Ellie's Story Read Online Free Page A

to him. “Show me!” he’d say, but only if I had something to show.
    I was starting to feel pretty good about Work when Jakob took me to a new place. It was like a park with a playground in it. I knew about playgrounds; there was one at the park where we went in the evenings. Young humans would run around it like puppies, climbing up ladders, barreling down slides, swooping high into the sky on swings. They certainly looked like they were having fun. But there weren’t any children at this playground, and I didn’t know how I was supposed to Find Wally here, where there were no trees or bushes for him to hide behind.
    First Jakob took me up to a plank that was tipped over, with one end resting on the ground and the other high in the air. I sniffed, but Wally wasn’t nearby. I couldn’t pick up his scent at all.
    It turned out there was more to Work than Find Wally.
    Jakob tugged gently on my leash, showing me he wanted me to walk up the ramp. Fine. I walked up it. On the other side was a ladder going down.
    This side I didn’t like as much. Where were my feet supposed to go? I put one paw hesitantly on a rung. Then the next.
    â€œGood dog, Ellie. Keep going,” Jakob encouraged me.
    I was eager to be on the nice, safe ground again, so I leaped to the ground.
    â€œNo, don’t jump,” Jakob said.
    I didn’t know what he was saying, but the word “no” I certainly recognized. It was one of my least favorite words.
    Jakob took me up the ramp and down the ladder again and again, and after a while I got it: he wanted me to take a step at a time, even though it wasn’t the fastest way to the ground. “Good dog, Ellie!” I loved being a good dog.
    The next thing to try was a stack of logs. They were uneven under my feet, and that was a little disturbing. I was used to grass or dirt or sidewalks, or to smooth floors and carpets indoors. I had to balance and leap from one log to the next.
    â€œCome, Ellie. Good dog, Ellie!”
    Jakob’s voice encouraged me, and I kept going.
    Then came the tube.
    Jakob showed it to me, and I sniffed it carefully. Still no sign of Wally, though I supposed he could have squeezed in there with a little effort. I could smell a hint of dogs who’d been here before me. Other than that, it just smelled of plastic.

    Jakob went to the other side of the tube. “Come, Ellie. Come!” he called.
    Come through the tube?
    I knew I was supposed to obey right away. There was never any fooling around during Work. No hesitation. Work meant to do what Jakob said and to do it quickly.
    But that tube was dark. Where exactly would it take me?
    â€œCome!”
    One more word from Jakob was all that it took. I plunged into the tube, nose first. My front paws clawed at the smooth plastic. My back feet shoved. It was cramped and hot, and the plastic smelled strange. I didn’t like the feeling. The walls of the tube were all around me, pressing in on me. I wanted to get through, to get out, to get where Jakob and his voice were waiting for me.
    One last wriggle, one frantic shove with my back paws, and I was tumbling onto the fresh-smelling grass.
    â€œGood, Ellie. Good dog!” Jakob’s hands were in my fur, petting and scratching, and I was panting a little. It hadn’t been easy, but I had done my Work.
    We went back to that playground-park many times, and I got quick at all the climbing and balancing and crawling Jakob asked of me. I never grew to like the tube, but I didn’t let Jakob know. I’d dive in as soon as I heard his command and wiggle through as quickly as I possibly could.
    Jakob showed me a harness, too, a floppy orange thing that looked like a shirt. The first time he put it on me, I wondered if he wanted me to find a way to wriggle out of it, as I’d done with that T-shirt so long ago. But it turned out that wasn’t the idea.
    â€œOkay, Ellie, hold still while I put your harness