, a parakeet, and two cats. But no dog.

  Maybe that’s why when I grew up and had a home of my own, I got one dog after another until I eventually had five of them.

  Two of my dogs were tiny—Taffy and Muffy. Taffy was taffy-colored, and Muffy was a little muffin. Three dogs were big—Harley, Suki, and Tater. Harley was named after a motorcycle. Suki came from a nursery rhyme. And Tater got his name because he ate a whole bowl of raw potatoes when he was a puppy.

  Fast-forward twenty years, and all my dogs are happy in dog heaven. Maybe they’re running around with Stephanie’s Rosie. Meanwhile, my grandchildren, Annabelle and William, got a teeny black Chiweenie named Gracie. (You might be asking, What is a Chiweenie? It’s a cross between a Chihuahua and a dachshund.) Luckily for me, we live near each other, so even though Gracie lives at Annabelle and William’s house, there’s a dog in my life again.

  Hang on to your leashes!

  There are more furry adventures with Lucie and Kate in Ready, Set, Dogs! Book 2—

  Teacher’s Pets

  About the Authors

  Stephanie Calmenson and Joanna Cole are friends who have written many children’s books.

  Stephanie is the author of such favorites as Dinner at the Panda Palace, The Principal’s New Clothes, and Late for School! She has also written books featuring her dogs, including Rosie: A Visiting Dog’s Story and May I Pet Your Dog? which stars her dachshund, Harry.

  Joanna, author of a wide range of highly acclaimed books, including Bony-Legs; Hungry, Hungry Sharks; and How You Were Born, is best known for her popular MAGIC SCHOOL BUS series.

  Because they are such good friends, the authors have written and edited quite a few books as a team, including Give a Dog a Bone, and other anthologies, and, now, the READY, SET, DOGS! series.

  Stephanie lives in New York City with her husband, Mark, and their dog, Harry.

  Joanna lives in North Carolina with her husband, Phil, and their two guinea pigs, Chuck and Wee Chuck.

  Henry Holt and Company, LLC

  Publishers since 1866

  175 Fifth Avenue

  New York, New York 10010

  mackids.com

  Henry Holt® is a registered trademark of Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

  Text copyright © 2013 by Stephanie Calmenson and Joanna Cole

  Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Heather Ross

  All rights reserved.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Calmenson, Stephanie.

  No dogs allowed / Stephanie Calmenson and Joanna Cole; illustrations by Heather Rose.—First edition.

  pages cm.—(Ready, set, dogs!; l)

  Summary: Best friends and dog lovers Kate and Lucie live in apartments where dogs are not allowed, but a pair of unusual necklaces they find in a thrift store allow them to become dogs whenever they wish.

  ISBN 978-0-8050-9645-3 (hardback)

  [1. Dogs—Fiction. 2. Best friends—Fiction. 3. Friendship—Fiction. 4. Shapeshifting—Fiction. 5. Contests—Fiction. 6. Humorous stories.] I. Cole, Joanna. II. Title.

  PZ7.C136Nnm 2013 [Fic]—dc23 2013017884

  First Edition—2013

  eISBN 9780805096460