Muttley Read Online Free PDF

jowly face.
    “Wow,” Lizzie said to herself.
    She wondered how Muttley would act around Jimmy. Dogs seemed to be their best when they were with him. Maybe Jimmy could work some special magic with the sleepy puppy. “Hey, Jimmy,” she asked when he and Greta came back in, “do you like chili?”
    Jimmy did like chili, and when Lizzie called to ask Dad if she could invite a friend to dinner,he said it was fine. Lizzie had hoped that there wouldn’t be quite enough chili to go around, and that she’d be forced to have a cheese sandwich for dinner, but unfortunately there was plenty. Lizzie made a face at the big pot that sat warming on the back of the stove when she and Jimmy got home.
    Lizzie could tell that Jimmy fell in love with Muttley the moment he saw him. “Look at those floppy ears,” he said as he sat down on the floor near Muttley’s bed.
    Muttley opened one eye.
    Then he opened the other one.
    He thumped his tail.
    Hey! Do I know you? I think I want to
know you!
    He got up, shook himself until his long ears went
flappety-flap,
and climbed right up onto Jimmy’s lap to lick Jimmy’s chin and nibble onhis shirt collar. Just like Jimmy, Muttley seemed to have fallen in love at first sight. From that moment on, Muttley didn’t leave Jimmy alone for a second. He followed him everywhere, sat next to his chair while they ate dinner, and brought him toy after toy to throw and play tug with. If Jimmy stopped paying attention for one second, Muttley would sit back and bark that hoarse bark at him, ending with the long, sad
aaaooooowww!
    By then, Lizzie wasn’t surprised. But Charles, the Bean, and Dad couldn’t believe their eyes. “What became of our sleepy pup?” asked Dad as he watched Muttley charge through the living room, racing Buddy to see who would be first to fetch a toy Jimmy had thrown.
    When Jimmy’s mom came to pick him up, Muttley walked him to the door. Jimmy knelt down to give the puppy a big hug, then stood up and turned quickly to go. Only Lizzie saw how sad Jimmy looked as he followed his mom out thedoor. Muttley’s ears drooped as he plodded back to his bed. He was sad, too.
    That was when she knew: Muttley and Jimmy belonged together. All she had to do was figure out how to convince his mom of that. And Lizzie knew that if anybody could do it, she could. After all,
her
mom had not been a dog person, either — until they started fostering puppies.
    After Jimmy left, Muttley curled up into a tight little ball on his bed, tucked his nose beneath one paw, and went to sleep. He barely even moved when Lizzie gave him a good-night pat. “What’s up, Sir Snores-a-Lot?” she asked. “You’re not sick, are you?”
    Lizzie felt Muttley’s nose. It was moist, just like a healthy dog’s nose should be. “Muttley?” she asked. He opened his eyes for a second, and she saw that they were clear and bright. When she leaned down to kiss his little black nose, Muttley’s breath smelled sweet. All those signs told Lizzie that Muttley was probably fine.He was just back to his old ways. Muttley, the World’s Laziest Dog. She petted him for a while, then gave him one last kiss on the nose. “Guess I don’t have to tell
you
to sleep tight, do I?” She shook her head and smiled at the sleepy pup. Then she went off to bed.

CHAPTER EIGHT
    Lizzie was having one of her favorite dreams, the one where she was in the land of dogs. Dogs, dogs, dogs. She was like a little boat bobbing in a vast sea of dogs. She could see dogs of every breed milling around, even the rare breeds, like the komondor. Not too many people would have known what a komondor was, but Lizzie recognized it immediately. The big sheepdog had long white hair, a curtain of ropy cords that hung to the ground from his black nose to his droopy tail. He pranced around with the other dogs, his coat swaying back and forth with every move.
    All the dogs ran around happily, barking in their wonderful, different voices. Lizzie