Dog Tales and Stories
by Lori Krout, 2007 
Mr. and Mrs. Spaniel were a couple of polite dogs who enjoyed having their many friends over to dinner at their lovely home by Hyde Park Corner whenever they were able. At the Spaniel house, it was never just dinner, though; It was a party! One evening, when Mr. Spaniel was dozing comfortably in his arm-chair, Mrs. S. thought it would be a good time to talk to him about something that was on her mind. “Wake up, Spanny dear, and let’s review the invitations for our dinner party. Have you finished the list yet and added my suggestions? “Well. I’m pretty sleepy right now,” he yawned. “Would you be so kind as to read the list to me, pumpkin?” Mrs. S. read the names out to Mr. S: “So far, we have the Terriers, The Foxhounds, The Danes, Matthew Mastiff, The Beagles, Pammy Poodle, The Barkers (along with Bianca Barker, who is visiting for the next month or so), and Bob Bulldog- Wait! Bob Bulldog??!” cried Mrs. Spaniel, looking confused and upset, “Why do you want him to come? He is nothing but trouble, that guy!” “I’m sorry but I just can’t leave him off the list, “ said Mr. Spaniel, who then got up and lazily went over to his desk and began to slowly write out the invitations. “You did make sure to mention that this was a formal didn’t party didn’t you? I can’t wait to show off my new Vera Woof gown!” “Yes, of course, dear. I’ve asked our friend, Patrick Pug, if he’d help deliver the invitations,” said Mr. S. He’s a good sport to agree to help us, don’t you think?” The only invitation that we need to mail is the one going to the Barker farm. It is just too far to ask Patrick to go, but Gary, our Greyhound mail courier said that if we mail it tomorrow, he’ll be sure to get it by the farm by the end of the day. The next day, Patrick the Pug stopped by and picked up the pile of invitations, just as planned. His first stop was Kennel Court, the country home of The Foxhounds. Patrick found Frank Foxhound outside, wiping his forehead after an especially exhausting hunt. Patrick almost didn’t need to see Frank Foxhound though- he could hear his booming voice and loud laugh from all the way down the road! Mr. Foxhound was the kind of dog who was always the life of the party, and he and his wife were always among friends. He said he’d check to make sure that they were free, but that he was pretty sure that the Spaniels could count them in. “I am here to deliver a dinner party invitation for a formal evening at the Spaniel’s house. The Spaniels asked that I deliver this to you personally,” said Gary. At first, Ben Barker was concerned that he might have to turn down the invitation, because his mornings on the farm start very early, and late nights don’t give him enough sleep. He checked the time of the party, though, and felt if he could leave a little before the other guests to assure a good night’s sleep, all would be well. His best suit was looking a little shabby, but he remembered he had a new shirt, and felt he could make himself look presentable. His wife, Bella, and his sister, Bianca, would be excited to attend as well! After Patrick Pug left the Foxhound estate, he next had to deliver the invitation meant for Bob Bulldog. After about fifteen minutes, he reached the bulldog’s dwelling place, and found Bob lying near a broken old tub, in a yard littered with papers. Bob was in a dirt pile, smoking a stubby, stinky cigar. The bulldog grumbled a bit from being disturbed by the Pug, but once he read the note he said, “ Oh, you can say I’ll be sure to come. I am always ready for a good food fest!” As Patrick began to leave, Bob growled with a chuckle, “Don’t hurry back!” and he blew out a blast of stinky cigar smoke after Patrick as he scurried off. Patrick delivered the remaining invitations to the other guest’s houses and finally trotted on back to his own home, which was just around the corner from his friends, the Spaniels.
At last, the day of the big dinner party arrived, and the guests all came to the door, happy and ready to start the party! Never before had so many sleek, well-dressed dogs met together, and the variety of their tuxedos and gowns were amazing to see. Mrs. Spaniel greeted Bianca Barker, who was visiting her brother, Ben, from Spain. “Are you enjoying the fresh country air on the farm?” Mrs Spaniel asked, as her eyes were drawn down to Bianca’s dainty paws and her beautiful new high-heeled shoes. “Oh my goodness. I just love your shoes! Are they from the new Jimmy Chew line?” Bianca dropped her voice to a whisper and leaned in closer to Mrs. Spaniel. “Thanks! Aren’t they the cutest? They are not from the real designer though. I got them at Bullseye.” The two dogs laughed and exchanged fashion notes. The guests were all on their best behavior, and were getting along wonderfully. All of the dogs remembered not to slop up their drinks and all ate small bites of food, which is not an easy thing for dogs! The dogs exchanged lots of stories and chit-chat, and spent time toasting the other dog guests with their sparkling apple cider. Some of the dogs made speeches, and all the others listened and clapped, even if they didn’t really understand or appreciate the others’ stories. 
One thing was strange, though. Even though he had arrived with the other guests, Bob Bulldog was suddenly missing! It seems he was getting a bit bored by the speeches and sneaked off on his own to the downstairs kitchen. A huge uproar was heard, as it was discovered that not only had he crept into the kitchen, he had gobbled up all of Ms. Spaniel’s prized parfaits and was smoking another stinky cigar down there! Mrs. Spaniel was certainly not happy. Now there would be no dessert to serve her elegant guests! Patrick Pug, Frank Foxhound, and Mr. Spaniel himself all got together and decided that it was time to kick Bob Bulldog out of the party. Mr. Spaniel realized that Mr. Bulldog was not a real friend. He was just there for the food. He had tried to remain friends with his old college roommate, but this was the final straw! As Mr. Bulldog lost his cigar stub in the street, he turned around, slinking back to his dirty old yard to think about what he had done. His friends were unhappy with him and would probably never ask him to visit them again, because they saw how he had used them. Mrs. Spaniel didn’t even have to open her mouth about it once to Mr. Spaniel! “You were right, dear. I thought I could depend on my friend to behave himself, but he showed his true colors tonight. That is for sure.” She nodded, and they both ran quickly in search of the room freshener to get rid of the stinky cigar smoke from the kitchen. The End
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