nature. They had a lot in common really. Josie smiled at the silver birches and the lovely little wild flowers, their heads nodding in the breeze. Ben gazed up at the pale blue sky, furnished with wi sps of silky white cloud, lost in his thoughts. They headed towards the lake, which was full of ducks and a few swans. Some geese sat on the bank of the lake and birds chirped in the trees lining the edges. Glen trotted along happily between Ben and Josie , sniffing the grass and flowers, and dodgin g the bad-smelling stuff .
Glen stopped abruptly . Ben looked down as the lead pulled backwards , waking him from his daydream. In front of them was another R etriever Labrador . Ben noticed that her coat was very shiny. A young woman was walking her , dr essed in jeans, trainers and a T -shirt saying ' Fur coats are beautiful animals worn by ugly people ' . Cool message , he thought, smiling slightly. The girl had long brown hair, worn in two long plaits. Ben watched as she bent down to stroke the dog, which had stopped walking, just like Glen, and was staring at him.
“ This is weird, ” said Josie.
“ Yeah, ” said Ben . “ I ' ve never seen that dog before. ”
Josie ' s eyes lit up. “ I have! It ' s the one he wa s staring at before. Remember – when he crashed into a tree ? ! ”
Glen glanced up and whined. Ben patted him on the head. Glen looked up, licke d his hand and then started walking towards the other dog, pulling Ben behind . Josie followed.
As Glen walked forward, so the other dog started walking towards him. The girl, bewildered , went with it.
“ Sorry , ” said Ben to the girl, as the two dogs met. “ I guess our dogs wanted to say hello to each other . ”
“ I think so, ” replied the girl shyly , blinking in the sun . “ She ' s in heat at the moment. I keep walking her away quickly whenever I spot a male dog in the vicinity ! ”
Ben nodded. “ Glen ' s safe. I don ' t think he ' s like normal dogs. ”
“ How so? ” asked the girl.
“ Well, I think he ' s a bit eccentric! ”
“ Really? ” she asked, laughing.
“ Yep, he likes baths, watches TV, hates walking in dog pooh in the park – he swerves to avoid it – and he doesn ' t run after female dogs. In fact, I think your dog is the first one he ' s been interested in for a long time. ”
The girl giggled . “ Weird, but kind of cute – he sounds almost human! ”
“ Oh, now they ' re sniffing each other ' s bums, ” observed Josie. “ That ' s definitely not human! ”
Everyone looked the other way .
Glen
It ' s so great to see her again. “ Voof, voof, voof. ” Ben and Josie are looking confused, but I think it ' s ok ay now ' cos we ' re all sitting down together . I ' m so happy. It ' s like a dream come true. Here I am in the park and Mimi is sitting here next to me. She smells so nice and her c oat is so shiny, even shinier than I remember though not as shiny as those glorious brown eyes. I could melt in them. But hey , now I sound like one of those actors in those cheesy black-and-white films Ben watches. I thought she ' d never notice me, but here I am, sitting next to the best-looking dog in the neighbourhood.
Ha, look, there ' s that big Doberman walking past and he ' s looking. Bet he ' s jealous. All the dogs are looking at me as they walk past with their owners. Bet they didn ' t know I had it in me. Well, come on, even I didn ' t k now I had it in me! Here she is, Mimi, enjoying my company. If only it could last forever. I hope Ben doesn ' t get bored soon and want us to go. But, hey, look at that – he ' s chatting to the gi rl who was walking Mimi. She ' s pretty. Josie isn ' t talking, but looking at the sky. That ' s an awkward position to be in !
“ It ' s voof ing good to see you again, ” says Mimi. “ I ' m really glad we met, e ven though it was embarrassing! ”
“ Voof! Me too, ” I say. “ Did you like my big fit? I figured it was the only way I could get us out of that
Glen stopped abruptly . Ben looked down as the lead pulled backwards , waking him from his daydream. In front of them was another R etriever Labrador . Ben noticed that her coat was very shiny. A young woman was walking her , dr essed in jeans, trainers and a T -shirt saying ' Fur coats are beautiful animals worn by ugly people ' . Cool message , he thought, smiling slightly. The girl had long brown hair, worn in two long plaits. Ben watched as she bent down to stroke the dog, which had stopped walking, just like Glen, and was staring at him.
“ This is weird, ” said Josie.
“ Yeah, ” said Ben . “ I ' ve never seen that dog before. ”
Josie ' s eyes lit up. “ I have! It ' s the one he wa s staring at before. Remember – when he crashed into a tree ? ! ”
Glen glanced up and whined. Ben patted him on the head. Glen looked up, licke d his hand and then started walking towards the other dog, pulling Ben behind . Josie followed.
As Glen walked forward, so the other dog started walking towards him. The girl, bewildered , went with it.
“ Sorry , ” said Ben to the girl, as the two dogs met. “ I guess our dogs wanted to say hello to each other . ”
“ I think so, ” replied the girl shyly , blinking in the sun . “ She ' s in heat at the moment. I keep walking her away quickly whenever I spot a male dog in the vicinity ! ”
Ben nodded. “ Glen ' s safe. I don ' t think he ' s like normal dogs. ”
“ How so? ” asked the girl.
“ Well, I think he ' s a bit eccentric! ”
“ Really? ” she asked, laughing.
“ Yep, he likes baths, watches TV, hates walking in dog pooh in the park – he swerves to avoid it – and he doesn ' t run after female dogs. In fact, I think your dog is the first one he ' s been interested in for a long time. ”
The girl giggled . “ Weird, but kind of cute – he sounds almost human! ”
“ Oh, now they ' re sniffing each other ' s bums, ” observed Josie. “ That ' s definitely not human! ”
Everyone looked the other way .
Glen
It ' s so great to see her again. “ Voof, voof, voof. ” Ben and Josie are looking confused, but I think it ' s ok ay now ' cos we ' re all sitting down together . I ' m so happy. It ' s like a dream come true. Here I am in the park and Mimi is sitting here next to me. She smells so nice and her c oat is so shiny, even shinier than I remember though not as shiny as those glorious brown eyes. I could melt in them. But hey , now I sound like one of those actors in those cheesy black-and-white films Ben watches. I thought she ' d never notice me, but here I am, sitting next to the best-looking dog in the neighbourhood.
Ha, look, there ' s that big Doberman walking past and he ' s looking. Bet he ' s jealous. All the dogs are looking at me as they walk past with their owners. Bet they didn ' t know I had it in me. Well, come on, even I didn ' t k now I had it in me! Here she is, Mimi, enjoying my company. If only it could last forever. I hope Ben doesn ' t get bored soon and want us to go. But, hey, look at that – he ' s chatting to the gi rl who was walking Mimi. She ' s pretty. Josie isn ' t talking, but looking at the sky. That ' s an awkward position to be in !
“ It ' s voof ing good to see you again, ” says Mimi. “ I ' m really glad we met, e ven though it was embarrassing! ”
“ Voof! Me too, ” I say. “ Did you like my big fit? I figured it was the only way I could get us out of that
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