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,” Pico said, and looked at the other animals for help.
    â€œDisreputable,” Florence said. “Dissolute. Difficult. ”
    This was just getting better and better. “And?” the dog asked eagerly.
    â€œObstreperous,” Benjamin said. “Rebellious. Untrustworthy. Entirely unwelcome in every way, shape, or form in polite society.”
    Wow, that sounded totally awesome. The dog glanced around the room, hoping that someone else would have a contribution.
    â€œBad,” Lancelot said finally, and everyone else nodded. “Wicked bad.”
    Talk about excellent! “You mean like a villain, and an outlaw, and someone who strikes fear into the hearts of all who pass?” the dog asked.
    Pico nodded, pursing her lips in disgust. “A hooligan, also.”
    A bad hat. Cool! “I love it,” the dog said. “That’s justwhat I am. Except, I don’t want to be a bad hat. I want to be the Bad Hat.” The best Bad Hat.
    â€œI think you’re missing the point, Webster,” Florence said. “It wasn’t a compliment.”
    Maybe not to wimpy cats, or to timid and unimaginative sorts of dogs, but as far as he was concerned, it was just right. “It’s perfect ,” the dog said. “Finally, a name that I can enjoy. Thanks, Pico!”
    Now and forever, no matter what, until the end of time, he would be—the Bad Hat!

CHAPTER THREE
    B enjamin was the first one to break the silence.
    â€œYou invited him here, Miss Cranky-Pants,” he said to Florence. “All of this is on your head.”
    â€œLet’s just start, before it gets light out,” MacNulty said impatiently. “Can we watch Babe again?”
    â€œThat’ll do, MacNulty,” Jack said, and laughed so hard that he almost fell off the couch.
    Florence turned to look at the dog. “It’s your first night, Bad Hat. What would you like to watch?”
    What on earth was she talking about? The dog looked at her with confusion.
    â€œIt’s a viewing party , dude,” Lancelot said. “So, yo, big fella, that means we watch something.”
    Really? This wasn’t just sitting around eating kibble and yapping at each other? There was an actual plan ? “Uh, I don’t know,” the Bad Hat said. “I don’t really watch TV.”
    The other animals in the room gasped.
    â€œI’ve mostly been in shelters and stuff,” the Bad Hat said, feeling very defensive. And it wasn’t like he wasn’t totally, sort of, up on his pop culture, since all animals were, which was one of the best secrets that human beings didn’t know about them. But, was it his fault that he hadn’t been around televisions much? Yeah, he’d seen televisions before, but mostly, all of his adopters had left him outside by himself. And if he was allowed in the house, he was usually supposed to stay in the kitchen. If he went into the bedrooms—or, worst of all, tried to climb up on the couch with the children or something, all he would hear was, “No, no, bad dog!” Then, he would get banished to the backyard again. In one of the shelters, the guy who was supposed to clean the kennels always sat and watched movies on his computer all day, and the dog would look out from his cage and try to follow along. The kennel guy watched sports, too, which the dog had enjoyed. A lot.
    â€œUh, whatever you guys want to watch is fine with me,” he said.
    Benjamin looked eager. “Shall we?”
    Florence nodded decisively. “Yes. Let’s show him our favorite. We’ll watch the first episode, so he won’t get lost.”
    At least five of the animals shouted, “Yay!” Then, they all settled into more comfortable positions and made sure that the food dishes were easy to reach.
    They were so—congenial, and jolly. The Bad Hat didn’t get it at all. But, he used his teeth to tug a bowl of kibble closer.
    â€œAre