Drake the Dandy by Katy Newton Naas

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    How I Became Drake the Dandy
    B efore I came to live with Kinsey, I lived in a training facility. This is where they taught me to do my job. You see, I can actually smell Kinsey’s seizures before they happen. And that means I can warn her and help her get to a safe place before she has one.
    I had two trainers, David and Lauren. My training was not easy. I went through months of exercises and drills.
    I wasn’t alone in my training. I had friends in the facility. There was Poe, who was training to be a seeing-eye dog. He was big and frisky and funny, making all of us laugh with his silly jokes. I have to smile when I think of little Bella, who was training to be a hearing dog. At first, Bella could seem a bit snobby. She pranced when she walked and sometimes she ignored those around her, especially Poe when he was feeling particularly playful. But once you got to know her, she was really sweet.
    I got to watch both Poe and Bella when they were adopted into their new homes. I was so happy for both of them. But even though I was happy, I couldn’t help but be a little jealous. I
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    d reamed every night about the person I would come to protect. I didn’t know if that person would be a boy or a girl, young or old, but I just knew it would be wonderful. I didn’t know it at the time, but it would be even better than I imagined.
    I remember the day I met Kinsey and her parents like it was yesterday. Her mom and dad are both very nice people, but it was Kinsey’s face that made me fall in love. When her sparkly eyes met mine, I knew she was my person . She smiled shyly at me and my whole body quivered in excitement. She bent down to rub my head and then dropped to her knees to wrap me in a hug. I leaned into her so hard that she almost fell over. I wanted her to know how much I already loved her.
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    K insey and her parents got to stay at the training facility with me for a while. That way we could get to know each other. And that’s when I got my nickname, Drake the Dandy.
    It happened when she was sitting on the floor, reading a book. I was lapping up some water from my bowl when I smelled it. Something inside her body changed. I raised my head and the hair on my back stood up. Whining, I ran to her and pushed my nose under her arm.
    Her parents knew that I was alerting them. They helped her to the floor and talked to her soothingly. Less than two minutes later, her seizure began. Her eyes glazed over and she began to shake. It was terrifying to watch and it seemed to last forever.
    When it was over, Kinsey’s dad came over and hugged me. “You knew,” he just kept saying over and over. “What a smart boy you are. A dandy protector for our Kinsey. From now on, we will call you Drake the Dandy.”
    It’s stuck with me ever since.

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    Home Sweet Home
    F inally , I got to leave the facility with my new family and go to my new home. The house was cozy and perfect as far as I was concerned. To my surprise, we were greeted by a cat at the door. I was not surprised to see that the cat did not look thrilled to see me.
    â€œDrake, this is Chaucer,” Kinsey told me, and I took that as my cue to smell him in greeting. My nose was met immediately by the slap of his paw as he hissed his warning to back away.
    â€œChaucer!” Kinsey scolded. “Be nice. This is your new brother.”
    His low growl told me exactly how he felt about that. He sprinted away into the kitchen, leaving me in the living room with Kinsey. I figured it would be a while before I won Chaucer’s affections, but that was okay with me. The only affections I cared about having were Kinsey’s.
    And Kinsey’s affections are exactly what I got. We became best friends. I spend every waking moment with her. At night, I sleep right beside her in the bed.
    I know I’m Kinsey’s best friend because she tells me secrets before she falls asleep. She tells me things she doesn’t tell