Zoe and her aunt were nearly at the shelter. Zoe could feel herself speeding up. She loved it when they got to be the ones who opened up at Redlands � it was a real treat, and usually only happened if Auntie Jo let her come and help on a Saturday. She knew that all the animals would be excited to see someone after the night on their own. The dogs would be the most obvious about it, jumping about and scrabbling at the wire mesh on the front of their pens, and barking like mad. But even the cats, who usually liked to be more stand-offish, would spring up from their baskets, and come to see who was there. The shelter had a big pen full of guinea pigs at the moment, so there would be mad squeaking from them as well.

Auntie Jo was searching in her bag for the keys, so it was Zoe who first noticed that there was something strange on the front steps.

�What�s that?� she asked curiously, frowning at what looked like a box in front of the main door to the shelter.

Auntie Jo looked up from the bunch of keys. �What?�

�There. On the steps. Maybe someone�s donated food to the shelter, Auntie Jo!� People did bring in pet food for the animals occasionally, Zoe had seen them. �It�s funny that they didn�t bring it in when there was someone who could say thank you, though.�

�Mmmm�� Auntie Jo was walking faster now, the keys dangling forgotten in her hand.

�What�s the matter?� Zoe asked. She could see that her aunt looked worried.

�People leave us other things too, Zoe,� Auntie Jo sighed. �It might be an abandoned animal in that box. If it is, I suppose that at least they�ve brought it to us, but I hate it when they just leave it like that.�

Zoe felt her eyes filling with tears. The box was just a box, a shabby cardboard one. How could someone stuff a cat or a dog in there, and then just leave it? It was so mean!

They hurried up the steps, and sat down slowly, one on either side of the lid. Auntie Jo took a deep breath. �I never get used to this,� she murmured, as she started to unfold the flaps on the top. �It�s been such a cold night. Look, there�s frost on the top. If there�s something inside, I hope it hasn�t been in there long.�

There was a feeble scrabbling noise from inside the box, and Zoe caught her breath. �There is something inside there!�

Auntie Jo frowned at the box. �Yes. And I�m being silly, Zo. We should take the box inside. We don�t want whoever�s in here getting scared and leaping out.�

Zoe nodded. �Good idea. Shall I take it?� she asked hopefully. �You unlock the door.�

Carefully, Zoe slipped her hands underneath the box, shivering as she touched the clammy, cold cardboard. Whoever was in it must have spent a miserably cold night. She heaved the box up, and felt something inside it wriggle. There was a worried little squeak, and a yap.

�It�s OK,� she whispered. �We�re just taking you into the shelter. It�ll be nice and warm in there. Well, warmer than out here, anyway.�

Auntie Jo had unlocked the doors now, and she was just turning off the alarm. She held the door open for Zoe, and they hurried into the reception area, putting the box down on one of the chairs.

�I think it�s a dog,� Zoe told her aunt. �I definitely heard a yapping noise. But it can�t be a very big dog, the box hardly weighed anything at all.�

�Let�s see.� Auntie Jo lifted the flaps of the box � it was meant to hold packets of chocolate biscuits, Zoe noticed � and they both peered in.

Staring anxiously up at them were three tiny brown-and-white puppies.

�Try just giving the little one a gentle stroke,� Auntie Jo advised. �Don�t go straight in and pick her up. She isn�t looking at us, and she�d get a shock.�

Zoe reached in and ran one finger down the puppy�s silky back. The brown fur was so soft, but she didn�t feel as warm as her brother. �She�s pretty cold,� Zoe said, glancing round at Auntie Jo. �Even just touching her. And she�s sort of floppy.�

Auntie Jo bit her lip. �She�s suffered more being out all night because she�s smaller. Here, put this on your lap, Zoe.� She lifted a soft fleece blanket out of a padded basket in the corner of the pen. �Then lift her out carefully, and wrap her up. Just loosely. And keep your hands round her to warm her up a bit.�

Zoe nodded, and gently cupped one hand around the puppy. The tiny dog shivered a little as she felt Zoe�s fingers, and turned her head slightly. But she was just too weak to look up. Zoe slipped the other hand underneath her, and lifted her out on to the blanket. She swathed it round the puppy, stroking her gently through the folds.

�OK, little one,� Auntie Jo murmured to the puppy on her lap. �I need to go and get your sister a hot-water bottle. And make up some milk for you guys. Hmm? Want to go and see this nice basket?� She lifted the puppy in, and stroked him for a few seconds until he got used to being somewhere new. Then she got up slowly. The other boy puppy trotted over to the basket too, nosing affectionately at his brother.

�Those two seem fine,� she said, sounding relieved. �And I�m sure they�ll be even perkier once they�ve had something to eat.�

Zoe looked up at her. �What about this one?� Her voice wobbled. �You don�t think she�s going to be all right?�

Auntie Jo sighed. �We don�t know yet. She seems very weak. I�m going to call Sam at the vet�s and ask if she�ll come over as soon as she can and have a look at them all. Are you OK with them for a minute, while I get a hot water bottle for the little one?�

Zoe nodded, still gently rubbing the puppy through the blanket. She wished she could feel her moving. The puppy felt like a saggy little bean bag, slumped on her lap. Carefully she moved the blanket from round the puppy�s head, peering down at her. Her eyes were closed, and her pink tongue was slightly sticking out of her mouth. It looked dry, Zoe thought worriedly. Auntie Jo had better hurry up with that puppy milk. She hoped they�d be able to persuade the pup to drink it. She didn�t look like she wanted to make the effort to do anything just at the minute.

�Here�s the hot water bottle,� Auntie Jo said, hurrying back. �I�ve wrapped it up so it isn�t too hot.�

�Do we lie her on top of it?� Zoe asked, starting to lift the puppy off her lap.

�No, that would be too hot. I�m going to put it at the side of the basket, then she can snuggle next to it. We�ll just have to keep an eye on her brothers, and make sure they don�t nudge her away.�

�Maybe we ought to put her in a pen on her own,� Zoe said doubtfully. �They�re a lot bigger than she is. They might push her around.�

�I�d rather keep them together if we can. She�s already lost her mother, and her home. Her brothers are the only security she knows. Also, if we separate her, she might find it difficult to manage being around other dogs when she�s bigger.�

Zoe nodded as she laid the puppy close to the hot water bottle. �We don�t want her to be lonely,� she agreed.

�I�ve started to warm up some puppy milk. I�ll just go and get it, and we can see what they think.� Auntie Jo nipped into the kitchen, and came back with a shallow metal tray of the special puppy milk. �Hopefully they won�t tip this over,� she explained to Zoe, who was looking at the tray in surprise � it looked like something her mum would make chocolate brownies in.

The two boy puppies had been nosing around the edges of the pen, trying to explore, but as soon as Auntie Jo put the tray down, they galloped over to see what it was � so fast that they got tangled up, and fell over each other. They struggled to their feet, mock-growling, and then scurried up to the tray, sniffing at it excitedly. It only took seconds before they were eagerly lapping, burying their tiny muzzles in the milk and splashing it around.

�They must have had milk from bowls before,� Zoe said, watching them and giggling.

�Maybe. Or else they�re just fast learners,� said Auntie Jo. �I don�t think we need to worry about them not feeding. I�ll mix a bit of Weetabix into the next lot.� But she was frowning. �I�d really hoped that the smell would wake the little one up, but she doesn�t seem to have noticed. We�ll have to try feeding it to her by the bottle.�

Zoe nodded. �Shall I put her on my lap?� she asked hopefully. She�d loved holding the puppy before, and trying to warm her up. Even though it was frightening that the puppy was ill, it felt really special to be the ones trying to make her better.

�Yes. Unwrap her, and we�ll try to get her to take a bottle. I brought one just in case.� Auntie Jo took a baby�s bottle with a cap out of the pocket of her fleece, and sat down next to Zoe. �She�s still so sleepy��

The puppy was really floppy now, and she didn�t wriggle when Zoe unwrapped her. Auntie Jo held the teat of the bottle up to her mouth, but she didn�t seem to notice it. She certainly didn�t start sucking, as Zoe had hoped she would. She only turned her head away a little, as though Auntie Jo nudging the bottle against her mouth was annoying.

�She doesn�t want it,� Zoe said worriedly. �Is there anything else we can give her?�

�We could try using a syringe�� Auntie Jo said thoughtfully. �We can poke it into the corner of her mouth, and try and trickle it in.� But Zoe could see that her aunt was doubtful about the puppy ever feeding at all.

�What about�� Zoe brushed her fingers against the teat, letting a few drops of milk ooze out of the tiny hole on to her fingers. It was thick and yellowish, not like ordinary milk at all. Holding her breath, she stroked her milky fingers across the puppy�s mouth, letting the milk run on to the dry, pink tongue.

The puppy shivered with surprise, and the little tongue darted out, licking Zoe�s fingers.

�She likes it!� Zoe squeaked.

Auntie Jo smiled. �Quick, you take the bottle. Squeeze a little out on to the end of the teat, and dribble it into her mouth.�

The puppy licked eagerly at the teat this time, and when Zoe pushed it gently against her mouth, she sucked, harder and harder, until she was slurping messily at the milk.

And then, at last, she opened her dark eyes, and stared up at Zoe.

Subject: Re:Puppies

Hi Zoe!

I can�t believe you found puppies! You are so lucky. Gran�s is OK but it�s a bit cold as it�s by the sea. I went paddling and my toes almost fell off.

Will the puppies get new owners from the shelter? How old are they? I wish I could come and see them. Guess what? Mum and Dad say we can definitely have a dog (you know they wouldn�t make up their minds before). But now they say we have to go slow and make sure we find the right dog! Aaargh! I really want to have a dog NOW! When I get back please ask your auntie if I can come and see the puppies. Maybe one of them could be our dog!!!

From Becca xxxxxxxxxxx

Zoe read Becca�s reply to her email, smiling to herself. Becca wrote emails just like she talked. But her smile faded a little as she read on to the end. Becca was so lucky to be allowed a dog. Zoe had been talking to Auntie Jo about the puppies today at the shelter. They�d been weighing them to check that they were eating enough, which was quite difficult because Choc, Biscuit and Cookie saw no reason why they should stand still on top of the scales, and just kept bouncing around. In the end, Auntie Jo had made a guess at their weights, but she said they were definitely getting heavier, which was the main thing.

Then they�d taken five minutes just to play with the puppies � it seemed like fun, rather than work, but Zoe knew it was actually really important. If the puppies didn�t ever get played with, they wouldn�t know how to behave with their new owners.

�How could anyone have abandoned them?� Zoe said sadly, watching Biscuit and Choc bombing up and down the pen, chasing after a ball. Cookie was scampering after them, not quite brave enough or fast enough to take the ball off her brothers, but having just as much fun. �They�re so gorgeous, all of them. How could anyone be so mean?�

Auntie Jo sighed. �Well, at least they brought them here. It was a start.�

�But they left them out in the cold all night!�

�Mmm. Some people just don�t think. The puppies were probably an accident � they hadn�t had the mum spayed, and then maybe the owners felt they couldn�t afford to buy all the puppy food, and take the puppies to the vet for vaccinations. Dogs are expensive to look after.� She reached over to put her arm round Zoe�s shoulders. �Don�t think about it, Zo. The puppies were lucky they ended up here, so they�ve got all of us looking after them. We�re going to turn them into lovely, well-behaved dogs, and make sure they only go to fab owners. They won�t remember their horrible start.�

�I hope not,� Zoe whispered, with a tiny sigh. Auntie Jo�s words were meant to make her feel better. She knew the puppies would need to leave the shelter in a few weeks, but she�d been trying not to think about it too much. She�d only known them for a few days, but they were so sweet, Cookie especially. If they could stay at the shelter for a bit longer, she�d be able to keep on looking after them� But that wasn�t fair. They needed proper homes.

Reading the exciting news in Becca�s email had made her think about having to say goodbye to the puppies all over again�

To: Becca

From: Zoe

Subject: Puppies

Hi Becca

Auntie Jo thinks the puppies were about four weeks old when we found them, so now they�re five weeks. They can�t go to new homes until they�re about eight weeks old. I�m sure you can come and see them, I�ll ask Auntie Jo. You�re so lucky getting a dog! I hope your mum and dad decide on one soon. See you back at school in a week!

Love Zoe xx

It wasn�t as friendly as her emails to Becca usually were, but Zoe was feeling sad. She stared at her computer screen, not really seeing the cute photo of Cookie that she had set as her wallpaper.

�What�s up?�

Zoe jumped. She hadn�t heard Mum come in at all. �Nothing� I was just thinking about the puppies. I�m going to miss them so much when they get rehomed.� She gulped. �Especially Cookie.�

Mum nodded. �She is gorgeous.� Zoe had shown Mum the puppies one afternoon at the shelter, when Mum had come to pick her up. �I think it�s her eyes. She�s got such a little face, it makes her eyes look huge, and then she�s got those lovely whiskery eyebrows. Has Auntie Jo worked out what breed they are yet?�

Zoe giggled and shook her head. �Nope. Everyone at Redlands thinks they�re something different. Auntie Jo reckons maybe there�s some Jack Russell in them and maybe some Cockapoo too. But we might not be able to tell until they�re bigger. Almost grown-up. And we won�t have them then, will we? So we�ll never know.� She sniffed, and Mum hugged her.

�But you knew they�d have to go to new homes, Zo! All the animals at the shelter do. You�ve never got this upset before.�

�I know. Maybe it was because we found them � and feeding Cookie with the bottle has made her special to me, Mum.� Zoe smiled proudly. �I got her to take some puppy mix and milk in a bowl this morning. Auntie Jo was really pleased, she said that she�d thought Cookie was going to have to be on bottles for ever!�

�Your Auntie Jo ought to be paying you wages!� Mum sighed. �I know you love it at the shelter, but maybe you should have a couple of days off from helping out? Do something else? I bet Kyra could take enough time away from her revision to take you shopping. Or the cinema?�

Zoe looked horrified. �Oh no, Mum! I�ve got to keep going. I�ve got to help Cookie get on with the solid food. It�s really important.�

Her mum gave her a worried look. �Well, I suppose so��

Cookie was curled up in their basket, watching her brothers playing tug-of-war with a bit of old rope that someone had given them. They�d had it since the morning, and it was their new favourite toy. Bits of it were scattered all over the pen. She sighed a little, and rested her nose on her paws, wondering where Zoe was. Zoe had played with her every day since they�d come here from their old home. Actually, the little puppy couldn�t remember much of where they�d lived before they�d been at the shelter. The only thing she was sure of was that their mother had been at the old place. She still wondered what had happened, and why they had been taken away, but she didn�t mind, because now she had Zoe.

Except that today she didn�t, and she didn�t understand why. Zoe always fed her and her brothers. Zoe made a special fuss of them, even though she wasn�t feeding milk from her lap any more. Zoe still brought the food bowls, and watched to make sure that she was eating properly. Zoe even stopped Choc and Biscuit from trying to take her food if they finished theirs first.

Today the other lady had brought their food - Jo, the one who was always with Zoe. Jo had said nice things, and she�d stroked her, and said how good she was. But it wasn�t the same.

Cookie�s little ears pricked up sharply. Someone was running along the passage between the pens - someone with small, light footsteps. She jumped up in the basket and barked excitedly as Zoe appeared at the front of the pen, beaming at her.

�Oh! Did you miss me? I really missed you,� Zoe told her, opening the latch. �You too, yes, I missed you as well, you great big monsters,� she told Biscuit and Choc, patting them lovingly as they waltzed round her feet. But it was Cookie that she sat down next to, and Cookie she cuddled as soon as the puppy clambered happily into her lap.

�I missed you more,� Zoe whispered into her ears, as she stroked her. �I know I shouldn�t really say it, but I did.� She sighed. �There�s some people come to look round, Cookie. Try and look like a perfect pet, won�t you? You aren�t old enough to go for a couple more weeks, but if they like you, they might wait.�

She could hear them coming along the line of pens, now. A couple, who�d just bought a house together, and were thinking of getting a dog. They�d said they didn�t mind whether it was a puppy or an older dog, but when Auntie Jo had mentioned the three gorgeous little puppies they had got excited.

�They�ll be looking out for you.� Zoe sighed again. �They looked nice, I suppose. Nice-ish�� She couldn�t imagine anyone being a good enough owner for her lovely Cookie. No one except her, she realized, with a miserable little gulp.

�So they decided on Jasper?� Zoe asked as she helped her aunt to clean out the food bowls, feeling a bit surprised, but very relieved. Jasper was about five years old and was a mixed-breed, mostly Labrador. He wasn�t nearly as nice-looking as Cookie and her brothers, Zoe thought.

�Yes, they decided that they wanted a bigger dog after all,� Auntie Jo explained. �Don�t worry, Zoe. It won�t be hard to find homes for those three at all. They�re gorgeous. It�s the older dogs that it can be hard to place.�

Zoe nodded. �My friend Becca is going to get a dog soon. Becca said she�d love to come and see the puppies. She�s going to ask her mum and dad if they could come this weekend. That would be OK, wouldn�t it?� Her voice wobbled a little bit. �It�ll only be one more week till the puppies are old enough to go to new homes then��

Auntie Jo looked closely at her. �Yes, they�ll be about seven weeks this weekend, as far as we can tell. It won�t hurt them to be split up from their litter after eight weeks. It would be lovely for one of your friends to come. Zoe, are you OK, sweetheart?�

�I�ll miss them, that�s all,� Zoe muttered.

�I know you will. Especially Cookie. You�ve looked after her so well. But she can�t stay here, Zo, you know that. It isn�t a good life for a dog, in a little pen like this, however much we love them.�

�I know. But it�s hard to think of someone else taking her home. I wish we could have a dog! I�d look after her so well!� Zoe burst out. Then she added quietly, �Don�t worry, I know we can�t��

Auntie Jo hugged her, accidentally clanging two stainless steel dishes together behind her back, and making Zoe laugh.

�I�m so excited!� Becca raced up the steps towards Zoe, her mum following behind. She flung her arms round her. �Please can we see all the dogs? And the cats? I know we don�t want a cat, but I�d like to see them anyway. And the guinea pigs!�

�I�ll show you everything,� Zoe promised, giggling. She hadn�t seen her friend so hyper since her birthday party. She took them all round the shelter, saving the dog pens until last.

�You�re so lucky, getting to help here all the time,� Becca told her, cooing at the guinea pigs. Then she looked excitedly up at her mum. �Please can you show us the dogs now, Zoe? Mum and Dad said we might be able to get one really soon. That�s what Dad�s doing today � mending our garden fence so that there aren�t any holes round the bottom of it, and it�s safe for a dog to be in the garden. He said if we found a dog from somewhere like here, the shelter would want to come and check that we�d look after it properly.�

Zoe nodded. �Yes, Auntie Jo and the other staff go and look around everyone�s houses. They wouldn�t let you have a cat from here if you lived on a really busy road. Or if you had small children. You�ll be all right,� she added. �You want a dog and it�s only really small children that are a problem � you know, too small to understand about not pulling tails.�

Becca nodded.

�Doesn�t your dad want to help choose a dog?� Zoe asked curiously.

Becca�s mum smiled. �This is just a first look � so we can think about what sort of dog we�d like. Becca�s dad will come and see them if we tell him there�s a dog we really like the look of. But he started worrying about the fence last night, and he was determined to get it done. He didn�t want us to miss out on a lovely dog because the house wasn�t ready.�

Zoe smiled. It sounded as though Becca and her mum and dad were really serious about getting a dog. They weren�t just deciding to adopt one without thinking it through, like some people did. �OK, look, well here are the dog pens. It can get a bit noisy!� she warned Becca, as several of the dogs started to bark excitedly when they realized they had visitors.

�Oh, look�� Becca whispered, glancing from side to side. �So many! Freddie� Luca � he�s gorgeous, Mum, look! He looks like a German Shepherd. Oooh! Trixie!� Becca crouched down by the little spaniel�s pen. �She�s so pretty��

She glanced up worriedly at Zoe. �How do people ever choose? She�s looking at me, like she really wants us to take her home, and I haven�t even gone halfway along the pens yet!�

�It is hard,� Zoe admitted. �If you think you really like any of the dogs, tell me, and I�ll ask Auntie Jo if you can go into the pen and meet them.�

�If I did that I�d never be able to say no,� Becca�s mum muttered. �What if we cuddled a dog and then said we didn�t want him? It would be heartbreaking!�

Zoe wrinkled her nose. She supposed she was more used to the shelter than most people. �I know it�s sad. But Auntie Jo and the others do find homes for all the dogs in the end. It does take a while for some of them, though.� She led Becca and her mum along the row of pens. �And these�� she stopped by a pen, �are the puppies we found abandoned.� She laughed as all three of them raced towards the wire of the pen. �The one with the darker brown patches is Choc and that one�s Biscuit�� She pointed to the puppy with the brown eyepatch. �And this one, with the pale brown patches,� she paused, �is Cookie.�

�Oh, wow�� Becca murmured. �They�re all so beautiful!�

�They are lovely,� her mum agreed. �They look very little, Zoe. Are they old enough to be rehomed?�

�Not for about another week,� Zoe explained. �But then it will be fine, although they still can�t go outside for a while after that. All the dogs in here have been vaccinated, but puppies have to have a last lot of vaccinations when they�re about twelve weeks old. Then they can go for walks. They�d be OK in the garden though,� she added.

�You know loads about dogs,� Becca said admiringly. �Please can we meet them properly? Mum, do you want to?�

Her mum nodded, smiling. �Definitely.�

Zoe swallowed hard, and opened the catch on the pen. It was a good thing that Becca and her mum liked the puppies. But it was one step closer to them leaving the shelter, and Zoe.

Cookie scrabbled excitedly at the wire. Zoe had been playing with them that morning, and then she�d disappeared. Now she was back!

But there were other people too. Another girl, like Zoe, and someone else. Cookie had never seen them before. She stopped wagging her tail quite so hard, and backed up a bit as Zoe opened the door. She wasn�t used to different people.

Zoe let Becca and her mum in, and Biscuit and Choc sniffed cautiously at them. Becca picked up the last bit of the rope toy, and whisked it along the ground, right in front of Choc, who quickly pounced on it, pretending to growl.

�He�s so funny!� Becca giggled.

�I think he�s the friendliest of the pups,� Zoe told her. She looked round for Cookie, who was almost hiding behind her, watching Becca and her mum with big, anxious eyes. �It�s all right, Cookie,� she whispered.

Cookie pressed herself against Zoe�s side, and sniffed cautiously at Becca�s mum�s fingers when she held them out. The new people smelled nice, but she didn�t know them like she knew Zoe. She didn�t mind if this lady stroked her though.

�She�s very sweet,� Becca�s mum said. �Is this the one you bottle-fed, Zoe? You can see that she adores you.�

Zoe smiled sadly. She loved it that Cookie acted like her dog, even though she wasn�t. She sighed. Cookie was going to have to learn to love somebody else. Gently, she lifted Cookie up, and put her on Becca�s mum�s lap.

Cookie froze, and sat motionless, her shoulders all hunched up under her ears. She looked round at Zoe worriedly, but she didn�t wriggle off. It was all right. Zoe was still there, very close. The lady stroked her ears, which was nice. She relaxed a little, and licked her hand.

�She�s a tiny bit shy, but she�s very loving,� Zoe said, trying not to mind someone else cuddling Cookie. She took a deep breath. �She�d be a brilliant pet. Any of them would.�

Cookie watched sadly, her ears flattening back, as they all got up. They were going, she could tell. She missed Zoe so much now that she didn�t stay all day the way she used to. Zoe had been here for longer today, but Cookie still hadn�t had her tea. Cookie liked it when Zoe brought her food, and sat with her while she ate. She always ate more when Zoe was there, because Zoe liked to see her eat, and she would tell her what a good dog she was, eating so nicely.

As Zoe was shutting the front of the pen, Cookie raced after her, scrabbling her claws against the wire netting and whining sadly.

�It�s OK,� Zoe whispered to her. �I�ll be back tomorrow. I promise.�

Cookie didn�t know what that meant, but she understood Zoe�s comforting voice. She stopped whining, and just stood up against the wire, staring after the girls as they walked down the passageway between the pens. She watched until the doors swung shut, and she couldn�t see Zoe any more. Then she dropped down, and sadly padded over to their basket, her claws clicking against the worn lino on the floor.

�We went out yesterday to that big pet shop over by the supermarket. Have you ever been there?�

Zoe shook her head.

�I hadn�t either. It�s enormous, and it sells everything! You�d love it, Zoe,� Becca burbled happily. �Your auntie emailed Mum a long list of stuff we�ll need, and we even got some things that weren�t on the list, just because they were so lovely! Lots of toys! The puppies loved playing with those toys they had in their pen at the shelter, didn�t they?�

Zoe nodded. �Yes,� she murmured quietly, burying her head as she got her pencilcase and book out of her bag.

�And we have to make sure that our puppy has lots to do, because they might be lonely without any others to play with. Although I�ll be there, of course. Zoe, are you OK?� Becca added. �You�re ever so quiet.�

�I�m fine.� Zoe tried to sound enthusiastic. �Did you get a rope toy? They really like that old bit of rope they�ve got.�

�Yes! A beautiful one. Much nicer than that ratty old bit they have now.�

Zoe sniffed, trying not to cry. But they like that ratty old bit of rope, she thought to herself. And what if Becca chooses Cookie? Zoe stopped herself. Whichever puppy Becca chose was going to be so lucky.

I�d be a good owner too, she said to herself miserably. I know so much about looking after dogs. I�ve fed those puppies, and cleaned up after them, and washed them when they got themselves covered in Weetabix�

�Did you hear me, Zoe?� Becca nudged her gently, and Zoe jumped.

�Um, no. Sorry. What?�

�I just said that we�re going to come to the shelter on Saturday, and choose the puppy, and then it can come home with us!�

�Oh!� So soon! Zoe swallowed hard. �That�s great,� she muttered. �Um, I really need the loo. Tell Mrs Allan, if she comes, OK?�

Zoe tried as hard as she could to be her usual self with Becca that week, but it was so, so difficult.

Becca clearly knew that something was wrong � she wasn�t stupid. Zoe kept avoiding her, and nipping off to change her library book instead of chatting with Becca and their other friends at lunch time. She spent the whole of one morning break hiding in the girls� loos, after Becca started telling her about the gorgeous collars she�d seen on a pet website. They had little pawprint designs woven in to them, and space for a phone number, so that if the dog got lost it was easy for someone to call you. It had just made Zoe feel too upset. She�d had to tell Becca she felt sick when the bell went.

Zoe hated lying to her friend all of the time, but she didn�t want to admit how jealous and nasty she was really feeling.

By Friday, Becca had stopped telling her about all the things they were doing to get ready for the puppy. She almost wasn�t talking to Zoe at all. And at lunch she went off and played Chain-It with a group of other girls in their class, without even asking Zoe if she wanted to join in.

�See you tomorrow morning then,� she told Zoe, rather awkwardly, as they got their coats on at the end of the day.

Zoe nodded. �Yes. Bye, Becca.�

And that was that. No running out to the gate together. No promises to call later about homework. Becca just walked away, leaving Zoe fiddling with the zip on her jacket, and feeling totally miserable.

Kyra was waiting for her outside school as usual � the secondary school was just up the road from Zoe�s, and she usually got out later than Zoe did, but Zoe had taken ages that afternoon.

�Are you all right?� she asked. �You look really down.�

Zoe shrugged. �I�m sort of not talking to Becca,� she admitted. �It�s horrible.�

�Did you have a fight?� her sister asked sympathetically.

�No.� Zoe sighed. �It�s all my fault. You know the puppies at the shelter?�

Kyra laughed. �No, Zoe, it�s not as if you�ve ever talked about them at home.�

Zoe swung her schoolbag at her sister, making a face. But Kyra was always good at cheering her up. �She�s going to adopt one.�

Kyra smiled, and then looked confused. �But that�s good, isn�t it?�

�Yes,� Zoe said, in a small voice. �I just wish I could too, that�s all. I�m jealous� And worse than that, I�m worried that she might choose Cookie.�

�Oh, Zo�� Kyra hugged her. �Look, I haven�t met these puppies but I can see how much they mean to you. Why don�t we stop off at the shelter, so you can show me them?�

�But you hate dogs!� Zoe stared at her.

�I don�t hate them.� Kyra shrugged. �I think I�m getting better. One of my friends at school has got a really cute spaniel. I even let him sit on my lap on the sofa the other day.�

�Wow, Kyra! That�s great!� Zoe smiled. �Of course I�ll show you the puppies. You�re going to love them, �specially Cookie � she�s gorgeous. I was going to ask Mum if she could take me over there later, but let�s go now.� She grabbed Kyra�s hand, and practically towed her down the road.

�All right, all right, keep your hair on!� Kyra grinned.

It didn�t take them long to walk across the park towards Redlands and soon they were turning into the driveway.

�I�ve brought Kyra to see the puppies!� she told Auntie Jo, as they popped their heads round the office door.

Auntie Jo looked up from her computer. �Hi Kyra!� She grinned. �That�s great news.�

�Hi Auntie Jo.� Kyra smiled back. �I just thought I�d like to see them. Mum said they were really cute.�

�They are.� Auntie Jo nodded. �I�ll call your mum and tell her you�re both here. I can run you home in the car if you like.�

�That would be great,� said Zoe. �Come on, Kyra � they�re down here.� Zoe grabbed Kyra�s hand and pulled her down the corridor. �Don�t worry. I don�t think there are any really big dogs in the shelter at the moment,� she added, seeing her sister glancing cautiously into the pens.

�I just don�t like it when they jump against the wire,� Kyra murmured.

�Biscuit and Choc do jump up, but they�re really little,� Zoe promised. �Cookie won�t, not till she�s worked out who you are, she�s a bit shy.�

�OK. Oh, Zoe, are these them?� Kyra stopped in front of the puppies� pen, smiling at them delightedly. They were all asleep, for once, flopped in a sort of puppy pile in their basket. The pile heaved and wriggled every so often, and as Zoe gently undid the front of the pen, it struggled apart and turned into three hairy, whiskery brown-and-white puppies who frisked happily around Zoe�s feet.

�Do you want me to bring one of the puppies out?� Zoe asked. �Then you could stroke just one � you wouldn�t have them jumping about.�

Kyra nodded, and Zoe picked Cookie up. Cookie nuzzled at her happily. She�d been hoping that Zoe would come soon. She looked around curiously as Zoe carried her out of the pen, leaving her two brothers behind, looking rather jealous. Cookie stared down at them, wagging her stubby little tail.

Zoe was carrying her to another girl, a taller girl with the same dark hair and eyes. Cookie looked at her with her head on one side � she looked very like Zoe. But she didn�t seem to be confident with dogs the way that Zoe was. She was looking rather nervous and, as she put out her hand, she patted her very quickly, as if she thought Cookie might snap.

Curious about this girl who looked so much like her favourite person, Cookie wriggled in Zoe�s arms, stretching towards the other girl.

�She likes you!� Zoe said laughing.

�Does she?� Kyra asked, sounding surprised, and rather pleased.

�Yes, she does,� said Zoe. �Do you want to hold her?�

�I don�t know�� Kyra looked uncertain. �OK, let me try.� Kyra nodded slowly, then let Zoe put Cookie into her arms.

Cookie snuggled up against Kyra�s chin, and slowly, Kyra petted her ears. The little dog closed her eyes.

�Oh, Zoe, she�s gorgeous.� Kyra smiled down at the puppy. �No wonder you�ve been spending so much time here.�

�She is, isn�t she?� Zoe sighed sadly. �And now I just can�t bear to think of letting her go��

�I suppose I just felt stupid. And mean,� Zoe muttered. �And I didn�t really want to talk to you about it. You were so excited��

Becca sighed. �I didn�t think about it making you sad,� she admitted. �Did I go on and on?�

Zoe gave a very small giggle. �Yes. All the time.�

A voice behind them interrupted the awkward moment. It was Becca�s dad. �Are you girls ready?� he asked them. �I want to see these wonderful puppies you�ve been telling me about!�

Becca looked anxiously at Zoe, but Zoe nodded, managing to smile and look almost as though she meant it. �Come on!�

They walked down the passage to the puppies� pen. Zoe spotted Auntie Jo coming back in from the yard, with the puppies in her arms. �There they are,� she told Becca�s dad, pointing. �They�ve been playing outside.�

The puppies saw them too, and started to wriggle excitedly. Auntie Jo laughed and crouched down, letting them run down the passage towards the visitors.

Cookie dashed ahead, streaking towards Zoe on her tiny little legs. Zoe was desperate to pick her up and cuddle her. But she couldn�t. It was Becca�s turn.

But Becca wasn�t looking at Cookie, Zoe realized. She�d crouched down, and was holding out her arms. Biscuit was running straight up to her, and now he was standing up on his hind legs, his front paws on her arms, giving happy, excited little barks. He licked her cheek and jumped, as though she was the best thing he�d ever seen!

�He remembers me!� Becca cried delightedly. �I�ve only met him once, but he really remembers me! Oh, Dad, do you like him? He�s called Biscuit, he�s the most gorgeous of all of them. Please can he be ours?�

Biscuit looked confused, and whined, but the girl fed him some more treats through the wire, and then the man with her picked the box up, and carried him away down the passage to the door.

Cookie gave a little whimper of surprise. They could go away? Biscuit was going with that girl, and the other two people? She didn�t understand. If they were allowed out of the shelter, why didn�t Zoe take her when she went? Perhaps she would! Perhaps they were all going! Cookie�s tail started to flick back and forth with excitement.

�Well, that was good, wasn�t it?� Auntie Jo said, sounding really pleased. �And I meant to tell you, Zoe, a really nice-sounding family called me asking about puppies, and they were interested in getting a boy puppy � so that would be you, Choc.� She looked down at the puppy in her arms, who�d barked when he heard his name. �Yes, you! They�re going to come and see you tomorrow, aren�t they, sweetie? So we�re getting there.�

Zoe nodded. So that would leave just Cookie. And she wouldn�t be there for much longer either, Zoe was sure.

�Oh, look, there�s your mum and Kyra,� Auntie Jo pointed out, and she turned to open the front of the pen, and put Choc back in.

Zoe sighed, and walked towards the pen to put Cookie in too. She�d forgotten that Mum was coming to pick her up early. She wanted them to go and do some shopping � Zoe needed new school shoes. Zoe had tried arguing that Mum could just buy them for her, but Mum had said no.

Cookie twisted in her arms, struggling frantically, and whining. She wasn�t going back in the pen � she wanted to stay with Zoe! Someone had already taken Biscuit away. Only Zoe could take her.

�What�s the matter?� Zoe gasped, holding the puppy tightly, and backing away from the pen, as that seemed to be what was upsetting her.

�Is Cookie OK?� Mum asked worriedly. She and Kyra had just come into the passage between the pens, and now she was hurrying towards Zoe.

�She got really upset when I was trying to put her back in the pen.�

Zoe cuddled Cookie close against her shoulder. She could feel the little dog�s sides heaving, she was shaking so badly. �Perhaps she�s sad about Biscuit going?� She wrinkled up her brow. �It�s OK, Cookie. It�s OK,� she whispered. But then her eyes filled with tears. �I�m telling her everything�s going to be all right, but it isn�t,� she said miserably, looking between Auntie Jo and Mum. �Biscuit�s gone to a new home, and Choc will probably go too, tomorrow, and then it�ll be just Cookie left. And someone will choose her really soon, and we�ll never see her again.�

Auntie Jo frowned. �I wonder if she does know what�s happening. Some dogs really do seem to understand, far more than you�d think they could. Maybe that�s why she doesn�t want to go back into that pen.�

�But she has to,� Zoe said dismally. �What are we going to do? Do you think she�d be better if we moved her into a different pen?�

Auntie Jo glanced at Mum, and shook her head. �No, to be honest, I think it would just be better if she went back with you.�

�But then it would just be harder for her to come back.� Zoe blinked, not really understanding what her auntie was saying.

�Or we could keep her?� her mum said, putting an arm round Zoe�s shoulders, and gently patting Cookie.

Zoe looked puzzled. �But there�s no one to look after her in the daytime.�

Her mum glanced at Auntie Jo. �We�ve been talking about that. I told your auntie I was worried about how much you were falling in love with Cookie. That you were going to be really upset when she went to her new home.�

�And I said you were so good with dogs, you really deserved to have one of your own,� said Auntie Jo.

�So we�ve come up with a plan,� said her mum.

�I�m going to have her here at work with me in the day, Zoe,� Auntie Jo explained. �She can have a basket under my desk, and I�ll take her for a walk at lunchtime.�

�And Kyra?� said Zoe, flashing her sister a look.

�I don�t feel scared of Cookie,� said Kyra. �She�s a little sweetheart. Mum told me how much you�d bonded with Cookie � it was actually my idea we should have her. That�s why I wanted to meet her last week.�

�Really?� Zoe stared round at them all, her eyes like saucers. �You mean it? We can have Cookie? So � so we could take her home now?� Zoe whispered, hardly daring to hope that they�d say yes.

Auntie Jo smiled. �Well, she obviously doesn�t want to go back in that pen. I can stay here and make a big fuss of poor old Choc, so he doesn�t mind being on his own. And you can borrow some food bowls and things, until you can get your own.�

Zoe nodded, thinking how much pocket money she had saved up, and how she was going to spend all of it at the pet shop on the little puppy. Cookie was going to have the nicest things she could find.

�You�re coming home with us,� she whispered to Cookie. �You really are.�

Cookie nudged Zoe�s cheek with her damp black nose, and looked hopefully at the door.

�Look at them! They�re having such a good time,� Zoe said, laughing at the two little brown-and-white dogs � Biscuit and Cookie. Who would have thought it? They were standing at the bottom of a huge tree, right at the end of their extending leads. And they were both jumping up and down, barking themselves silly.

�I wonder if Choc likes chasing squirrels too?� Becca said thoughtfully. �Maybe we�ll see him in the park one of these days.�

Zoe nodded. �I bet he does. And I bet he never catches them either.�

The squirrel was sitting high up in the tree now, looking down at the two dogs in disgust. They hadn�t come anywhere near getting him, and he clearly wasn�t very bothered. He almost looked like he was yawning.

Eventually, Cookie and Biscuit gave up on the squirrel and wandered back to Zoe and Becca.

�Cookie�s catching up on him,� Becca commented. �She�s nearly as big as he is now. She might even end up being bigger!�

�Maybe,� Zoe agreed. �They probably won�t finish growing until they�re about nine months. Perhaps even a year. They�re four months old now, so they�ve got five months more growing to do, at least. You�re going to be a huge dog one day, aren�t you?� she told Cookie affectionately, crouching down and ruffling her ears and stroking her back.

Becca giggled. Cookie might get bigger one day, but she and Biscuit were still tiny at the moment. Not that they seemed to think they were little at all. They strutted through the park as though they thought they were the most important dogs there.

�They wouldn�t fit in that box now,� Zoe said suddenly, looking up at Becca.

Becca shook her head. �I still don�t know how someone could have left them like that. But I�m just glad it was you and your Auntie Jo that found them.�

Zoe nodded, scratching Cookie under the chin, so that she closed her eyes blissfully, and her tail thumped on the ground.

�I know. Me too.�