Badger the Mystical Mutt and the Barking Boogie Read Online Free PDF Page B

was the greatest dancer in the world.”
    â€œThen I think you know what you have to do, to respect and continue his legacy. Why don’t you partner Cheryl, and go and win that red rosette in the Hotpaws Barking Boogie ?” suggested Badger kindly.
    â€œBut she stinks!”
    â€œLeave that with me! I’m working on it,” said Badger mysteriously.
    Dodgy Dave brightened and bowed his thanks to Badger solemnly. Then he spun on his heels, did a sprightly sidekick and tap-danced his way to the crack in the fence.
    Badger followed Dodgy Dave into the lane and sniffed the wooden fence. Bingo! He had received over 100 replies to his p-mail.
    Operation Buddy Bites was underway.

Badger watched as a procession of dogs passed by the crack in the fence. They were all heading for one place — Cheryl’s garden. In their paws they carried tins of Buddy Bites .
    When Cheryl’s Big Folk opened their back door, they were surprised to discover a pile of neatly stacked tins on the step.
    Cheryl ran past their feet and stopped sharp.
    â€œOh my goodness,” she thought. “ Buddy Bites! They look tasty.” She sniffed and sniffed, then sniffed some more. She looked up at her Big Folk, fluttered her long eyelashes and wagged her bottom.
    Cheryl’s Big Folk lifted a tin from the top and read its label aloud. “ Lickerish Luscious Morsels in Gravy Goo. ” They lifted another. “ Beefy Brutus Wellies . Are these for you, Cheryl?”
    Cheryl jumped up and down and yapped hungrily. She followed her Big Folk inside, licking her lips.
    â€œPacked with all the vitamins and minerals your dog needs to keep its heart healthy,” continued her Big Folk. Cheryl thought about how her heart had been fluttering recently when she saw Dodgy Dave. She hoped that Buddy Bites might stop the butterflies in her tummy too.

    While Cheryl was tucking in to her new-found feast, Badger saw Dodgy Dave sidle past his garden. He walked into the lane and followed him. Dodgy Dave was also making his way towards Cheryl’s back garden. When Dodgy Dave entered the garden, he looked around him shiftily.
    Peering through a hole in the fence, Badger saw him add a tin of Savoury Shoot Stew Buddy Bites to the heap of tins on the step. After Dodgy Dave had looked over his shoulder a few more times, he pulled something out from under his arm and laid it down. Then he turned on his heels and ran back to the lane.

    Badger hid behind the wheelie bin and, when he returned to his spyhole, he spotted a bunch of golden dandelions beside the tin. He smiled to himself and thought that Dodgy Dave was now definitely ready to be Cheryl’s dancing partner.
    A few days later, when the number of tins outside Cheryl’s back door had shrunk significantly, Badger spotted the Pong Police in the lane, tearing down their old Warning notices and replacing them with a new poster. He waited for them to leave and ran up to read what was on it.
    He read aloud:
    T HIS L ANE IS NOW OFFICIALLY OPEN AGAIN, AND HAS BEEN
CLEARED UNDER SECTION 111 OF THE P ONG S TATUTE , AS THE
HIDEOUS SMELL HAS MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED .
    â€œWell,” he thought, “those Buddy Bites worked faster than I realised. If the lane is open, it means Cheryl is pong-free.”
    Just then Dodgy Dave ambled along the lane.
    â€œI see the Pong Police have packed up and left,” he shouted to Badger.
    â€œYes, it looks like things are back to normal again.” He looked at Dodgy Dave, who seemed to have softened since he saw him last. “So now the Hotpaws Barking Boogie can go ahead tomorrow as planned. Will you be entering?” he ventured.
    â€œI’d like to,” sighed Dodgy Dave. “But I still need a dancing partner.”
    Right on cue, Cheryl skipped up the lane to join them.
    Badger winked at Dodgy Dave and said, “I don’t think you’ll have to look far for your dancing partner.”
    Dodgy Dave turned to