The Doggy Divas: Roxy’s Rules by Lauren Brown

confidently. “We shouldn’t really turn anyone away. It’s not fair. But we can’t let her think we’re worried. If we drop her as a client, we’ll look like she got to us and we care what she thinks.”
    Georgia let out a snort as she clacked away on her latest doggie sweater. She had ten to finish by the end of the week. So far, her sweaters were the most requested service from the Doggy Divas besides, of course, dog walking.
    â€œSo what do we do?” Georgia asked. “Liz Craft will do anything to get her way.”
    â€œWe’ll have to train her—like a dog,” Kim piped in. “Dogs are very responsive to repetition. They learn by hearing the same command or doing the same trick over and over. We’ll just have to be nice and emotionless every day, the exact same way, when she’s around. As mean as it sounds, we have to treat her like a dog.”
    Okay, one of these days, we’re going to have to get Kim to a mall and introduce her to the two-legged species , but for now, she’s got a point…
    Roxy was shocked at the endless knowledge Kim had about dogs. She herself loved clothes, but she barely knew a thing about the fashion industry. Listening to Kim was impressive—and overwhelming sometimes!
    â€œIf we’re training her, then let’s get a muzzle to put over her yappy mouth,” Georgia suggested.
    The girls burst out laughing.
    â€œOkay…let’s move to our final order of business. Dog-walking duties begin tomorrow morning, bright and early!” Roxy exclaimed.
    Kim and Georgia groaned, but Roxy ignored them.
    â€œGirls, we have to start our day at 6 a.m. We have fifteen dogs to walk before school and fifteen to walk after school,” Roxy dictated. “I think five dogs each should be fine, but we need to split it up based on the dogs that are closest to our houses.”
    They each picked their five dogs, and Roxy had no choice but to take little Roxie. The Crafts lived closest to her, and one of Liz’s “special” requests was for Roxy to be her walker. For now, at least, Roxy was willing to go along with whatever Liz wanted so they could get this business off the ground without Liz ruining it more than she’d already tried.
    â€œYou guys, please be easy to reach after I pick up little Roxie!” Roxy begged. “What if Liz puts a video camera in her—like one of those nanny cams or something? I may need you guys to inspect her!”
    â€œDon’t worry. There’s nowhere inside a dog that she could fit such a thing…” Kim started to explain. Roxy and Georgia rolled their eyes, and Kim trailed off.
    â€œOh, wait! I almost forgot!” Kim jumped up and ran over to her closet. She pulled out a box and handed Roxy and Georgia each a sack with plastic bags to scoop up dog poop, hand sanitizer, and dog treats.
    â€œThink of these three things as your ‘canine kit.’ Use them for every walk,” Kim said. “Leaving poop on the street is against the law, and you want to make sure your hands are clean at all times. Treats are a way of earning a dog’s trust and rewarding him for good behavior, but don’t use them as bribes. Dogs are very smart creatures.”
    Georgia sniffed one of the treats and made a face. “Are we going to get a lecture from you about the proper care of dogs every time we meet?” she asked.
    â€œYes, we are,” Roxy jumped in. “I think we need Kim to teach us because I really don’t know all that much about dogs—at least you guys each have one—so yes, Kim will be teaching us.”
    Kim beamed with pride. Roxy realized that Kim must not get many compliments on her dog knowledge—especially from her mom.
    â€œOkay, girls, we have a big day of dog walking ahead of us. I say this meeting is adjourned so we can go home and get some much-needed beauty rest!”

DOGGY CONFESSIONAL
IZZY
    Was Kim