Bobby The Hungry Spaniel : A Short Story

Susie is a pretty ten year old girl.  She lives with her mum and dad in a seaside bungalow.  Susie owns a black and white spaniel called Bobby.

After school and weekends, Susie takes Bobby down to the beach.  The beach is Bobby's favourite place.  On the beach Bobby rushes around, sniffing noses, playing with other dogs, and saying a friendly hello to people. Afterwards, he dashes into the sea and splashes himself and any other dog or person that happens to be nearby.

Bobby plays fetch-ball, his favourite game with Susie. She throws a ball, as far as she can, across the sands. An excited Bobby chases after the ball and returns it to his young mistress. Susie would throw the ball again, and again, and again, and Bobby would return it again, and again, and again, until Susie stopped throwing.  She would then walk home with a tired, but happy dog.

When Bobby was a puppy, and later as a young dog, he slept on a blanket in the kitchen. Now he was older, daddy, who was a carpenter, built a kennel in the garden.  It was a nice kennel and Bobby liked it.  Every day mummy would bring to the kennel a meal and a bowl of water.  Bobby enjoyed these meals until one day something happened to upset him.

One evening as he was about to eat his dinner, Bruiser Bulldog, who had crept under the garden fence, pushed Bobby aside and ate his dinner and drank his water.  He then went away,  leaving a dejected and hungry spaniel feeling sorry for himself.  For the next few days, Bruiser bulldog stole Bobby's food, and as Bobby couldn't talk he was unable tell Susie what was happening.

Susie noticed her pet dog was growing weaker.  He no longer wanted to play or go to the beach.  Also his nose was no longer moist and cold, and he no longer wagged his tail.

Mummy took one look at poor Bobby and said,  "The poor boy is ill. We must take him to the vet at once."

Bobby was laid out in the car and they set off for the vet's.

The vet was a nice man.  He examined Bobby and felt his ribs, he then looked sternly at Mummy.

"This dog is dehydrated and starving.  He hasn't been fed.  I have a good mind to report you for animal cruelty."

An angry mummy shouted, "No! No!  I give Bobby a big meal every day, and afterwards the plate is licked clean."

The vet said, "I believe you madam, but if this animal comes before me again, without hesitation I will report you to the authorities. I will rest the poor dog here for a few days before you take him home.  Obviously if your'e feeding Bobby, either a stray dog or a fox is stealing the food.  I will notify the RSPCA to look out for a stray and they will deal with it."

Mummy thanked the vet and took Susie home.  Before Bobby returned home, Bruiser was captured and locked up in the kennels for unwanted, and stray dogs.

Bruiser was only partly guilty of of stealing Bobby's food.  He was given, as a present, to a cruel and lazy boy, who never took him for walks and beat him with a stick  Bruiser ran away and starvation made him steal food whenever he could. Now a fed-up and lonely bulldog  found himself behind bars.

One day  Bruiser's luck changed when he was taken home, as a pet, by a nice boy. This made Bruiser very happy.

Soon Bobby was back to his old self, he jumped around and played. He went to the beach again where he sniffed noses and played with other dogs, said hello to people, and splashed into the sea. He played fetch ball with Susie who would throw the ball as far as she could across the sands. Bobby scampered after it and returned it to Susie. She would throw the ball again, and again, and again with each time Bobby returning it to her, again, again, and again. When Susie tired of playing she stopped throwing the ball. She then walked home with an exhausted, but contented Bobby.

Chapter One The War Council can be read for free here.