Bandit Read Online Free PDF Page A

playing with Buddy’s big stuffed teddy bear. The bear was almost bigger than he was, but Bandit carried it all over the house. I guess he finally tired himself out.”
    “Awww,” said Maria. “Little Bandit. Hey, you know what’s weird? I think somebody else around here might have started a dog-walking business, too. When I went over to Sunset to try to get more clients, people kept telling me they were all set. I wonder who that could be?”
    “Um,” said Lizzie. It was time to change the subject again. “I think I hear my dad calling. I better go.” She hung up, feeling a wave of queasiness in her stomach. She should have just toldMaria that
she
was the person walking dogs on Sunset. But did it really matter who was walking which dogs? After all, the main thing was to raise money for Bandit’s operation. Bandit! She ran upstairs to her room to find the puppy still asleep on her bed. He had found the most comfortable spot, cozied up between her two pillows. “Bandit,” she cooed, curling up next to him. He yawned, a sleepy pink yawn, and kissed her on the cheek.
    Hi, there. It’s about time somebody found me and gave me some attention.
    Then he yawned again. His eyelids drooped, and a moment later he was fast asleep.
    Sleep did not come so easily to Lizzie that night. She kept going over her client list in her mind, trying to figure out the best route to take as she picked up each dog. And every time she thoughtabout her clients on Sunset, she felt a twinge in her tummy.
    The next day, Lizzie set out right after school. She had decided to head over to Sunset first, pick up Atlas, then work her way back toward her own neighborhood, picking up dogs along the way. When she’d picked up Maxx, the dog who lived nearest to her house, she would walk all of them back toward Sunset to return Atlas, then drop off the other dogs as she headed home. That way, each dog would get a nice long walk. Then, when she was done with the group walk, she’d have to walk Ginger on her own. But that would be easy. Ginger lived just down the street and Mrs. Davis, her owner, said she didn’t like to go for long walks. Mom and Dad had seemed doubtful when Lizzie explained her plan, but she was sure she could manage.
    It took a lot longer to walk over to Atlas’s house than Lizzie had imagined. When she arrived, the big golden retriever was raring to go. She could barely get his leash clipped on before he dashed out the door, dragging her down the walk. “Whoa, whoa!” she yelled. “Slow down, Atlas.” She reeled him in and told him to heel. He looked up at her with a happy grin and did exactly what she’d asked, sticking to her left side like glue. Atlas really could behave well, as long as you reminded him to.
    Before she and Atlas had even walked the three blocks to her next client’s house, Lizzie was glad she’d remembered to stick a bunch of plastic bags in her backpack. Picking up poop was not her favorite part of this job, but she knew it had to be done.
    The next dog she picked up was Scruffy, the Morkie. He was adorable, but he turned out to bea dawdler. The little dog stopped at every bush to pee and halted in his tracks whenever he saw a squirrel or cat that needed barking at.
    Tank’s owner had left the back door unlocked, with a note telling Lizzie where to find his leash and halter. Unfortunately, the halter was not where it was supposed to be, so Lizzie just clipped his leather leash onto his collar and hoped for the best. “Whoa!” she yelled as Tank pulled her
and
the other dogs down the street. This young German shepherd was even stronger than Atlas, but unlike the obedient golden retriever, Tank did not pay one bit of attention when she told him to heel.
    For the next few blocks Lizzie thought she was going to be pulled in half as Tank and Atlas surged forward and Scruffy hung back. For a tiny dog, Scruffy was surprisingly strong.
    By the time Lizzie stopped to pick up Dottie the Dalmatian, she was already