Mutt's Promise Read online

  Luna was more reluctant to play along—even when Marty tossed a hollow toy that he’d spiced with dollops of peanut butter. Puppy Paradise had taught her too well: Wait. Watch. Don’t give in to desire.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Marty; she just trusted him differently than Chief did. Chief had decided to trust without reservation. If Marty wanted to play, he would play.

  Luna waited for instructions. When Marty ordered them to fetch, she fetched. If he didn’t, she waited.

  Marty didn’t yell or scold. He watched and made notes in a small journal that he kept tucked in his back pocket.

  They proceeded from chasing toys on command, to jumping on chairs, to wrestling with Marty on the wood floor, the ceramic tile, the stone. He timed how long they would battle him when he tried to pull a toy from their mouths.

  Sometimes while Chief rested, Marty turned his full attention to Luna. He played all kinds of music for her and taught her many new dance steps. Luna loved dancing with Marty. He was an excellent partner. No matter how fancy his footwork, she kept up—and added a few flourishes of her own.

  When Marty took them outdoors for walks, he paid special attention when strangers approached them, and was always jotting things in his notebook.

  Just as Marty was watching them, the dogs were watching him too.

  One day Luna said to Chief, “Do you think Marty has a plan for us or does he just like to play?”

  “He must have a plan,” Chief said. “Grown humans never just play.”

  When Marty wasn’t observing the dogs, he was talking on the phone, writing in his notebook while he talked. Every so often, he snapped photographs of them. Sometimes he put on fancy clothes and was picked up in front of the building by a black limousine. They watched from the window, curious.

  A woman Marty called Sarge dropped by one afternoon. He proudly showed her what Chief and Luna had learned. The dogs retrieved keys when he dropped them on purpose. Then he unfolded a wheelchair that he kept in the apartment, and they moved alongside him as he wheeled around the room. When he tried to scare them by yelling at them for no apparent reason, neither Luna nor Chief reacted. They waited patiently, just as Marty had taught them.

  For several visits Sarge watched without comment. Then one day, without warning, she pulled a whistle out of her pocket and put it in her mouth, producing an ear-splitting shriek.

  The piercing noise stopped Luna in her tracks. She stood shaking with fear.

  Chief was in pursuit of a missing toy; the searing sound didn’t faze him. In fact, he barely blinked, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

  “See what I mean?” Marty said to Sarge as she watched Chief closely.

  The woman nodded.

  “He looks good,” she said. “I think he’s ready.”

  Marty called Chief over.

  “Chief, my boy,” he said in a formal voice, “you are going to live up to your name. Sarge here agrees with me that you have what it takes to become a police dog. You are dedicated, unswerving, friendly, and tough.”

  Marty’s words made Chief straighten up with pride.

  Luna felt proud too. She walked over to her brother, and said, “I always knew you would do something important.”

  Though her words were true, saying them made Luna’s heart ache. From the minute she was born, she had counted on Chief. He was her companion in every way. Only Chief knew where she had come from and everything she had endured. Only Chief knew what Mutt’s promise had meant to both of them. She was happy that he had found his promise, but would she ever find hers? And now she would have to say good-bye to him too.

  Chief pressed his head against his sister’s. No words were needed to express how they felt about each other.

  This bittersweet moment was interrupted by Marty’s voice.

  “Luna, come here,” he said. “I have some news for you too.”

  chapter twenty-seven

  WORKING DOGS

  Luna became a dog for hire. She appeared in advertisements, television shows, and at charity events. All the lessons she had learned—the positive ones from Gilbert and negative ones from Raymond—had prepared her for work that required patience and obedience. She never missed a cue and had no trouble pretending to like strange children who petted her. Sometimes she was asked to dance, and she did that too, without making a fuss. It turned out that shy Luna was a natural performer.

  Marty wasn’t just an excellent trainer, he was a good promoter. Often when he talked to people about hiring Luna, she would hear him tell them about her escape from Raymond’s—her heroic tale. One day a local news station even did a story about her and Chief. The gentle reporter, with tears in his eyes, exclaimed, “You have never seen dogs this smart, or noble. What natural talent!”

  Looking into the camera, the reporter speculated on who their mother might have been. “Clearly, she must have been a dog of fine pedigree,” he said. “It is quite amazing for dogs so young to have endured and accomplished so much. Just over a year old, they have experienced more than many dogs do in a lifetime.”

  Luna tried to feel contented. She was glad that Chief was happy. Sarge had matched him with a kind, quiet policeman named Mike who belonged to the K-9 unit. Their job was to help rescue people who were trapped in rubble when buildings fell down because of construction accidents or explosions. Mike never failed to treat Chief with respect. They worked together and lived together. Mike welcomed Chief into his family. The two of them traveled together all over the city, trying to make sure it was a safe place.

  Marty had made a deal with Sarge that Chief and Luna would be able to see each other regularly. Mike kept the bargain, and every week he and Marty brought the dogs together, usually in a park where they could run and play.

  On one of those afternoons, Luna said to her brother, “You have found a home, haven’t you, Chief?”

  When he nodded, she said softly, “I wish our mother could see you.”

  Chief cocked his head and looked at his sister. He knew her as no one else could.

  “And you, Luna?” he asked. “Are you happy?”

  She sighed.

  “I’m not unhappy,” she replied.

  “What is it?” Chief asked.

  Luna blurted it out. “I don’t want to complain, because I have so much,” she said. “I would do anything for Marty. But I can’t stay with him, because . . .”

  She paused, but Chief prompted her. “Because why?”

  Luna continued. “Because he discovers dogs; he doesn’t adopt them,” she said. “I heard him tell someone he’s looking for a good place for me to live. Then when we were out for a walk I saw this sad-looking dog—he reminded me of Charlie when we first saw him. This poor dog was wearing a blanket on his back that said, ‘Adopt Me.’ Am I going to end up like him?”

  Chief listened sympathetically.

  Luna went on. “I felt like I hadn’t come very far at all,” she said. “All I wanted at that minute was to see our mother and Gilbert and even that crazy hen Penny. I wanted to see Charlie!”

  Chief thought for a minute and then said, “Luna, remember how our mother told each of us that we were more like her than we know?”

  Luna barked in amusement. “Yes, and I thought it was a special message just for me!” she said.

  “Well, I think it was,” said Chief. “You are Luna, Mutt’s puppy. Everything will work out, you’ll see.”

  Luna wasn’t so sure, but she gave her brother a mischievous nip on the neck, the way they did when they were little.

  “I hope you’re right,” she said as she trotted toward Marty.

  Then she turned and gave him a sisterly bark.

  “Hey, Chief,” she called out, “I’m willing to believe you.”

  chapter twenty-eight

  THE PERFORMANCE OF A LIFETIME

  In th
e weeks that followed, Luna worked hard. Yet there was one event coming up that seemed special to Marty. He pushed her hard, going over and over dance steps and routines she could do in her sleep.

  The morning of that performance, as he brushed her fur until it glistened, he told her about the worthy cause she would be participating in. Then he rattled off the list of famous people who would be appearing onstage with her, right in the middle of Times Square.

  “Just do what you always do,” Marty said in a soothing voice.

  Luna was perplexed. Why would she do anything else?

  When a limousine picked them up at Marty’s, Luna didn’t blink. She had grown accustomed to riding in fancy cars. But when she stepped out of the car, at the edge of Times Square, Luna felt as disoriented as she did when she and Chief first arrived in New York. Though she had grown accustomed to crowds and commotion, she had never experienced a carnival like this. Marty kept up a calming stream of talk as they pushed their way through people walking, selling things, making pronouncements, and pointing at some marvel or another.

  Soon they arrived at a stage that had been set up in the middle of the broad street. The sidewalk was crammed with children and adults holding notebooks and cameras, hoping to get autographs or have their pictures taken with the celebrities who were coming there to help raise money.

  But the stage was empty except for people checking the microphone and making sure everything was where it was supposed to be.

  Marty led Luna to a parked trailer. He laughed and pointed at the sign on the door.

  “Look, girl,” he said. “It says LUNA! You are a star now!”

  Luna followed Marty up the stairs into the trailer. Inside, there was a small couch and a table that was holding a bottle of water, a basket of fruit, and a cup filled with dog treats. On the floor, Luna found a big bowl of water, which she appreciated. All of the hubbub had made her nervous and thirsty.

  She rested on the couch while Marty talked on the telephone. Luna couldn’t tell how much time had passed when there was a knock on the door and someone called out, “You ready?”

  Marty scratched Luna’s ears.

  “Okay, Luna,” he said. “It’s showtime.”

  The two of them peered out of the trailer window and watched an older man emerge from the trailer next to theirs. People started calling out his name and waving. He waved back and stopped to sign the papers they pushed in front of him as he made his way to the stage.

  “That’s the TV star,” Marty said, chuckling.

  Soon the man was followed by other people, including a teenage girl, a famous pop singer. When she walked through the door, everyone screamed and shouted.

  “She’s a pro,” said Marty, with admiration in his voice. “Look, Luna, see how she just acts like nothing out of the ordinary is going on? That’s what you have to do.”

  Marty pointed out a baseball player and a politician, and then he repeated, “It’s showtime.”

  He pushed open the door, and Luna followed him. She kept her eyes on Marty, trying to ignore the mass of arms, legs, and bodies that pushed and shoved and shouted. She kept her head up and her gait even, just as Marty had told her to do.

  Her dignified approach drew a wave of “Ooh” and “Ahh” and “Oh, isn’t she cute!”

  When Luna climbed the steps to the top of the stage, she turned to face the crowd, paused, and raised her paw, just the way Marty had taught her.

  The crowd responded with chants of “Lu-na! Lu-na! Lu-na!”

  Luna gazed ahead the way actors do, giving everyone the impression that she was looking at him or her, when actually she was straining to hear her cue.

  Instead, through the noise, she thought she heard something familiar, a song she hadn’t heard in a very long time.

  “Allá está la luna, comiendo aceitunas . . .”

  Luna’s head jerked around and she began to bark.

  Marty looked shocked. Nothing ever distracted Luna from her assigned task.

  “What is it, girl?” he asked.

  Through the chants and laughter of the crowd, the words came through even stronger. “Yo le pedí una, no me quiso dar.”

  Luna began to dance, three steps one way, three steps back.

  Then she stopped and gazed frantically out into the crowd, her ears on high alert.

  “What’s going on, Luna?” Marty asked.

  Luna wasn’t sure herself. Had she just imagined the song or was it real? She stood very still, with her ears as alert as they had ever been.

  Then she heard what she was listening for.

  “Saqué el pañuelito, me puse a llorar.”

  That did it! Luna broke loose of her leash and pushed her way through the crowd.

  “Look, the dog is running away!” called out a little girl with delight.

  Luna ignored her and everything else. Nothing could stop her—not the crush of humanity trying to block her path, not even the sound of Marty’s bewildered voice yelling, “Come back, Luna!” She kept moving toward her destination, each step filled with love and hope.

  They saw each other at the same time.

  “Luna!” cried Gilbert. “Is that you? I knew it was you.”

  Luna stopped, but just long enough to catch her breath.

  Then, keeping her eyes on Gilbert to make sure he was really there, she began to dance.

  chapter twenty-nine

  AND THEN . . .

  Gilbert threw his arms around Luna, ignoring everyone, including Marty, who finally caught up with her.

  “How did you get here?” Gilbert asked Luna, who responded by licking his face and panting with joy.

  Marty saw this was no ordinary fan.

  “Who are you?” he asked Gilbert, his voice wavering between suspicion and curiosity.

  Before Gilbert could reply, his mother stepped between him and Marty.

  “Who is asking?” she replied.

  Marty, as usual, knew exactly what to do.

  He extended his hand and bowed slightly, ignoring the crowd milling around them.

  “I am Marty, Luna’s trainer,” he said. “A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. . . .”

  Gilbert’s mother was charmed, like almost everyone who met Marty.

  Marty pointed to the trailer with Luna’s name on it.

  “Why don’t we meet there after the show?” he suggested, as if nothing out of the ordinary had taken place.

  “Meanwhile, young man,” he said to Gilbert, “since Luna seems so fond of you, why don’t you join us onstage while she performs, and then we’ll find out what this is all about.”

  Gilbert glanced at his mother, who nodded.

  This time when Luna mounted the steps to the stage, she felt as if she were flying. She looked out at the cheering crowd with a new sense of peace. For the first time, she felt the long journey away from Raymond had reached an end.

  Afterward, Luna lay curled up at Gilbert’s feet while the grown-ups talked and the boy chimed in.

  “We lived on a farm,” Gilbert’s mother said.

  “And there was a dog named Mutt, the best dog in the world,” added Gilbert.

  Luna lifted her head.

  Gilbert laughed. “And then she had puppies who were the best puppies in the world.”

  Marty learned about Mr. Thomas and the chickens, and then he told Gilbert and Silvia what he knew about Puppy Paradise.

  “A puppy mill!” Gilbert’s eyes widened. “How did they get there? Mr. Thomas wouldn’t do that. I don’t believe it.”

  His mother looked sad. “I don’t want to believe it either,” she said. “But then he never wrote back to us . . .”

  Marty shook his head.

  “There’s a lot we don’t know,” he said. “How did Luna and Chief end up there, and where did they get the strength to overcome circumstances
that destroyed the spirit of so many other dogs?”

  Gilbert responded eagerly.

  “I know part of the answer,” he said. “They’re like Mutt.” He told Marty the story of how Mutt protected Butch from the fisher cat, a story that now seemed ancient, a fable from long ago. Luna loved hearing it again.

  Marty nodded. “That makes sense,” he said.

  He looked at Gilbert. “How did you know Luna would be here?” he asked.

  Silvia explained. “We saw something about the event on television and when Gilbert saw the mark above Luna’s eye—”

  “I thought she was Mutt!” Gilbert interrupted.

  “And I said it couldn’t be,” continued Silvia, “and then they said her name was Luna.”

  “And we realized Luna would be big by now,” Gilbert said. “So we came to see . . .”

  His voice trailed off and he knelt down to wrap his arms around Luna.

  Marty scratched Luna’s head and then laid his hand on Gilbert’s shoulder.

  “I have a feeling you taught Luna to dance,” Marty said.

  Gilbert looked surprised.

  “Are you a magician?” he asked. “How did you know?”

  Marty smiled without answering.

  “Gilbert,” he said, “could you watch Luna while I talk to your mother for a few minutes?”

  The two grown-ups went outside the trailer for quite a while, which suited Luna just fine. They could have left her there with Gilbert forever.

  Gilbert pressed his cheek against Luna’s fur and began to talk.

  “Mutt was there for me when I was alone on the farm,” he said. “And then she kind of gave you to me, to take care of the way she took care of me.”

  Luna sighed with happiness.

  Gilbert laughed. “But I know we both took care of each other.”

  Then he sat up in alarm. Marty and Silvia were standing in front of them, and Luna saw that they looked very serious.