Lily to the Rescue: The Three Bears

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  Dedicated to the wonderful people making lives better at Rosie Animal Adoption in Kirkland, Quebec, Canada.

  1

  Everyone knows that Maggie Rose is my girl, and I am her dog. Even squirrels know, because they see me coming at the end of my leash, and they scamper quickly up a tree and then stare down at me.

  I always let those squirrels know with a stern look that I could have caught them if I had wanted to, but when I am walking with my girl I need to be careful not to lunge forward because it might pull her over, which I would never do, except for the few times it’s happened.

  I was with my girl, ignoring a squirrel scolding me from a branch. (A squirrel has no business chattering at a dog, but sometimes they are very rude.) We were crossing the big field that separates Home from Work. Home is where we all sleep and, most importantly, eat. Work is where Mom spends most of her time taking care of animals.

  When we are at Work, my girl and I take care of animals, too, mainly by playing with them.

  “You get to see Freddy today, Lily!” Maggie Rose sang to me. I wagged because she was happy and because I recognized the name “Freddy.” Freddy is a sleek ferret who sometimes sits in a cage at Work. Freddy is my best ferret friend. Actually, I don’t know any other ferrets, but if I did, Freddy would be my favorite.

  I was still wagging when we walked in the door at Work. Instantly I could smell that Maggie Rose’s two brothers were already here, along with Brewster.

  Brewster is a dog who lives with us and sleeps on Bryan’s bed. He was napping on a dog blanket near the door and raised his head as we came in. I gave him a polite sniff.

  “Hey, Maggie Rose,” Craig said. He was lugging a heavy bag that smelled of wonderful dog food. “Bryan’s outside in the back, playing with two puppies we just rescued.”

  “Puppies!” Maggie Rose said.

  Craig nodded. “I’m almost done stacking dog food, and then I’ll come out, too.”

  My girl ran to the back door and I dashed after her. I didn’t know what we were doing, but I was excited to be doing it. It seemed that we were not going into the room of cages where Freddy was waiting for me. That was too bad. But whatever we were doing must be more important.

  It wasn’t important enough to wake Brewster from his nap, though. Almost nothing can do that.

  We burst out into the sunshine and I smelled Bryan and two puppies.

  “So cute!” Maggie Rose exclaimed.

  One puppy was covered with shaggy dark fur, and one was white with big dark spots. Of course, they were impressed and amazed to see a good dog and her girl.

  They ran to me, tripping over themselves. I let them jump on me and chew at my face until Shaggy bit down too hard. Then I flipped him over on his back.

  It’s the job of older dogs to teach younger dogs how to play properly.

  “I’ve named them Biker and Slam,” Bryan told my girl.

  Maggie Rose sat on the lawn and the puppies broke away from me and climbed into her lap. She giggled and picked up the spotted one, kissing him on the nose. I trotted over and shoved my face into my girl’s face for my own kiss.

  Craig came out the back door. There was still no sign of Brewster.

  “Those are the worst names ever, Bryan,” Maggie Rose told him.

  “What are?” Craig asked, falling to his knees and reaching out to the shaggy puppy. Shaggy began chewing Craig’s fingers.

  “Slime and Blinker,” Maggie Rose answered.

  Craig hooted.

  “That’s not what I said!” Bryan responded. “Biker and Slam.”

  “What? Are you crazy?” Craig answered. “Slacker and Bam?”

  “I’m not talking to either of you,” Bryan muttered. I saw he was trying not to grin.

  I looked up and wagged as Mom came out to see us. She smells different every day. Today she carried the odor of cats.

  Craig rose to his feet. “What’s wrong, Mom?”

  “Your dad just called,” Mom said. “He’s on his way here with an injured bear. Maggie Rose, can you bring the puppies inside and put them in a kennel? I have to prepare for surgery.”

  Maggie Rose and Bryan stood and the puppies stared up at them, amazed at how tall the people were. “What happened to the bear?” my girl asked.

  “A poacher shot it,” Mom replied.

  “What?” Maggie Rose gasped.

  I looked at my girl, sensing her alarm.

  “Your dad tracked it down and used a dart gun to put it into a deep sleep,” Mom said. “We’ll know more when he gets here.”

  * * *

  I followed the humans back into the building. My girl was carrying a puppy in each hand. “What’s a poacher?” she asked.

  “Somebody who hunts illegally,” Craig told her.

  “Bet you Dad arrested him,” Bryan said.

  “Will the bear be okay?” my girl asked. She sounded worried.

  “I won’t know until I have a chance to examine it,” Mom replied.

  The two puppies stared at each other. I could tell they were astonished to be so far above the ground. My girl put them in a kennel. They gazed at me, confused. Why were they in there, when I was not?

  I followed my nose to where Freddy lurked in a cage. He came to the bars and poked his snout out to sniff me, and I wagged and sniffed back.

  “Come on, Lily!” Maggie Rose told me, turning away.

  I had hoped Freddy would be allowed to come out. My girl had let him out once and we’d had a marvelous game of Chase. But it’s never happened again.

  It didn’t happen this time, either. My girl had other plans. People get to decide which animals are allowed to play and which have to remain inside the kennels.

  The puppies were back to wrestling in their own cage. That’s just how puppies are.

  “Lily!” my girl called again. She was standing in an open doorway. “The bear’s here. Hurry!”

  2

  My girl was tense. I thought she must be expecting something exciting to happen. She pulled me over to a bench and sat down with Bryan and Craig. Brewster had already moved his nap to this new location.

  I watched, bewildered, as Dad and a woman dressed like Dad trundled a rolling bed into the front room at Work. Lying on that bed, sound asleep, was the biggest, furriest, smelliest creature I had ever seen. I did not know how the large animal managed to sleep while being pushed around like that. I was amazed that its own stink didn’t wake it up!

  “Whoa!” Bryan said. “It’s huge!”

  Dad and his helper rolled the bed right out of the room again, through a different door. The kids rose to th
eir feet, so I did, too. All Brewster did was open one eye for a moment.

  “Here, Maggie Rose,” Craig said. He reached down and picked her up in his arms. A moment later Bryan did the same with me, as if my girl and I were a couple of puppies.

  At Work there’s a room that smells like chemicals, and because Craig and his brother were holding us up high, we could see through a window into that room. Mom was wearing gloves and paper over her mouth. Dad and his friend wheeled the huge animal past the window, and the thing still didn’t open its eyes!

  Brewster is an expert at napping, but even he would wake up if he were wheeled on a rolling bed into a smelly room.

  After a few moments, Dad and his friend came back into the room where we were waiting. His friend left out the front door, but Dad stayed. Bryan and Craig put Maggie Rose and me on the floor and I sniffed Dad curiously. He smelled like trees and dirt and also the napping creature he had just taken for a car ride in a bed.

  “Hi, boys; Maggie Rose. Hi, Lily,” Dad said. He put his hand down so I could get a better whiff of the creature’s smell. I licked his palm and was not particularly happy with the taste.

  “Will the bear be okay, Dad?” Maggie Rose asked.

  Dad nodded. “I think so. Your mom agrees it’s a shallow wound. The bullet just grazed the bear’s shoulder.”

  “Will the poacher go to jail?” Craig wanted to know.

  Dad shrugged. “That’s up to the judge. All we can do is put the cuffs on them.”

  “It’s so cool you get to arrest people!” Bryan said.

  Craig looked at his brother. “We keep hoping he’ll arrest you.”

  “You smell, Dad,” my girl said, wrinkling her nose.

  Dad grinned. “Some bears have a pretty strong odor. That’s so if you ever go into a cave and you smell a bear, you’ll know to turn right around and run out.”

  My girl stared at him. “Really?”

  Dad laughed. “Well, I doubt that’s the reason, but it’s something good to keep in mind.”

  “I’d make Craig go into the cave to check for the bear,” Bryan said.

  “Like you could make me do anything.” Craig snorted.

  “When will we find out if the bear is okay?” my girl wanted to know.

  Dad held up his hand and looked at it. “Probably at least an hour,” he answered. “Your mom said I should tell you to clean out the cat cages.”

  Bryan groaned.

  “Come on, Lily, let’s go see kitties,” my girl said.

  We walked down the back hall to where all the cats lived. Brewster eased to his feet and padded after us.

  Soon my girl was moving armfuls of cats from one cage to another. The boys swept out cages and squirted a stinky liquid into each. Brewster decided this was more than he could take and circled up for a snooze. I joined him. I like cats, but not if all they are going to do is sit in their cages and stare at me.

  Brewster moved over to make room for me. I might not be as good at sleeping as the huge stinky creature, but I’m not bad, either. Napping is one of my main skills.

  * * *

  A short time later, the door to the hallway opened. I was instantly awake.

  “Kids, can you come out here, please?” Mom said.

  There was something very tense in the way the children glanced at each other. Silently, they followed Mom out into the front room.

  Our nails clicking, Brewster and I brought up the rear. We could smell that Mom had gotten some of the stinky creature’s odors on her clothing.

  “What’s wrong, Mom?” my girl asked. “Did something bad happen with the bear?”

  “Where’s Dad?” Craig wanted to know.

  Mom pursed her lips. “The bear’s fine. I cleaned the wound and stitched it up. But when I examined her, I realized that she’s got cubs. She gave birth this winter. I can’t tell how many, but she’s had at least one. Your dad left to change his uniform and go back up into the mountains.”

  “Babies?” Maggie Rose replied. I nosed her hand because she seemed worried, and needed to know she had a good dog by her side.

  “How come Dad didn’t see the cubs when he found the bear?” Bryan asked.

  Mom shrugged. “They might have been hiding. Dad didn’t know to look for them, but he knows now, and he’s getting some people from his department to try to find them. Hopefully before nightfall.”

  Craig stood up straight. “I’d like to help search.”

  “Me, too,” Bryan said.

  “And me,” my girl added.

  Mom gazed at us thoughtfully.

  3

  Whatever they were talking about was too much for Brewster. He collapsed on the floor with his eyes closed.

  “Your dad and I discussed it,” Mom said. “We knew you’d all want to help. But when we get there, you must do exactly as your dad and I say. Is that understood?”

  I felt the children brighten. “Lily can help, too!” my girl exclaimed. “Once we find the cubs, she can calm them down. They’ll be so scared without their mom.”

  Bryan said. “And I’ve got Brewster. He’s part hound dog. He’ll track them.”

  At his name we all looked at Brewster, who was making soft snoring noises.

  “Good luck with that,” Craig said.

  “I need to wait here for the people from the zoo to come pick up the bear,” Mom said. “She, and hopefully her cubs, will stay with them until she’s recovered, and then your dad will release them all into the mountains. Meanwhile, you should go home and get ready. Put on your hiking boots, and slip jackets into your backpacks—Echo Lake is over ten thousand feet above sea level. It’s a lot cooler up there.”

  Brewster and I leaped to our feet when the children hurried out the front door. I dutifully kept the leash slack between Maggie Rose and me, but Brewster found many things to sniff along the way. Some of them were spots that needed to be peed on. “Come on, Brewster,” Bryan kept saying, tugging him along.

  Clearly we were headed across the field to Home. It was the most fun we’d had all day, except when we’d crossed the same field to go to Work.

  Once we were Home, Craig and Bryan and Maggie Rose hurried from room to room. Brewster and I decided to stay in the living room. Mom normally doesn’t like us to sleep on the couch, but we could feel that everyone was excited, so it seemed like a special occasion. We climbed up and settled down in comfort.

  “I can’t find my hiking boots!” Bryan called from his room.

  “Wear Maggie Rose’s ballet slippers,” Craig answered.

  When we heard Mom’s car in the driveway, Brewster and I both eased down off the couch. We are smart dogs.

  But we didn’t have to be smart this time, because Mom didn’t even walk in the door. Instead, Maggie Rose called, “Mom’s here!” and we all ran out and jumped in her car.

  Now I understood why everyone had been so excited. We were going for a car ride! Even Brewster was alert and wagging. He helped me keep an eye out the window for squirrels and other situations that would need some barking.

  “I’ll bet you the cubs are lonesome without their mommy,” my girl said.

  “Not just lonesome,” Mom said from up front. “Bear cubs can’t fend for themselves. They need the mother bear to find food for them, and to protect them from predators. There are all sorts of threats to baby bears. Coyotes, mountain lions—even other bears.”

  “Then we need to find them!” Maggie Rose said, a flicker of worry in her voice.

  Out the window I saw a dog walking with a man. I barked, though Brewster did not. “Lily, no!” my girl scolded.

  Why was she cross with me when Brewster was the one who forgot to bark?

  In fact, Brewster had decided to lie down and drool a little on Bryan’s shorts. He doesn’t understand about car-riding behavior. He should have watched me—I would have shown him what to do. Instead, he fell asleep.

  Because he was sleeping, Brewster didn’t notice the change in the air as the clean, cool smell of Up in the M
ountains came wafting into the car. Up in the Mountains is a place like Work or Home. It has fewer people, more animals, and much of the time lots of snow. I wagged because I had always had fun with my girl when we went to Up in the Mountains.

  Brewster roused himself when we swung into a flat dirt area with several cars parked nearby. It was a parking lot. It’s a strange thing, but people take car rides to parking lots all the time, even though when you get there, there’s not much to do.

  When my girl opened the door I bounded out and shook, wagging because I smelled Dad. Brewster immediately trotted to the end of his leash, found a big rock, sniffed it several times, and then turned and lifted his leg against it. Apparently, that’s why Brewster thought we had driven all this way: so he could pee on a rock.

  “There’s Echo Lake!” Maggie Rose said, pointing. “So pretty!”

  “And there’s Dad,” Craig added.

  “James! We’re here. James!” Mom called, waving. Sometimes she calls Dad that. I don’t know why she can’t learn his name, but it doesn’t seem to worry Dad, so I don’t let it bother me.

  Dad was talking with some other grown-ups, though he waved at us when Mom called the wrong name. We all strolled over to meet him, stopping here and there because there were a couple of big rocks that Brewster wanted to make part of his territory.

  Dad broke from the cluster of people and came over to meet us.

  “Good timing,” Dad said, smiling. “We’re just getting started. We’re going to begin where we caught up with the mother bear and fan out from there in groups of three.”

  “I can lead our group,” Craig said. He stood a little taller, holding still like a dog who wants to show that he’s ready to play as long as the other dogs understand who’s in charge. “Me and Bryan and Maggie Rose make three.”

  “No way.” Bryan scowled. “Who says you get to be the leader?”