worn. There were some scary ones that he wasn't eager to wear. But others were easy. "Colts," he decided.
"Good," Mrs. Bennett said. "I have some nice books about horses."
Throughout the weekend, Sam wore his Timberwolves cap and worked with Steve on training Sleuth. They had refilled the Windex bottle with a mixture of vinegar and water. It smelled terrible.
"But it won't hurt him," Steve had explained. "That's the important thing. He won't like it, but it won't hurt him."
They took Sleuth to the yard. Sam's sister sat
on the porch steps to watch. Anastasia had become very interested in dog training.
"Sit," Steve commanded. And Sleuth sat.
Steve arranged the small bottle in his hand, with his finger on the trigger. "Hamburger," he said loudly. Sleuth leaped toward him, and Steve squirted the dog in the face. "No," he said loudly at the same time.
Sleuth yelped and sat back down, looking puzzled. His nose wiggled, trying to make some sense of vinegar.
"Hamburger," Steve said, again, and the same things happened. Sleuth leaped; Steve squirted; Sleuth sat.
"Now you try it, Sam," Steve said, and handed Sam the bottle.
Sam arranged himself in front of the dog, and when he was ready, he said, "Hamburger!" Sleuth leaped. Sam squirted. Sleuth sat.
From where she sat on the steps, Anastasia applauded.
Sam tried again. "Hamburger!" he said loudly. This time, Sleuth got to his feet, hesitated, and then sat back down.
And one more time. Sam said, "Hamburger!" He held the bottle where the dog could see it. Sleuth didn't move.
From the porch steps, where he had gone to sit beside Anastasia, Steve called, "Hamburger!" Sleuth sat very still.
"
Cool,
" Sam said. "We did it! It worked!"
He turned toward the porch, planning to bow theatrically if his sister applauded again. "Yea, Sam!" Anastasia called. "You guys are great dog trainers!"
She turned to Steve. "You want to stay for lunch?" she asked. "We can make sandwiches out of leftover meatloaf."
At the sound of "meatloaf," Sleuth jumped up, knocked Sam over, and dashed to the porch with his ears napping. He thudded into Anastasia, one eager paw on her shoulder.
Steve stood up with a sigh. "We have more work to do, Sam," he said. "Let me have the squirter."
It was a long process. All weekend they worked. When they got meatloaf under control, they had to start on peanut butter. With peanut butter done, there was still spaghetti.
It was a tiring job, Sam realized, being a zookeeper. His book didn't show the exhausting parts. His book showed Zookeeper Jake smiling while he pushed a wheelbarrow filled with silvery fish to the seal pool. It showed Jake washing an elephant with a hose. In his book, all of the animals looked happy and well behaved. The elephant lifted one ear so that Jake could wash behind it. The seals cheerfully caught the fish that Jake threw. In one picture, a chimp with a huge smile sat very still while Jake brushed his teeth with a special brush.
Also, Jake's suit, the one that said ZOOKEEPER JAKE in red letters on the chest, always seemed to be clean. Sam's suit wasn't. Sam's coverall had muddy paw prints all over it, and egg yolk from breakfast. His mom had washed it at least ten times, but every day it got dirty again. Every night at bedtime, Sam's mom groaned when he took off his zooman suit and she saw how dirty it was. Every night she asked, "Sam, do you think that maybe tomorrowâ"
But every night Sam said no. There were twenty-eight more hats. Then there were twenty-seven. And then twenty-six. Sam still had a lot of zooman time left to do.
14
"My goodness, Sam, you're so tall!" Mrs. Bennett said on Friday morning. "You shot up overnight!" Then she looked at him more carefully and began to laugh. "And I can see why!"
Sam laughed, too. He had thought it was pretty funny when he had looked at himself in the mirror at home. He was wearing six hats today, one on top of the other. He had to walk very carefully to keep them all up there
"Good," Mrs. Bennett said. "I have some nice books about horses."
Throughout the weekend, Sam wore his Timberwolves cap and worked with Steve on training Sleuth. They had refilled the Windex bottle with a mixture of vinegar and water. It smelled terrible.
"But it won't hurt him," Steve had explained. "That's the important thing. He won't like it, but it won't hurt him."
They took Sleuth to the yard. Sam's sister sat
on the porch steps to watch. Anastasia had become very interested in dog training.
"Sit," Steve commanded. And Sleuth sat.
Steve arranged the small bottle in his hand, with his finger on the trigger. "Hamburger," he said loudly. Sleuth leaped toward him, and Steve squirted the dog in the face. "No," he said loudly at the same time.
Sleuth yelped and sat back down, looking puzzled. His nose wiggled, trying to make some sense of vinegar.
"Hamburger," Steve said, again, and the same things happened. Sleuth leaped; Steve squirted; Sleuth sat.
"Now you try it, Sam," Steve said, and handed Sam the bottle.
Sam arranged himself in front of the dog, and when he was ready, he said, "Hamburger!" Sleuth leaped. Sam squirted. Sleuth sat.
From where she sat on the steps, Anastasia applauded.
Sam tried again. "Hamburger!" he said loudly. This time, Sleuth got to his feet, hesitated, and then sat back down.
And one more time. Sam said, "Hamburger!" He held the bottle where the dog could see it. Sleuth didn't move.
From the porch steps, where he had gone to sit beside Anastasia, Steve called, "Hamburger!" Sleuth sat very still.
"
Cool,
" Sam said. "We did it! It worked!"
He turned toward the porch, planning to bow theatrically if his sister applauded again. "Yea, Sam!" Anastasia called. "You guys are great dog trainers!"
She turned to Steve. "You want to stay for lunch?" she asked. "We can make sandwiches out of leftover meatloaf."
At the sound of "meatloaf," Sleuth jumped up, knocked Sam over, and dashed to the porch with his ears napping. He thudded into Anastasia, one eager paw on her shoulder.
Steve stood up with a sigh. "We have more work to do, Sam," he said. "Let me have the squirter."
It was a long process. All weekend they worked. When they got meatloaf under control, they had to start on peanut butter. With peanut butter done, there was still spaghetti.
It was a tiring job, Sam realized, being a zookeeper. His book didn't show the exhausting parts. His book showed Zookeeper Jake smiling while he pushed a wheelbarrow filled with silvery fish to the seal pool. It showed Jake washing an elephant with a hose. In his book, all of the animals looked happy and well behaved. The elephant lifted one ear so that Jake could wash behind it. The seals cheerfully caught the fish that Jake threw. In one picture, a chimp with a huge smile sat very still while Jake brushed his teeth with a special brush.
Also, Jake's suit, the one that said ZOOKEEPER JAKE in red letters on the chest, always seemed to be clean. Sam's suit wasn't. Sam's coverall had muddy paw prints all over it, and egg yolk from breakfast. His mom had washed it at least ten times, but every day it got dirty again. Every night at bedtime, Sam's mom groaned when he took off his zooman suit and she saw how dirty it was. Every night she asked, "Sam, do you think that maybe tomorrowâ"
But every night Sam said no. There were twenty-eight more hats. Then there were twenty-seven. And then twenty-six. Sam still had a lot of zooman time left to do.
14
"My goodness, Sam, you're so tall!" Mrs. Bennett said on Friday morning. "You shot up overnight!" Then she looked at him more carefully and began to laugh. "And I can see why!"
Sam laughed, too. He had thought it was pretty funny when he had looked at himself in the mirror at home. He was wearing six hats today, one on top of the other. He had to walk very carefully to keep them all up there
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