Whining, barking just a little, and tumbling about like little balls of cotton yarn, Don and the other puppies stayed in the straw in the kennel with their mother. Sometimes she went out to get something to eat, and then the little dogs crept closer to each other to keep warm. They slept a great deal of the time, for dogs, like babies, grow when they sleep.
Once, just before Don had his eyes open, he heard strange noises outside of the kennel house where he lived. Don did not know what the noises meant, but I shall tell you what they were. They were the voices of some boys talking.
“Oh, look at the puppies!” exclaimed one boy.
“What a lot of them,” said another.
“Yes, and they’re all mine,” spoke a third boy.
“Oh, Willie! Can’t I have one?” asked the first boy, and he reached down in the straw, and picked up Don. Mrs. Gurr, the mamma dog, growled a little and whined, for she did not like strange boys to handle her little puppies.
“You can’t have that one, Charlie,” answered the boy who had been called Willie.
“Why not?” asked Charlie.
“Because I promised him to Bobbie Black,” said Willie. “Bobbie came one day, and picked that puppy out for his. He’s going to call him Don, Bob is.”
“That’s a fine dog,” said Charlie, as he gently put the puppy Don back in the straw again. “I wish I had one.”