I’ll never forget that day. I was just going out on my bike to my best friend Jamie’s house. I had to ride past the old junkyard. All of a sudden, I heard a loud noise coming from around the bend. Then, I saw him.
The big, snarling mutt came bounding around the gnarled, old oak tree and stopped dead right in front of me. He must have been a cross between a Great Dane and an Irish Bulldog. He pulled back his black lips and showed me every single one of his sharp, yellow teeth. He was so close that I could smell his putrid, disgusting breath. Everyone in our town knew he was a stray who lived in the junkyard.
I heard that once he ate an entire tabby cat! We called him Rex the Hex, for an obvious reason. That dog was mean!
I sat there, frozen, for what seemed like an eternity, when Rex bounded toward me, tooth, claw and all! At that instant, I rocketed away, speeding for my life. I’d never felt so scared before. I rode back to my own house since I was too scared to go back that way again.
It was a Saturday, so I was allowed to stay up. Good thing, too, because I had way too much on my mind to sleep. By then, I was over the shock, and I started to think about what I had seen. Not a big snarling mutt, but a neglected, half-starved, flea-carrying, matted, and most likely, cold dog. It was a big risk, but I decided I wanted to help.
The next day, I woke up, threw my clothes on, quickly ate and started to wrap up my leftovers in a blanket when my dad stopped me in my tracks.
“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” Dad asked me.
“Um ... uh, just heading over to Jamie’s,” I replied.
“Well, be careful. There’s a big mutt up near the junkyard,” he warned me.
“I know, Dad, I’ll be careful,” I assured him.
Then I fled through the open door, down the stairwell, and out the big sliding doors. I hopped on my bike and started to pedal to the junkyard. Two blocks away, my nerves failed me. What if he wanted to attack me? Then I told myself not to be a chicken, and kept moving forward.
I chained up my bike outside the walls, pushed open the gate and went in. Almost at once the stench hit me. It had to be the worst thing I had ever smelled in my life. I wanted to run back out into the open air, but I pushed myself forward. All of a sudden, I saw something scurry by my foot. A rat. I felt like I was going to scream, but I stopped myself just in case Rex was there.
After snooping around every last inch of the junkyard, I was sure Rex was not there.
“Probably on one of his hunting raids,” I told myself.
Soon, I found his bed, or at least what looked like a bed. It was actually just a pit dug out in the ground, covered by a cardboard box. I felt deep sorrow. I began to work.
First, I removed the box, cleaned out the pit, and lined it with the blanket. Then, I found four metal poles. These I stuck in the ground. Next, I found a big metal car hood and placed it on top of the poles. While I was rummaging around for things to make walls, I found an old, ragged teddy-bear. I picked it up and placed it in the bed.
After about an hour, I was done with the dog house. I took out my leftovers and put them next to the box with a bowl of water. I took a long satisfied look at my work. I heard something coming. At once I jumped into a pile of rubble and watched. Rex came romping in and then stopped. I wondered if he could smell me. I held my breath, but thankfully he went over to sniff my food. He gulped it down at once, and licked the water bowl dry. When he saw the house, he started looking around. I could have sworn he looked right at me, but I guess not, because he started lying down on the blanket, with his head on the bear.
Once he had fallen asleep, I snuck back to my bike and rode home. It was only three o’clock, so I decided to head down to “Pet Smart.” When I got there, I noticed that Mr. Williams was on duty.
“Hey, Megan. What are you doing here?” he asked me.
“Um ... just buying some gifts for my friend who lives out-of-town,” I replied.
“Well, what kind of dog does she have?” he asked.
“A Great Dane/Bulldog mix,” I told him.
“Well, let me show you some things.”
He walked me to the back of the store. He gave me a bag of dog food, a collar, a leash and some food and water bowls. He also handed me a dog training book.
“Will that be all?” he asked me when we got to the counter.
“One more thing,” I said. “Can you give me any tips on how to introduce myself to a new dog?”
“Well, I’d feed him some treats and coax him with sweet talk if I were you,” he told me.
“Okay, thanks Mr. Williams,” I said.
He totaled up my things, gave me the receipt, and handed me my bags.
“Have a nice day,” I said as I left.
When I got on my bike, I checked my watch. Five o’clock p.m. I still had time to go see Rex. I started riding to the dump, when I realized I hadn’t told my parents where I was going. I made a sharp left and rode straight home.
“Where have you been?!” My mother asked sternly.
“Just out and about,” I told her.
“Next time, tell me,” she said.
“Okay, Mom. Hey, can I go ride over to Jamie’s?” I asked her.
“Well ... I don’t know,” she answered.
“Please, Mom?” I pleaded.
“Alright, but be back in time for dinner,” she warned me.
“No problem, I’ll be here!” I promised.
Although I wasn’t going to Jamie’s, I felt like Mom trusted me more and I felt bad that I was lying to her.
“You’re not really lying,” I told myself. “You’re doing the right thing.”
When I got to the junkyard, I grabbed my supplies, chained up my bike and went in. This time, I didn’t sneak around. Instead, I went straight to the place where Rex had his bed. I figured that my scent was still there, so maybe he would recognize me.
When I heard him coming, I jumped into a pile of broken car pieces. Once I gathered my nerve, I stepped out. I guess I caught him by surprise, because when he heard me, he whipped around and bared his teeth.
“Easy boy, I don’t want to hurt you,” I coaxed as I held out a biscuit for him.
I started to step toward him, and he closed his mouth. He reached forward, took the biscuit, and then did something that really surprised me. He actually licked my hand. At that point, I knew his trust in me was beginning to grow.
Once the first encounter was over, I fed him the dog food I brought in his new bowls and gave him some fresh water.
“Do you like that boy?” I asked him.
He barked back in approval.
All the next week, I built up our bond. Every day after school, I stopped by the junkyard, fed Rex and started to think of a new name for him. After all, Rex was a scary dog name and Rex wasn’t that scary. I tried name after name, but nothing fit. Ranger, Bull, Jaws and lots more came to mind. Finally, it hit me, Nova!
“Rex, you need a new name. Do you like Nova?” I asked him.
He seemed to pause and think ... then covered my face with wet, sloppy licks!
“Alright Nova, that’s enough!” I said. “I think it’s time I tried out your collar. I have to go buy an ID tag now, so you stay put, okay?”
He gave me what seemed like a nod, and then sat down.
“Good boy, Nova, I’ll be right back.” I promised.
I jumped on my bike and rode to the store. When I got there, I went straight over to the machine that made dog tags. I chose a gold one shaped like a bone. I entered my name, Nova’s name, my home phone and address. Once I paid for it, I rode back to the junkyard.
“Nova, I’m back!” I yelled.
He came bounding up to me and nearly knocked me over. I clipped the tag onto his collar and said, “Now, you are officially my pet!” Then, he started to bathe me in kisses.
After we played, I started thinking about some problems. First off, even though it was only September, it was starting to get chilly at night. I thought about putting in a heater, but there wasn’t an outlet. I thought about a fire, but quickly ruled that out. Too many risks. I could bring him home, but what would Mom and Day say? Would they let me keep him?
I knew I had to get Nova some warmth, so I decided to go with my third idea. I had to get Nova to appeal to my Mom and Dad. That might be a problem. As I looked at Nova while he was sleeping, I realized he was filthy. My mother hated dirt. I would have to clean him.
I opened up my wallet and counted my cash. I had 32 dollars left and 75 cents. I wondered if that was enough to have him groomed.
“Nova,” I whispered, “I’ll be back soon.”
He made a grunting noise and then fell back to sleep. I sped down to the pet store and ran inside.
“Hi there, Megan,” Mr. Williams said cheerfully. “What can I get you this time?”
“I’d like some tools for grooming, please,” I answered.
“Alright then, let me see what I have,” he replied.
He ducked behind the counter, and then came back with a small box.
“This kit will have everything you need. There are even instructions!” he told me.
“I’ll take it!” I exclaimed.
“That will be $25 please,” he said.
“No problem,” I said. But in my mind, I was worried that I only had a couple of bucks left.
“Mr. Williams?” I asked as he was ringing me up, “Are there any job openings here?”
“Why, yes, there is,” he told me. “Would you like to take it?”
“Oh, yes!” I exclaimed.
“Great, your shifts will be on Saturday from 1 to 4, and Wednesday through Friday from 4:30-7:00,” he told me.
“Perfect! Thank you, Mr. Williams!” I said.
“No problem at all,” he reassured me.
When I got back, Nova was waiting for me.
“How would you like a nice, long bath?” I asked him. I’m not sure if he even knew what a bath was, but he looked excited.
I opened the grooming kit to get the shampoo and conditioner. I found an old wash basin and filled it with water. Next, I wrestled with Nova for a quarter of an hour, just to get him in the water. Once he was in, he fought to get out. At one point, he calmed down long enough so that I could get him covered in suds. Then he covered me back.
Once he was clean, I dried him off with some towels and reached for the brush. I stroked him with it until his fur shown. I clipped his toenails and smoothed out his tail. I was almost at the end of the kit, when the big problem started. I was supposed to brush his teeth. I started toward him very slowly. All of a sudden, I jumped at him. I grabbed his collar, chained him to a car engine, and comforted him.
“This will only take a minute, Nova.” I promised.
He looked at me with pleading eyes. I grabbed the toothbrush and toothpaste and got to work. He kept trying to eat the toothbrush. Finally, completely exhausted, I was done.
“Nova,” I told him, “you look like the most handsome dog in the world!” He liked that.
It was a Saturday evening and I had said good night to Nova. Now I was back at home with my parents. Tonight I was going to ask if I could keep him.
“But what if they say no?” I asked myself.
“Relax, you have to have courage!” I answered, reassuringly.
I walked down to the dinner table where my family was waiting for me with chicken curry and potatoes.
“Mom, Dad,” I said as I sat down, “I have a confession to make.”
“What’s wrong, Sweetie?” my mom asked.
“Well, you know that old dog that has been abandoned in the junkyard?” I asked.
“Well, I’ve kind of been taking care of him.”
“What?!” my dad yelled. “That thing might have rabies!”
“First of all, he’s a dog and his name is Nova. And, secondly, he doesn’t have any disease,” I argued back.
“But, I’m sure he’s filthy!” my mother added.
“He’s not, really! I gave him a bath, brushed him, clipped his toenails and everything!” I pleaded, “Please, please, please, can I keep him”
“I don’t know sweetie,” said my mom. She looked a little calmer.
“I’ll take really good care of him. He can even stay in my room. I’ll pay for everything. I got a job at Petsmart to make extra money. Please?” I begged.
“Well, because you’ve been so responsible, we’ll give it a try.” said my dad.
“Oh, thank you!” I exclaimed. “I’ll go get Nova right now!”
I ran to bring Nova home and everyone loved him ... eventually ... even my mom!
“I did it, Nova,” I whispered into his ear. “I saved you.”
THE END