Teacher's Pet Read Online Free PDF Page B

to look at the intruders and wags her tail happily when she sees John.
    â€œThey are so cute!” I squeal. I’m normally not the kind of person who squeals, but puppies bring out my inner Zoe.
    â€œWill the mom let me pet them?” New mothers can be very protective of their puppies.
    â€œSure,” John says as he scratches the mom dog’s ears. “We want the dogs to be as sociable as possible. She is very comfortable with visitors.”
    I step into the puppy pen and kneel down. The puppies are all over me in an instant, kissing my face, licking my hands and arms, jumping up and down. I burst into giggles. Their ears are still floppy, and their fur is more like fuzz. When they grow up, they will be regal, dignified dogs like Scout. Right now, they are tubby little fluff balls that want to chew on my hair. It’s great.
    Every school in America should have a puppy pen. That way any kid having a bad day could visit for fifteen minutes of puppy love. That would cure anyone’s bad mood. I bet grades would go up, too.
    â€œDo you raise all the puppies here?” I ask as I toss a ball across the pen.
    John takes a brush from a hook on the wall and starts to groom the mom dog’s coat. She closes her eyes in pleasure.
    â€œWe breed all our dogs here,” he explains. “The pups stay with their mother for eight weeks. Then we send them out to volunteer puppy-raising families. The puppy raisers take care of their pups until they’re about eighteen months old. They teach them basic obedience and make sure they’re exposed to lots of social experiences.”
    â€œDo they teach any of the commands that the blind people use?” I ask.
    â€œOnly basic obedience, like ‘Sit,’ ‘Stay,’ and ‘Come.’ The real work starts when the dogs come back here. If they pass their medical exams, the dogs are assigned an instructor, like me. We work with the dogs for about four months, teaching them the skills they need to be successful guide dogs. When the companions arrive at the school, they work with their dogs for a month. Assuming all goes well, the dogs and companions graduate and leave as a team.”
    â€œWow,” I say. “That’s a lot of change, a lot of moving around for the dogs. How can they bond with anyone?”
    John picks up the tufts of fur from the floor. “They are totally surrounded by love and affection every step of the way. Big changes are easier to handle if you know people love you—that’s true for dogs and people. But it takes time and patience. The tricky part is when the dog and blind companion leave here and go back to real life. The outside world takes some getting used to.”
    â€œI think that’s what Mr. Carlson and Scout are going through,” I say.
    â€œWhat do you mean?” John asks.
    I stroke the head of the sleepy puppy in my lap and explain what I know. John lifts his cap, scratches the back of his head, and puts the cap back on.
    â€œI knew it would be a challenge, starting with Scout and then going back to teaching right away,” he says. “But James, Mr. Carlson, is a really independent guy. And Scout is a smart dog, well suited for a teacher. They need time together, and they need to keep up on their training. And James has to remember to be affectionate with Scout.”
    The puppy in my lap lets out a little snore. I wonder if there is something I can do to help. Teach my teacher? Is that possible?
    â€œCome on,” John says. “You’ve seen the puppies. Now I want to show you how we train the adult dogs.”

    â€œThis is Nugent,” John says as he opens a kennel door. A medium-sized golden retriever with a shiny reddish coat bounds out. John bends down and hugs him, ruffling his fur.
    â€œDo you want to pet him?” he asks.
    â€œCan I?” I ask, puzzled. “Gran told me I shouldn’t pet a guide dog, not even a little.”
    John