Stick Dog Wants a Hot Dog Read Online Free PDF Page A

the end of the driveway, right? Only it’s really heavy this time. Now, I’m pretty strong. I can break a stick in half right over my knee! How about that? Yeah, it’s true—totally true.
    Anyway, I’m strong.
    But that garbage bag was real heavy, so I had to sort of drag it to the can instead of carry it. And about halfway down the driveway, it started tearing. Only I didn’t know it started tearing. So by the time I got to the can, most of the garbage was spread out behind me in a line on the driveway.

    And—NO!—I didn’t happen to notice that the bag was getting lighter. So please don’t ask.
    Well, I had to go pick up all that filth and yuck with my hands. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth until it was all back in the bag. I was so mad that I kicked the bag.
    And all the dust and hair from the vacuum cleaner came POOFing out in a great cloud of terrible-ness right into my face.

    That was the last time I had had enough.
    All of a sudden, I feel like taking a shower.
    So this time, it was Stick Dog who had had enough. He looked at Karen, who was still kind of strutting around about the genius-ness of her plan. Stick Dog just said, “Frankfurters don’t have fur. Peter will never believe it.”
    All four of the other dogs looked at Stick Dog with their heads sort of turned sideways like he was speaking a foreign language—like cat language or turtle language or pumpkin language.
    â€œWhat is it?” Stick Dog asked.
    They all asked at the same time, “Who is Peter?”

    Stick Dog closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them slowly, very slowly. “Peter is the man over there with the frankfurter cart. Remember?”
    Then all four of them started nodding their heads with great energy and enthusiasm.
    â€œOkay. Those were four great plans—really, they were,” Stick Dog said with as much sincerity as he could muster. “But I think I have a plan that might just work, if you all agree.”
    â€œWhat’s your plan?” asked Poo-Poo. Stripes, Mutt, and Karen had gathered around Stick Dog to listen.
    â€œWell, look over there. See where Peter has his frankfurter cart parked?” Stick Dog said. And before he could be interrupted, he added, “Peter is the one working at the cart.”
    The four other dogs looked over at the cart and then back at Stick Dog.
    â€œWell, somebody is drying their clothes in the yard right next to where he’s parked. See the clothes and sheets and stuff flapping in the wind? And there’s a basket of folded laundry too. I think we can sneak around the back of that blue house to right where all those clothes are hanging. We’ll get behind one of those two sheets hanging there. As soon as he turns his head to look in the other direction, we’ll pounce out from behind the laundry, grab some frankfurters, and run like crazy.”
    Stick Dog looked to see the reactions of his four friends.
    â€œWhat a lousy plan,” said Karen.
    â€œAll of our plans were much more sophisticated and brilliant,” said Mutt.
    â€œWhat a bogus plan,” said Poo-Poo.
    â€œPretty simple, isn’t it?” sighed Stripes.

    Stick Dog gathered himself together a little bit. He wanted those frankfurters really badly. And he wanted to end this conversation almost as much. So all he said was “You’re right. You’re right. You’re all correct. It’s not a very good plan at all. It’s rather simple and boring. And your plans were all so much better in so many ways. But I wonder if we could just try mine out? Could we? Are you with me?”
    It was just the kind of encouragement they needed.
    â€œYes!” they all shouted together.
    After they calmed down a little, Mutt asked, “Stick Dog?”
    â€œYes?”
    Mutt glanced down the street, then quickly back at Stick Dog. “I think we better hurry.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œThat