Louise’s Furry Sidekick

Louise was a big girl – she had just started year 8 at school. But unlike many of her school friends, she didn’t walk to school on her own. Every morning her faithful four-legged friend, a dog called Bella, walked with her. Dogs aren’t allowed to go to school, are they? That’s right, ordinary dogs aren’t. But Bella was no ordinary dog, and Louise couldn’t go to school without her.

In fact, Louise and Bella were practically inseparable. And this afternoon, like every afternoon, they were walking home from school together. The front door closed behind them, and Bella’s work was done for a while.

“Well done, Bella, you can relax now!” Louise’s mother said, giving her a dog treat and a friendly scratch behind the ears, and filling up her water bowl right to the rim.

Louise went to change her clothes and unpack her school things, then went into the kitchen to have a snack and chat to her mum about what had happened at school. It was a nice, warm afternoon, so after that Louise decided to go out for a walk. She took a few cautious steps onto the porch, gently holding on to the wall. She was looking for her faithful puppy, who was waiting for her, lounging comfortably in the shade.

“Shall we go for a walk, Bella?” Louise asked cheerfully, patting the dog gently on the head. Bella sprang to her feet, her tail wagging with excitement, nuzzled up to Louise and gave her a big, loving lick on the hand. “You funny little thing,” said Louise, laughing out loud, “off we go then!”

Louise called goodbye to her mother, clipped Bella’s harness on, and together they set out for their walk. On warm, summery days…