a Coyote's in the House (2004) Read Online Free PDF

Buddy said. What we have to do is show the child you're a nice doggy. He began nuzzling Antwan Antwan making a face and licking him, and now Buddy was making a face. Pretty soon Courtney was reaching out to Antwan.
    Her hand touched his shoulder, Antwan's tail shot out, and Buddy said, Listen to me, wild man, growling the words, you're a little doggy that wants to be petted. When you look up at her, soften your eyes. Watching him Buddy said, Yeah, that's good. Now wag your tail.
    Antwan said, Should I lick her?
    Let her make the first move.
    I never licked a human before.
    Cody stood with his toes curled over the edge of the div ing board. He said, That's no coyote.
    It is too, Courtney said.
    If it was a real one he'd be eating you by now. Antwan said to Buddy, Now should I lick her? Yeah, then pick up the collar and give it to her.
    What if she won't take it?
    She will, she saw the movie where I do it. Courtney likes to be handed things.
    I could get the child a rabbit, even one's not dead.
    Antwan, he handed Courtney the collar. She took it and sat down in the grass and then spent some time to buckle it, Buddy saying, The little girl in the movie was a lot quicker.
    Cody, still on the diving board, turned to the patio and yelled, Dad! Look at Courtney!
    The note of urgency in Cody's voice got the dad to knock over his coffee as he brought the newspaper down, quick, and looked out at the yard. He saw his two children and his two . . . No, there were two dogs, but one of them wasn't his.
    Cody, where'd he come from?
    I don't know. Buddy brought him.
    It's the coyote, Courtney said, that was in the house. Cody said, She thinks it's a coyote.
    The mom turned her chair sideways to have a look as the dad stepped out to the edge of the patio. He said, What's Courtney doing?
    Fixing his collar.
    A dog collar?
    It must've come off, Cody said.
    The mom sipped her juice and said, Why don't you see if there's a license?
    The dad started across the lawn waving his arm at Courtney. Step away from him, sweetheart. There's no telling where he's been. He could have rabies.
    Buddy said to Antwan, Walk toward the dad wagging your tail. When he says 'Stay,' stop and raise your head. He wants to look at the tag on the collar. Then you come back this way and I bet he calls you by name.
    Antwan said, like he was serious, He's gonna call me Antwan?
    Buddy didn't think it was funny. He said, You want this to work or not?
    The mom got up and came out on the lawn with her juice. She said to the dad, I think they're talking to each other. The dad didn't seem to hear her. They give each other little woofs and snarls, the mom said, and nod their heads.
    Antwan turned from Courtney and walked toward the dad until the dad said, Stay, and Antwan stopped in his tracks. Then added something of his own to the act. He raised one paw, stuck his tail out and leaned forward pointing his nose, the way he'd seen hunting dogs do it at the park.
    The dad looked back at the mom, then hunched down to find the tag on the collar, ready to jump away if he heard a growl. He rose saying, There's no license, and the I. D. looks like it's been chewed. I can't read the address, only his name.
    Well, what is it? the mom said.
    The dad held a hand up for her to be quiet. He waited as Antwan walked away, got almost as far as Buddy and Courtney before he said, Timmy?
    Antwan stopped and looked around.
    Sit, the dad said.
    Antwan didn't move, not till he heard Buddy, behind him, woof, Sit down.
    Antwan sat. And the dad announced to the family, Timmy's a dog.
    /Hat they did now was try to decide what kind of dog Timmy was.
    What's the big deal, Cody said, he's a skinny German shepherd.
    The mom said, I think Cody's right.
    He definitely has some shepherd in him, the dad said. I would guess there's also a spaniel in his lineage, a pointer, possibly a setter. He said in a thoughtful kind of way, You know what? Maybe even some basenji.
    The mom said, You know what a basenji looks