The Secret Dog Read Online Free PDF Page A

Josh took off his jeans and shirt and tossed them on the ground. Reggae sniffed around them, and then lay down on his shirt.
    Somehow, this reminded Josh of something  . . .  He crawled into his sleeping bag. That was it! His first night on the island. He’d been lying in his newbed. Even though it wasn’t that cold, he couldn’t stop shivering. Nor could he sleep. In the early hours of the morning, his Aunt Gertrude had come into his room. She’d just been to the city, emptying his mother’s flat. She had a bag of his things.
    The first thing she’d taken out of the bag was his mother’s nightshirt. It still smelled strongly of her. Without a word, she’d put it under his pillow. He hadn’t really understood why. A few minutes later, he’d fallen into a dreamless sleep.
    He’d forgotten all about that! Funny, how Reggae helped him recall these things.
    ‘I guess tomorrow’s going to be like my first night on the island for you.’ Josh said thoughtfully. He got out of the sleeping bag, took the blankets from Reggae’s bed and lined the sleeping bag with them.
    ‘They’ll smell of me tomorrow,’ he told her. ‘Come on in.’
    She climbed onto him, and snuggled into his armpit.
    ‘You won’t be able to work with sheep for a while,’ Josh said. ‘Your body isn’t big or strong enough. You’ll need to be six months old before we can do anything serious. You’re not going to be lying around doing nothing though. You can roam the commons with me. And I’ll teach you the usual stuff, “Sit”, “Come”, “Stay”.’
    Reggae leaned up and licked Josh’s face.
    ‘It usually takes at least two years to train a sheepdog properly,’ Josh continued. ‘But I’ll never be able to keep you secret that long. So I’m goingto get you ready to do next summer’s Gathering. It won’t be easy. The Gathering is a huge test for a dog. Three solid days of hard work, gathering sheep who don’t want to be gathered from the commons and bringing them to the pens. The third day is the worst. That’s up on the cliffs. Dogs are lost there, because the cliffs crumble underneath them. Then, if we survive that, there’s the fank. That’s another week of moving the sheep from one pen to another, making sure they all get vaccinated and checked for disease.’
    Josh turned off the lantern. ‘I’ve never heard of a one-year-old dog doing it all before  . . .  But it must be possible.’
    Josh felt Reggae shift position to get comfortable. ‘I’m sure it’s possible,’ he said under his breath.

 
    Chapter 6
    Five months later
    Reggae jumped up and down, almost unable to contain herself. She’d been cooped up in her shed all day. Now that Josh was finally here, she knew she was going out, and she was bursting with energy. He usually came at lunchtime, but a teacher had been patrolling the hole in the school fence that he usually used to sneak away.
    Reggae was almost fully grown now. She’d never be a big dog, but she had a big heart.
    ‘Sit,’ Josh commanded. Without hesitating, Reggae sat.
    Josh attached a lead to her collar. Reggae continued to sit, though she was quivering with excitement. She was waiting for him to release her.
    Josh went outside the shed, and inspected the area up the hill, on the other side of the road, where the farmhouses overlooked them. The coast was clear.
    He went back inside the shed. ‘That’ll do.’ Reggae jumped up. Josh closed the door behind them. ‘Heel.’ Reggae fell into step by his side. They headed straight into the strand of trees that ran down the hill towards the loch. Near the loch, at the bottom of the hill, there was a dip that had been carved by theold river, now just a stream. Josh’s grandfather had planted birch, alder and mountain ash trees along it, many years ago. Now they were almost fully grown. They provided a place for wildlife.
    The trees also hid the two of them as they jogged towards the commons. When the farmhouses were far behind, they